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Gas
Safety
The great gas switchover - Gas Safe Register
replaces CORGI
When gas is
used correctly and with respect it is a safe and economical fuel. However - as
with any area of expertise - people working with gas need to have the
appropriate training and experience. Gas Safe registered installers have to undergo
at least the minimum requirement of training before they are accepted on to the
Gas Safe register. Most have significantly more training. The training and
assessments that registered gas installers have are not only about the technical
know-how of specific appliances but also about safety. All assessments have to
be renewed every five years in order to keep installers up to date with
ever-changing standards and regulations and to keep their knowledge fresh.
It is not only illegal for people to work with gas unless they are Gas Safe
registered, it is also highly dangerous. Statistics demonstrate that a
significant proportion of gas work carried out by people who are not registered
with CORGI is incorrect and therefore potentially unsafe.
If you need
gas installation or maintenance work, make sure that you employ a
Gas Safe registered installer with the appropriate training and credentials.
If you are unsure whether your installer has the appropriate registration to
handle your work, ask to see their ID card and check the details on the reverse.
In
order to protect the general public, Gas Safe registered installers are:
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Given an identification
card which should be shown upon request
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Required to obtain
competency certificates in areas of gas work they carry out
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Required to update their
proof of competence regularly
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Subject to regular work
inspections carried out by Gas Safe Inspectors
People who
do not work directly on gas installations or appliances, but who work in areas
where there are implications for gas safety - such as architects, builders and
local authorities working with flues and venting - have a general duty of care
under civil law. They should refer to the appropriate regulations covering their
work.
The Gas
Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 place specific duties on gas
users, installers, suppliers and landlords. For example:
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Anyone carrying out work
on gas appliances or fittings as part of their business must be competent and
registered with Gas Safe.
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Only a competent person
can carry out work on gas appliances or fittings. Do-it-yourself work on gas
appliances or fittings could be dangerous and is likely to be illegal.
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Do not use any gas
appliance or fittings you know or suspect to be unsafe. Through Gas Safe, the
Health & Safety Executive has asked all registered installers to disconnect
any gas appliance or fittings that are so dangerous as to be a threat to life
if they are used.
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Landlords are
responsible for making sure that gas fittings and flues are maintained in good
order, and gas appliances that they own in their residential premises, and
flues, are checked for safety every 12 months. They must also keep a record of
the safety checks for at least two years and issue it to existing tenants and
any new tenants before they move in.
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Tenants are responsible
for the maintenance and safety of appliances they own.
The
regulations place a number of restrictions on gas appliances installed in
bathrooms, shower rooms and bedrooms which are detailed and prescriptive.
It is
illegal to install instantaneous water heaters, which are not room sealed or
fitted with a safety device that automatically turns the gas supply off before a
dangerous level of poisonous fumes builds up.
 
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Gas Safe
25148
V.A.T.
455 5581 26
Telephone:
01724 856752
Please Note the office will be closed
on Thursday, 12th November & Thursday, 19th November 2015.
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