Summertime brings profits from alfresco activities, and that often means barbecues and hog roasts. Amidst the rush and excitement, take care to check that your gas barbecue or hog roast is legal, even if you are just hiring it in.
Bill Cooke, technical officer to the Gas Barbecue Association and managing director of Cinders Barbecues offers the following advice for readers` consideration.
"All gas appliances must bear a CE mark by law. This declares EC type approval, and that a quality control system is ensuring repeated production of identically safe appliances. The CE mark must be followed by a four figure code, which identifies the authority checking and approving the quality system.
"These Gas Appliance (Safety) Regulations came into force as long ago as 1996, but the unwary may not know they have since been adopted by the Consumer Protection Act, which exacts criminal penalties.
"Enforcement in respect of domestic gas appliances is by Local Authority Trading Standards, and for commercial appliances by the Health and Safety Executive. In many types of commercial enterprise, the HSE hands enforcement to Local Authority Environmental Health Officers.
"The final twist is Public Liability and all other contracts of insurance are voidable, if illegality or negligence is present. Irregular CE marking is certainly illegal, and readers must consider how much care in the choice of product avoids a claim of negligence."
Cinders Barbecues provides foldaway grills, build in grills and hog roasts. Barbecues are a huge profit earner for pubs in the summer, but the guessing game from makeshift barbecues is both dangerous in terms of food safety and poor at delivering properly cooked food. The Cinders brand is a market leader in professional barbecues and first choice for operators who care about their food - and their bottom line!
Because of his concern as techincal officer to the Gas Barbecue Association about safety and compliance to the regulations he has agreed to check the validity of barbecue or hog roast CE marking directly with the test authorities, given the model and the four figure code.
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Cinders Barbecues