# What daily and weekly checks does a medical gas pipeline need?

**What daily and weekly checks should be made on a hospital medical gas pipeline system, from manifolds to alarms and outlets?**

Under HTM 02-01 (2026), the NHS England guidance, the daily minimum is checking all plant alarms, plus ice, vessel, pipeline and secondary manifold checks at a liquid oxygen plant; weekly checks add local alarm panels, gauges, plant noise, oil, drains, manifolds and cylinder stores, with specific medical gas and vacuum plant tasks.

HTM 02-01 Part B (2026 edition), NHS England's guidance on the operational management of medical gas pipeline systems, sets minimum daily and weekly tasks. The Authorised Person (MGPS) organises them and the hospital's estates team usually carries them out, or the maintenance contractor as an additional contract. The tasks for each item are established with equipment suppliers and their technical data; without that information, the Authorised Person devises them. Any deficiency is reported to the Authorised Person.

## Daily

- All sites: check the status of all plant alarms so that there are no untoward alarms.
- Liquid oxygen (VIE) plant: check for ice build-up and de-ice as required; check and record the vessel pressure and contents and the pipeline pressure; check and record that the cylinders on the secondary manifold are above 50%; make sure the compound is clean and secured and its lights work. The gas supplier keeps responsibility for maintaining the VIE, but these inspections are done by hospital staff on a daily and weekly rota.

## Weekly, all plant

- Check all local alarm panels for correct function and display.
- Check all plant and manifold pressure gauges and visual indicators for abnormal conditions, absent displays or damage.
- Check all plant for unusual noises, signs of overheating or vibration, and check oil levels and automatic drains, including oil-water separators.
- Check that plantrooms, manifold rooms and cylinder stores are free from combustible material and accessible for maintenance, with natural ventilation unobstructed.
- Check every manifold for security, heating and lighting, cylinder dates, cylinder contents and spare cylinders, and check that all cylinders are properly stored and secured.

## Weekly, specific plant

| Plant | Weekly tasks in HTM 02-01 (2026) |
|---|---|
| Liquid oxygen (VIE) | Look for obvious leaks and mechanical damage in the compound; record that the vessel and the plant output pipeline are at normal pressures; keep rubbish and flammable material out of the compound |
| Medical gas plant | Check control panels and dryer panels for alarms; record hours run; check for oil leaks and that the oil level is correct and free from emulsification; open each drain valve by hand to prove the automatic drains; record the duty compressor running current and the cut-in and cut-out levels; operate the dryer selector switch; leave both compressors in automatic mode |
| Vacuum plant | Check control panels for alarms; record hours run; check for oil leaks and that the oil level is visible in the sight glass; check the bacteria filter and exhaust drainage flasks and tell the Authorised Person (MGPS) if liquid is present; record cut-in and cut-out levels and the duty pump running current; change over duty and standby pumps if this is not automatic |

## Beyond the weekly round

Monthly tasks include checking safety and warning notices and that cylinder batch labels are correct and in date. Outlets are not on the daily or weekly list: HTM 02-01 asks for all terminal units to be tested quarterly, and anaesthetic gas scavenging systems are maintained quarterly with annual recommissioning; see [how often medical gas outlets should be tested](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/how-often-should-medical-gas-outlets-be-tested/) and [what maintenance a medical gas pipeline needs](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/what-maintenance-does-a-medical-gas-pipeline-need/). On the cylinder side, porters help pharmacy with weekly checks of cylinder stocks, and a procedure should return all empty cylinders to the main cylinder store daily.

Outside the NHS, a standard operating procedure for medical gas pipelines written for hospitals in India under the USAID-funded RISE programme (PDF dated April 2022, hosted by PATH) lists among its precautions SOPs and logbooks, daily checking of the contingency plan, 24-hour manning by trained personnel and quarterly pipeline leak tests, and among its do's regular checks of the piping for serious abrasion, corrosion, leaks or mechanical damage. For PSA oxygen plants, see [daily checks at a PSA plant](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/what-daily-checks-does-a-psa-plant-operator-do/).

### Who carries out the daily and weekly medical gas checks?

HTM 02-01 (2026) says they are usually done by the hospital estates team, organised by the Authorised Person (MGPS); the hospital may also ask its maintenance contractor to do some or all of them as an additional contract.

### Are medical gas outlets checked every week?

Not under HTM 02-01 (2026): its weekly list covers alarms, plant, manifolds and stores, while all terminal units should be tested quarterly.

## Sources

- [HTM 02-01 (2026) Part B, paragraphs 5.103, 9.52, 11.105, 11.134 to 11.140, 11.203 and 11.213 (daily, weekly and monthly task lists), NHS England](https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/health-technical-memorandum-02-01-medical-gas-pipeline-systems-part-b-operational-management-aug-26.pdf)
- [USAID RISE programme, Standard Operating Procedure: Medical Gas Pipeline System (MGPS), written for hospitals in India (PDF dated 28 April 2022, hosted by PATH), pp. 17 and 18](https://media.path.org/documents/SOP_on_MGPS_28042022-_USAID_RISE.pdf)

Reviewed: 2026-10-23. Ultra Controlo engineering. https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/what-daily-and-weekly-checks-does-a-medical-gas-pipeline-need/