What is Gas Safe Registered?
The Gas Safe Register is an official body which regulates the gas installation and safety industry in the UK, officially replacing its predecessor CORGI as the official registration body for the gas industry in 2009. It covers all aspects of gas safety checks, including work on household and industrial gas appliances, fires, cooking equipment, plumbing, heating, boiler installation and much more.
Under the UK law, all gas engineers and fitters working with appliances must be listed on the register, failure to comply can result in fines or prosecution. When contacting a fitter for any gas work, like boiler servicing and repairs for example, please ensure they are part of the Gas Safe Register.
The primary aim of the body is to protect consumers and businesses from accidents or disasters that can result from unsafe work on gas installations or repairs. There are various ways in which the body acts, falling into several specific means and categories.
The first role of the body is to raise public awareness of gas safety and to educate consumers. This goes hand in hand with continuing to ensure high standards among engineers and fitters registered under the scheme. The body has the power to inspect work and standards for all its engineers, and to investigate any reports of unsafe or dangerous work. Finally, there is a dedicated nationwide team working to discover those operating (illegally) outside the auspices of the body. It’s important to note that the Gas Safe Register is not a trade association or membership organisation.
The licensing body covers the UK, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, it has the backing of the local Health and Safety Authority in each of these areas. Should an individual or company be found to be operating illegally, the register can pass on their details to the local HSE (Health and Safety Authority) to be prosecuted if the offence is sufficient to warrant such punishment.
All gas engineers working in these areas must comply with the standards and practices of the Register and be officially certified to work. The main way to become compliant is to acquire the appropriate qualifications to be gas safety certified, then a licence will be issued allowing the individual to carry any relevant work, such as boiler installation or the fitting of gas fires. At that stage, the body can carry out random checks on a registered engineer.
The Register also provides a valuable public awareness service. For example, it holds an annual Gas Safety Week with an accompanying campaign. They also run advertisements and campaigns for the public, such as raising awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning, illegal gas fitters, and the dangers of gas in general.
