Loft boiler safety regulations Help and information on all topics relating to your central heating, air conditioning and ventilation issues.

[DavidMW]

I recently had a visit from a Baxi service engineer. He advised me that I should have a guard rail installed around my loft hatch, and a flame-proof barrier beneath the wall-mounted boiler to protect pipework etc (some plastic) and the chipboard floor below.
I want to establish exactly what the regulations require before I undertake any work.
The loft is fully boarded. The boiler is at least 2m from the loft hatch. The bottom of the boiler is 600mm above the floor boarding.
There is a very substantial ladder and a sizeable hatch area which allows convenient access to the loft.
I'd really appreciate some guidance on what I should do.
Thanks.

[stoneyboy]

Hi davidmw,
It is worth constructing a simple uprights and a couple of rails around the loft hatch on the three sides closest to the boiler. If the ladder was fixed one you would certainly need to meet building regulations. If you provide nothing and an engineer falls through you loft hatch you may well be liable.
I seem to recall that the plastic pipe manufacturers recommend that plastic pipe is not used within 2m of the boiler, I guess the need for protecting your plastic pipes will depend on which ones they are although it is difficult to imagine flames escaping from the boiler going downwards.
Regards S