In 2009, the Gas Safe Register replaced Corgi as the mark of approval for all plumbers and heating engineers who work with gas appliances. Now, in order to work with gas appliances and installations in the UK, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, you must be on the Gas Safety Register – if you’re not, you may face prosecution.
However, there are additional benefits to being Gas Safe registered, and in this blog post we’ll take a look at them.
What’s the purpose of the Gas Safe Register?
The Gas Safety Register was introduced to protect the public from rogue gas engineers and plumbers, because millions of lives are put at risk by faulty gas work every year and illegal work costs millions of pounds annually to fix. Gas Safe makes sure that everyone on its register is competent to carry out the type(s) of gas work they’re registered for, and their registration is updated every year. If a Gas Safe-registered contractor breaches the terms of their registration, Gas Safe can investigate them and may revoke their registration.
This gives members of the public a lot of reassurance, because they know they can check with an independent organisation and make sure that their gas contractor is qualified and legitimate. Customers can quickly and easily check an engineer’s registration with Gas Safe, and many use the Gas Safe website as a first port of call when looking for a heating engineer or plumber to work with gas.
What is more, Gas Safe has the power to investigate anyone, either registered or unregistered, who is suspected of working with gas illegally.
How does being on the Gas Safe Register help my business?
Perhaps the most obvious benefit to being Gas Safe registered is the seal of approval from a recognised authority. If you’re registered you can use the Gas Safe mark on your vehicle, clothing, adverts and paperwork, and your contact details will be on the Gas Safe website that so many people use to find suppliers.
There are also practical benefits. Gas Safe is a network of gas experts and registration gives you immediate access to a host of resources and expertise. These include the latest technical bulletins, industry standard updates and safety alerts. When you are registered, Gas Safe will provide contact details for your local Gas Safe inspector, whom you can contact for advice – they’ll even send you a monthly magazine!
Sounds great! How do I sign up?
There are several routes to registration: you find all the details on the Gas Safe website (click here to view it).