Factories Act 1961

39 Precautions as respects water-sealed gasholders

(1) Every gasholder shall be of sound construction and shall be properly maintained.

(2) Every gasholder shall be thoroughly examined externally by a competent person at least once in every period of two years, and a record containing the prescribed particulars of every such examination shall be entered in or attached to the general register.

(3) In the case of a gasholder of which any lift has been in use for more than twenty years, the internal state of the sheeting shall, at least once in every period of ten years, be examined by a competent person by cutting samples from the crown and sides of the holder or by other sufficient means, and all samples so cut and a report on every such examination signed by the person making it shall be kept available for inspection.

(4) A record signed by the occupier of the factory or by a responsible official authorised in that behalf showing the date of the construction, as nearly as it can be ascertained, of the oldest lift of every gasholder in the factory shall be kept available for inspection.

(5) Where there is more than one gasholder in the factory, every gasholder shall be marked in a conspicuous position with a distinguishing number or letter.

(6) No gasholder shall be repaired or demolished except under the direct supervision of a person who, by his training and experience and his knowledge of the necessary precautions against risks of explosion and of persons being overcome by gas, is competent to supervise such work.

(7) In this section " gas holder " means a water-sealed gasholder which has a storage capacity of not less than five thousand cubic feet.