6 ways to automate gas safety checks

#1 - Simple checklist

Who it's for: Single-site businesses keeping the gas safety record themselves.

What it is: A gas safety check records that gas appliances are safe and certificated: a valid Gas Safe certificate on file, appliances and flues clear and undamaged, a blue flame, and no smell of gas. This version is a tick-list, a pass/fail, and a notes field.

In practice: A pub kitchen runs the check: the certificate is in date, the burners are clean and burning blue, the vents are clear, and there's no gas smell. It records the pass and the certificate expiry. A few minutes, and a dated record.

Why it works: Gas safety rests on a valid annual certificate and day-to-day vigilance. A simple recurring check records that both are in hand.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (6 items)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Businesses where the check is delegated to rota staff.

What it is: The simple checklist with a guidance note on what only a Gas Safe engineer may do, the daily appliance and flue checks, the blue-flame and gas-smell rules, and where the shut-off is.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. The controls and what to look for are on screen
2. The check is consistent whoever runs it
3. A new starter can run it from day one

Why it works: The guidance carries the detail, so the check doesn't depend on the person running it remembering it.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (what only a Gas Safe engineer may do, daily checks, blue flame rule, gas-smell rule, shut-off location)
• 1 checklist (6 items)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Businesses where the check needs a name against it. Groups where a different person runs it each time, or where head office wants to know who signed off the check.

What it is: A signed gas check is the simple checklist plus a signature captured at sign-off. The 6 tasks and the notes field stay the same; the signature confirms who did the check and when they signed it.

In practice: A kitchen with rotating staff. Whoever runs the check works through the 6 items, notes the certificate expiry and any issues, and signs. The next morning the manager knows exactly who to ask about any notes, not just that someone left one.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A signature naming who did the check, captured at sign-off
2. A record of when the check was signed, next to what was ticked
3. Accountability without asking anyone to take a photo

Why it works: The name goes on the record at the moment the work finishes, not from memory later. When something is found to be an issue, the conversation starts with who signed it off, which is specific instead of general.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (6 items)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 signature (sign-off)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Teams that want proof the check was done to standard, not just a ticked list, whether for an auditor, head office, or their own peace of mind.

What it is: The simple checklist plus a photo of the gas meter and isolation valve after checking, taken on completion as a record alongside the ticks. One specific, telling spot rather than a vague wide shot.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A photo of the gas meter and isolation valve, captured at the time
2. Proof that holds up to an inspector, not just a ticked box
3. A visual record kept alongside the checklist

Why it works: A photo taken on completion is far stronger than a tick. It shows the state things were actually left in, not just that someone said the work was done. A single named spot like the gas meter is easy to shoot and easy to check.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (6 items)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the gas meter and isolation valve

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Sites where the photo gets taken but nobody looks at it. Multi-site groups where head office can't review every site's photos every day.

What it is: A photo-checked gas check is the simple checklist plus a photo of the gas meter and isolation valve that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about that photo, set by you: does the gas meter and isolation valve show a clean, safe state with no corrosion, leaks, or damage visible? A single named spot is something an AI can actually judge, where a wide shot is not. If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so the problem gets fixed before everyone leaves.

In practice: A three-site hospitality group runs a daily 7am gas check at each location before opening. The closing person photographs the gas meter and valve as always. Poppi reads the photo: clean connections, no discolouration, valve in good order. Verdict yes, and nothing changes. On a cold Monday the photo shows frost-like corrosion on a connection. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The photo shows corrosion on the gas connection that needs attention"). The manager gets it sorted before service begins.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A photo of the gas meter and isolation valve that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a photo fails the check
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at the photos

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the staff member moving on. That's the only moment the problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos the next morning can only record that something looked wrong; Poppi catching it on the day gets it fixed right away.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (6 items)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the gas meter and isolation valve
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

#6 - With a team alert if the check is overdue

Who it's for: Groups where each location must run a gas safety check by a set time. Those that open early the next day, sites in shared buildings with morning inspections, and groups where a missed check gets overlooked.

What it is: An overdue-check alert is the simple checklist plus a Poppi (AI) action set to the workflow's end time. If the gas safety check isn't finished by the checking deadline, Poppi posts a message in the Pilla team chat so the missed check gets flagged before the site starts service or changes shift. It watches the deadline, so it catches the check that quietly got skipped, not just the one that was never started.

In practice: A multi-site cafe chain does a daily 7:30am gas safety check at each location before opening. On a busy Monday one site's staff forgets the check, and it never gets logged. With this version, if the check isn't finished by 7:30am, the area manager's team chat gets a message, so they catch the missing check that morning rather than discovering days later that one site opened without its safety check done.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A message in the team chat if the check isn't finished on time
2. A catch for the check that got skipped, not just the one that was never started
3. A record of when the check should have been done, next to when it was
4. The manager finds out that day, not later

Why it works: The alert is tied to the checking deadline, so a missed check raises its own hand. Nobody has to manually track whether each check was run; the deadline does it automatically.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (6 items)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the check isn't finished by deadline)

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the simple checklist plus one addition, so pick the additions your business actually needs.

Do other people run the check?

If you run it yourself and know the method, the plain list is enough: #1. The moment rota staff run it, the controls and what to look for need to be on screen: #2.

Does the check need a name against it?

If knowing it was done is enough, skip this one. If you want who ran it on the record, #3 adds a signature.

Do you need photo proof?

A ticked checklist says the work was done; a photo shows it. If you want visual proof of the gas meter and valve, #4 adds a photo.

Does anyone actually look at the photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when something's wrong.

Does the check have to be finished by a set time?

If a busy team sometimes skips the check or forgets it, #6 posts a message to the team chat when the deadline passes with the check still not done.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same list.

Related workflows

• In-house fire and emergency training - evacuating in an emergency
• In-house work equipment training - safe use of appliances

Conclusion

Gas safety rests on a valid annual certificate and day-to-day vigilance, a blue flame, clear vents, and no smell of gas. These checks are how you show both are in hand. Every version above is the same simple checklist plus one addition: guidance, a signature, a photo, an AI check on the photo, or a deadline alert. Pick the ones your business needs and combine them in the playground.

→ Build your own gas safety checks on Pilla.

===SQLDATA=== PHOTO_INSTRUCTION: A close photo of the gas meter and isolation valve, showing connections and valve condition. JUDGE_QUESTION: Does the gas meter and isolation valve show a clean, safe state with no corrosion, leaks, or damage visible? ALERT_MESSAGE: The gas safety check hasn't been completed by the scheduled time. Please check and record the result now. ===END===