Emergency shut off valve check: 8 ways to automate

What an emergency shut off valve check covers

An emergency shut off valve is the valve or switch that stops a supply of gas, water or electricity to a building in an emergency. The check makes sure it is still where people think it is, nothing is in the way, it is labelled, the open and shut positions are clear, and the people on shift know where to find it. Most of the time nothing is wrong. The check is there for the night a pipe bursts or someone smells gas and needs to find the valve in the dark.

This is not a gas safety inspection of the appliances. That is a gas safety check, done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. This page covers the shut offs themselves: the gas emergency control, the water stopcock and the main electrical isolator. A kitchen, a hotel, a school, a shop or an office can all lose a shut off behind a stack of boxes or a new cupboard without anyone noticing.

The UK rules for gas

For gas, the rules are in the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Regulation 9 says gas must not be supplied to premises for the first time unless there is an appropriately sited emergency control with adequate access. The person who installs it must make sure the lever, key or wheel is securely attached, and that it is clearly marked, or has a notice nearby, to show when it is open and when it is shut. If the control is not next to the meter, a notice must be put up nearby saying what to do if gas escapes. Those are the same things this check looks at.

HSE's gas safety advice gives the gas leak procedure in three steps. Call the gas emergency number, 0800 111 999. Open all doors and windows. Shut off the gas supply at the meter control valve, if you know where it is. In Northern Ireland the number is different: nidirect gives the Northern Ireland Gas Emergency Service as 0800 002 001. Gas Safe Register adds one exception: do not turn off the emergency control if the meter is in a basement or cellar. The last step only works if people know where the valve is, and that is what this check is for.

Water and electricity

There is no single rule like regulation 9 for water stopcocks or electrical isolators at most sites. The same logic still applies. A burst pipe or an electrical fault does less damage if someone can turn the supply off quickly. The versions below start with the basic check and add guidance, photos, signatures and follow-up one at a time.

#1 - The valve check

Who it's for: One person checking the shut offs at one site.

What it is: A valve check is one shut off at one site, on a phone. It asks where the shut off is and which supply it controls: gas, water, electricity or other. Eight checks cover whether it is where the plan says, whether the way to it is clear, labels and open and shut marks, the handle, the emergency notice, whether staff know where it is, and any leaks or damage. Every shut off is found and checked, not assumed.

In practice: A café owner checks her shut offs on the first Monday of the month. The water stopcock under the sink is behind a new bin. She moves the bin, ticks the checks, and writes that the gas control in the cellar has no label saying what it is. Because it is in a cellar, she also adds a line to the gas leak notice upstairs: in a leak, do not go down, leave and call. She buys a label that afternoon.

Why it works: The eight checks make you look at the things that go wrong slowly: a cupboard built in front of a valve, a label that falls off, a notice that fades.

The common failure is checking from memory. Someone ticks the box because they know where the stopcock is, without looking at it. A new member of staff does not, and in an emergency they are the one who needs to find it. The "staff on shift know where it is" check makes you ask someone, not assume. If they do not know, show them and write that you did.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (which site and where)
• 1 single choice (which supply)
• 1 checklist (8 checks on access, labels and condition)
• 1 text input (anything not right)

When to upgrade:

1. Someone else does the check
2. You need proof of what the shut off looked like
3. A manager has to confirm it is done
4. You check the same shut offs every month

#2 - With guidance above the checks

Who it's for: Sites where caretakers, supervisors or staff do the check.

What it is: The same check, with two guidance panels above it. The first says how to check safely: look at the shut off and its label, do not turn the gas control, and only turn a water stopcock or electrical isolator if site rules say so. The second gives the gas leak procedure: call 0800 111 999, or 0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland, open doors and windows, turn the gas off at the emergency control if it is safe and not in a cellar or basement, avoid anything that could spark, and get people out. The person checking learns what to do in a leak.

In practice: A hotel's maintenance assistant does the monthly check on his own for the first time. He reads the first panel and checks the gas control without touching it. He reads the second and realises the gas leak notice by the cellar door has the old number on it. He writes that down.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. How to do the check without making anything unsafe
2. The gas leak procedure, on the screen
3. The same standard whoever does the check

Why it works: The person checking the valve is often the person who would use it in a leak. The panels put the method and the gas leak procedure in front of them every month.

The first panel stops a well meant mistake. Turning a gas emergency control off and back on can put out pilot lights, and appliances then need relighting and checking. That is a job for a Gas Safe registered engineer. The second panel follows HSE's advice word for word where it can: call the gas emergency number, open doors and windows, and shut off the gas at the meter control valve if you know where it is.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance panel (how to do the check safely)
• 1 guidance panel (what to do if you smell gas)
• The four steps from #1

When to upgrade: When you need proof of what the shut off looked like (#3).

#3 - With a photo of the valve

Who it's for: Sites where someone off site needs to see the shut offs.

What it is: The guided check, with a photo step straight after the checks. The person takes one photo of the shut off with its label in the shot, wide enough to show the space around it. The photo sits on the same record as the checks. You can see the valve is clear without going to look.

In practice: A facilities manager looks after twelve school buildings. Each caretaker photographs the gas control, stopcock and main isolator every month. When one photo shows a new PE store built across the cellar steps, he sees it the same day and asks for the gas control to be kept clear. That control is in a cellar, so the school leak notice tells staff not to go down to it in a leak and to call the emergency number from outside instead.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A photo of each shut off
2. The label and the space around it in the shot
3. A dated view to compare month by month

Why it works: A tick says the way is clear. A photo shows how clear. Over a few months, the photos also show things creeping in: one box, then three, then a shelf.

Take the photo from where someone would stand to use the shut off. That shows whether they could reach it, not just whether it is still there. Get the label and the open and shut marks in the frame. A photo of a new member of staff's first look at the valve is also a good way to show they have been shown where it is. The same photo, month after month, makes a quick comparison possible, and anything new in the frame stands out.

Steps included:

• The guided check from #2
• 1 photo (the valve and its label)

When to upgrade: When a manager has to confirm it is done (#4).

#4 - With signatures from both sides

Who it's for: Sites where a manager must confirm the shut offs are clear.

What it is: The photo check, with two signatures at the end. The person who did the check signs that it was done and the record is right. The manager on duty signs once they have read it. Every shut off check has a manager's name on it.

In practice: A restaurant group checks the gas control in every kitchen each month. The kitchen porter does the check and signs. The head chef reads it and signs too, and moves the delivery crates that were starting to stack up near the meter cupboard.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A signature from the person who checked
2. A signature from the manager on duty
3. A clear record of who confirmed it

Why it works: A check done by one person and seen by nobody else is easy to let slide. The second signature means someone in charge has read it, and knows if something needs fixing.

The manager should sign against the record, not just the fact that it was done. If the record says a notice is missing, the manager is the person who can order a new one or ask for a label. If the manager cannot sign on the day, a deputy signs. A missing signature is worth noticing, because it often means nobody read the problem either.

It also helps when people change. A new manager can look back at the signed checks and see who has been doing them, how often, and what they found. If the same person has signed every check for a year, it is worth showing someone else the shut offs too, so the knowledge does not leave with one person.

Steps included:

• The photo check from #3
• 1 signature (checked by)
• 1 signature (manager on duty)

When to upgrade: When you check the same shut offs every month (#5).

#5 - With the last check on screen

Who it's for: Sites with a regular check of the same shut offs.

What it is: The signed check, with a Pilla briefing on the "which site and where" step. Pilla looks up the last check of the same shut off. It says the date, who checked it, and anything that was not right and is not marked as fixed. Each check starts with what last month left open.

In practice: A leisure centre checks its plant room isolator monthly. Pilla tells the duty manager that last month's check said the label had peeled off and nobody marked it fixed. She looks there first. The label is still missing, so she writes it up again.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. The last check of this shut off, before you start
2. Anything still not fixed
3. Who checked it last and when

Why it works: Small problems on a shut off are easy to note and forget: a missing label, a stiff handle, a faded notice. The briefing brings them back each month until someone fixes them.

It also shows how often the same thing comes back. A stopcock that is blocked every month by the same shelves is a layout problem, not a checking problem, and moving the shelves is the fix. Over a year, the briefing gives a short history of each shut off, which helps when a Gas Safe engineer or plumber is asked to look at it. They can see what has been reported before and bring the right parts, rather than finding out on the day they arrive.

Steps included:

• The signed check from #4
• 1 Pilla briefing of the last check, on the "which site and where" step

When to upgrade: When anything wrong needs a proper account (#6).

#6 - With more detail when something is wrong

Who it's for: Sites that need problems fixed, not just noted.

What it is: The same check, with a Pilla rule on the "anything not right" step. If the note says anything is blocked, missing, unlabelled, damaged, leaking or rusty, or that staff did not know where it is, the next step opens. It asks what is wrong, who will fix it, the date it will be done, and whether a Gas Safe engineer, plumber or electrician is needed. If everything is right, the step stays out of the way. A problem with a shut off leaves with a name and a date.

In practice: A care home's maintenance lead finds the gas emergency control handle loose. The follow-up opens. He writes that it needs a Gas Safe engineer, that he has booked one for Thursday, and that the manager has been told where the meter is in case it is needed before then.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A follow-up that opens only when something is wrong
2. What is wrong, who fixes it and by when
3. Whether an engineer, plumber or electrician is needed

Why it works: "Handle loose" is a note. "Gas Safe engineer booked for Thursday" is a plan. The follow-up asks for that while the person is still standing by the valve.

The question about who is needed matters. A blocked stopcock can be cleared by anyone. A loose or damaged gas control is a job for a Gas Safe registered engineer, and so is anything that looks like a leak. Asking every time means the right person is called, and nobody tries a fix they should not. Regulation 9 says the lever, key or wheel must be securely attached, so a loose one is worth fixing quickly.

Steps included:

• The check with the last one on screen, from #5
• 1 Pilla rule on the "anything not right" step
• 1 follow-up step in the chain (what needs fixing)

When to upgrade: When the person running the site should hear about it straight away (#7).

#7 - With a direct message about the problem

Who it's for: The person who set the shut off check up.

What it is: When the follow-up step is filled in, Pilla sends a direct message to the person who set the automation up. It says the site, where the shut off is, which supply it controls, and what is wrong and who is fixing it. A check with nothing wrong sends nothing. You hear about a blocked or damaged shut off the day it is found.

In practice: A property manager looks after 15 blocks of flats. She gets a direct message that the water stopcock in one block's bin store is behind a locked cage nobody has the key to. She calls the caretaker and has a key cut that afternoon.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A direct message after the follow-up step
2. The site, the shut off and what is wrong
3. Nothing sent when everything is right

Why it works: The person who finds a problem is often not the person who can book an engineer or pay for it. The message joins the two up, and only when there is something to act on.

It matters most for the shut offs that would be needed in a hurry. A gas control that cannot be reached, or a stopcock behind a locked door, is a risk every day until it is fixed. The message carries the follow-up, so the person reading it knows who is already on it. Set the check up as whoever manages the buildings, because the message goes to the person who set it up, and they can pass it on.

Steps included:

• The follow-up check from #6
• 1 direct message, sent when the follow-up is completed

When to upgrade: When the bigger risk is a check that never happens (#8).

#8 - With a chase if it is late

Who it's for: Sites with a fixed check every month or quarter.

What it is: The same check, plus a chase if it is not finished by the deadline. Pilla messages you, the person who set it up, to get it done. A check finished on time does not trigger one. A missed shut off check is chased the same month.

In practice: A retailer checks the shut offs at every store each quarter. At the end of the quarter, four stores have not finished. You get a message for each. One store has just had a refit, and the check finds the new stockroom shelving covers the stopcock.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A deadline on the check
2. A chase when the deadline passes and it is unfinished
3. No message when it was done on time

Why it works: The rest of the check only helps if it happens. A shut off check is easy to put off because nothing ever seems wrong, and the sites that skip it are often the ones where things have changed.

Set the deadline by how fast things change. A busy kitchen or stockroom may need a monthly check. A quiet office might be fine each quarter. Always do an extra check after building work, a refit or a new tenant, because that is when shut offs get covered. Checks finished on time send nothing, so the chases you get are a list of the sites still to do, and nothing more.

Steps included:

• The check from #7, including the direct message when something is wrong
• 1 chase if the check is not finished by the deadline

When to upgrade: This is the full route. Use an earlier version if you do not want the message or the chase.

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know the product to choose. You need to know who does the check, who needs to see it, and how often things change at the site.

Is it just you, or do other people do the check?

If you check your own shut offs, #1 is enough. Once caretakers or staff do it, put the safe method and the gas leak procedure above the checks: #2.

Does someone off site need to see it?

If not, ticks are enough. If a facilities or property manager looks after several sites, add the photo: #3.

Does a manager need to sign?

If someone in charge has to confirm the shut offs are clear, add the signatures: #4.

After that, the choice is about repeat checks and fixing problems. If you check the same shut offs every month, use #5. If anything wrong needs a name and a date, use #6. If you want a direct message about it, use #7. If the real risk is a check that never happens, use #8.

Related workflows

• Gas safety check - checking gas appliances and certificates
• Fire exit check - making sure fire exits are clear
• Closing safety check - the safety checks before you lock up
• Maintenance fault report - logging a repair that needs doing
• Facilities - how to automate facilities management

Conclusion

An emergency shut off valve check makes sure the gas control, water stopcock and electrical isolator can be found, reached and used when they are needed. Start with the eight checks, add the gas leak procedure and photos when other people do the check, and add Pilla when you check the same shut offs every month. Open any version in the playground and use it at your next check.