The Gas Safe Register became the official stamp for gas safety in Great
Britain and the Isle of Man on 1 April 2009. CORGI gas registration is
not valid or recognised by law in these regions. To work legally on gas
appliances and installations you must be on the Gas Safe Register. So
what, if any, are the differences between the two organisations, and
what affect will a change of register have on the gas industry?
Although not having a direct reason for dealing with Gas Safe Register we have contacted them on a number of occasions and have so far been pleasantly surprised by their willingness so to cooperate on common ground. Perhaps the first thing that is apparent is that they are concentrating on managing the register of gas installers, without the 'add on' of a dedicated commercial activity. Although it should be said that CORGI always stated that it used its commercial activities to fund the message of gas safety.
Of course no one likes paying for the right to earn a living and many trades do not have the legal requirement to belong to a register that the gas industry has. However, whether we like it or not – to work on gas appliances and installations you are required to register.
The awarding of the contract for the Gas Safe Register came with a list of advantages for the installer, some of those being:
Reduced registration fees with planned reductions over the next 10 years
Better public awareness to create a higher demand for Gas Safe registered engineers
Renewal of registration on anniversary of registration; Twelve-months service for 12 months fee
Technical standards update and technical alerts services
Monthly magazine
Consultation on significant changes; and a promise to consult on matters that impact the register
Simple online application and renewal process
Straightforward complaints and appeals procedures
Far too early to say whether any of the above list has made a difference, or whether the day to day contact between installer and holder of the register is better, worse or no different than the previous holder.
One thing that has improved, however, is the intended free access to a copy of the Gas Industry Unsafe Procedures.
Of course the counter argument is that CORGI raised many thousands of pounds through its commercial activities and that money will no longer be available to the Gas Safe Register. How they intend to fund their responsibilities for improving the awareness of gas safety may become clearer as their tenure develops.
As for now we are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they continue in the same vein as they have started – of course you may disagree in which case we would like to hear your views on the Gas Safe Register, or even what you would like them to concentrate on in the future.
As always we are more than happy to capture the comments sent to us and forwarded them on to the responsible person within the organisation managing the Gas Safe Register.
Keywords: Gas Safe Register
Gas Industry Unsafe Situations
CORGI
Technical Standards
Gas Registration
