The following FAQs provide general information on the British Compressed Gases Association and the services that BCGA provides. Technical FAQs on the manufacture, storage and supply of gases can be found in Publications.
1: Who are BCGA?
The British Compressed Gases Association (BCGA) is the leading UK trade association representing the interests of 100+ member companies.
These companies, in the industrial, food and medical gases industries, include manufacturers and suppliers of bulk liquid and cylinder gases, cylinders, vessels, tanks, pipework, systems, related equipment and providers of specialist safety, health, quality, inspection and training services. Today, BCGA members employ a combined 19,000 people directly and account for an annual turnover of £2.7 bn.
The BCGA’s vision is:
To enable all BCGA members, and related industries, to operate safely and grow, by proactively:
leading safety and technical standards in the storage, transportation, handling and use of industrial, food and medical gases
representing the needs of our membership through liaison with other industries, organisations and key regulatory and political decision makers
advocating how the safety, environmental and productivity benefits of our membership’s products will improve industry and society
This vision will help support the present and future application of industry innovation.
To deliver the vision, the BCGA four key objectives:
Deliver high quality services and support for members, done in part through our many respected publications.
Being the single point of contact for issues relating to all aspects of the compressed gases industry across the value chain, both upstream and downstream.
Promote and attract young people to the innovative technologies, future applications and excellent careers available in the compressed gases industry.
Having powerful lobbying messages to effectively influence key decision makers in the UK and Europe and globally, to enable the best possible business environment for the industry through an extensive, relevant contact network with government, key stakeholders and the media.
BCGA Full Membership is open to companies or individuals who have any practical involvement in the manufacture, mixing, handling, sales, distribution, storage or transportation of industrial, food and medical related gases or equipment.
Associate Membership
BCGA Associate Membership is open to companies or individuals who do not fulfil the criteria for full membership and have no practical involvement in the compressed gas industry. Associate membership typically covers designers, consultants, training providers, academics, interested individuals involved with the industry, other associations or simply those that regularly use gases in their work environment.
Start-up Scheme
The Start-up Scheme is designed to support young companies, who are in the early years of their business, working in the gases industry.
Many of our members offer specialist services, these can be seen within our Services Directory.
A condition of BCGA membership is to comply with and uphold the standards and practices approved within BCGA publications. We do not accredit, approve or otherwise recommend individual members and any parties who trade with BCGA members should apply their own diligence in the normal ways. Trading partners can at least be sure that BCGA members operate to current best practice.
4: What are the benefits of BCGA Membership?
BCGA members have access to a wide variety of benefits and services including:
Information about all the latest news and updates in our industry; BCGA members receive regular updates and the latest news via email and through committee meetings scheduled throughout the year. A summary can be found in the ‘News and Events’ section of the BCGA website by clicking here.
The opportunity to influence oncoming regulation and guidance produced by Government; On behalf of our members, BCGA maintains strong relationships with key government officials so that members are given early warning regarding regulatory and legislative developments, and an opportunity to participate in policy development. We focus on UK legislation, where relevant to the gases industry but also work with our counterpart associations in other areas of the world when required.
BCGA provide Government with access to expert advice and assist in the development of practicable and relevant legislation that applies to both industry and its customers. BCGA also works with other trade associations for cross sector agreement on relevant policy areas and to provide members with further expert support on topics that the BCGA is not specifically directly involved in.
The opportunity to be involved in developing standards (BS EN ISO) for our industry; We participate in the writing of standards on behalf of the BCGA membership. BCGA is an active contributor to standards development at the British Standards Institution (BSI), however, as the gases industry uses standards which are common throughout the world, BCGA actively supports standards-making within Europe, through the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and globally through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
The opportunity to shape the future direction of our industry; Specifically, BCGA membership provides employees of member companies with:
The opportunity to be involved in writing BCGA publications; BCGA produces a range of publications including Codes of Practice, Guidance Notes and Technical papers. We are a highly regulated industry and safety is paramount to the BCGA members.
The right to attend any of our Technical Sub-Committees; These meetings are designed to share information about current best practices, learnings from incidents and near misses, and new technologies. These meetings allow you to learn from industry experts about practices to help make your operations safer and more cost-effective. A list of the technical sub-committees are given below:
TSC 1 General matters relating to the design, installation, operation, maintenance, inspection, examination and testing of pressure systems, not covered by other TSC’s.
TSC 2 Responsible for all matters relating to cylinders; their valves, accessories, filling, inspection and testing.
TSC 3 Responsible for matters relating to the design, manufacture and application of gas equipment for the control and use of industrial, food and specialty gas systems
TSC 4 Responsible for all matters relating to the carriage of gases by road, rail, sea and air, vehicles, their construction and use; in particular the requirements and constraints imposed by legislation, national and international.
TSC 5 Responsible for gas specifications, applications and matters relating to chemical regulation.
TSC 6 Responsible for general health and safety, including competence standards.
TSC 7 Responsible for medical gas and control equipment, matters related to healthcare, homecare patients, medical gas and devices users and suppliers to the pharmaceutical industry.
TSC 8 Responsible for all matters relating to the environment.
TSC 9 Responsible for all matters relating to hydrogen and other alternative gaseous fuels, not covered by other TSC’s.
TSC 10 Responsible for all matters relating to security.
The opportunity to showcase that your company is a member of the BCGA, following the strictest standards. As a member of BCGA you will be provided with:
A Certificate of Membership that can be displayed on your webpage and presented to customers;
The opportunity to showcase your company through appropriate listings on the BCGA website;
The BCGA logo for use on company documentation.
5: What are the costs of BCGA Membership?
The costs of membership are detailed in our ‘Subscription Scales’ document, which can be found by clicking here.
6: How do I become a Member?
Becoming a BCGA member could not be easier. Simply download and fill in the membership application and turnover declaration forms on our website by clicking here.
7: Do I need permission from my company to register for member access?
Employees of member companies do not need permission to register for member access. Employees of already registered member companies can register automatically using their member company email address, which will provide immediate access. Members can do so by clicking here.
8: Can multiple people share a BCGA login?
BCGA’s portal website is designed for individual access and there are no limits to the number of employees that any member company can have. Please register for an individual account.
9: Can I give a copy of a BCGA publication to someone who is not a BCGA member?
BCGA publications are free and available to the public and we would encourage use with non-members to promote best practice and maintain the high standards within the industry. Non-members can request access to all BCGA publications by clicking on the download link for the publication and following the instructions to request access through our Publications page, which can be accessed by clicking here.
