Day in the life

‘We’re not trying to catch you out’

Are you nervous about an upcoming inspection? Did you know that Gas Safe Register’s inspectors have to go through it too? We talk to Lead Inspector Sean Concannon about the work he does to keep gas work to the highest standards, and how he became one of the Register’s youngest inspectors.

Possibly the last thing that Sean Concannon expected when he was being inspected as a gas engineer was to be asked whether he’d like to have an interview to consider joining Gas Safe Register. That’s what happened eight years ago to one of the youngest inspectors to join the Register.

Like many other engineers, Sean didn’t necessarily choose to become a gas engineer: it’s what his father and grandfather did. “A lot of my family are in the trades: some are joiners, electricians and plumbers – and then my dad and I have carried on doing the gas,” he says.

He was a part of the family business in Manchester at a young age. “From 11, I was involved on Saturdays and school holidays – and any time I was off school I was dragged in. I did all my training with them, went through my apprenticeship and got qualified.” He went on to broaden his experience in other businesses as a breakdown engineer and as a supervisor.

Talk to the Register

It was while he was undergoing a routine inspection that one of Gas Safe’s Area Operations Managers told him there was a position coming up and asked if he would like to have an interview.

Joining eight years ago at just 26, Sean says he did feel out of his depth at first, but with the help and support of his colleagues, and extensive training, he soon felt comfortable. “The guys who work here are very experienced and they’re at the top of their game. And, as they say – if you’re good enough, you’re old enough,” he says.

Inspectors undertake a great

The inspection process

Sean says: “Before their inspection, registered businesses receive a letter and email confirming the inspection date and time. They’ll also receive a brief description of how the inspection will go: we need to see a couple of sites and there will be competency questions regarding elements of ACS. There are also other things we need to see: the tools and equipment you use to carry out safe gas work, your work records, and things like that.

“You do need to find a suitable site for the inspection and arrange it with your customers – the more sites you can show us, the better.”

deal of ongoing training. They take their ACS qualifications and carry out constant and regular internal training on standards, procedures and policies. Much of their training is created by Gas Safe’s own technical team, and the questions are never easy, says Sean.

But that’s the best way to keep standards high, he adds. “The industry is so vast that you can’t remember it all, and we don’t expect engineers to remember everything either: that’s why we all have documentation and reference books.”

Ensuring that gas safety standards are being maintained is what inspection is all about, and Sean supports leading a team of 12 inspectors covering a wide area in the North-west of England, central and North Wales. He still carries out inspections himself but he also delivers the Register’s own field quality control, along with supporting other inspectors and recruiting and training new ones.

A typical day will see him with a gas engineer in the morning or afternoon – inspections generally take around three hours – sometimes working alongside another inspector. And although it might be a bit nerve-wracking for the gas engineer to find that there are two inspectors there, it’s because Sean routinely monitors what his team are doing. “We inspect ourselves as well – I get inspected. We check each other.

“Our job is to make sure that businesses are carrying out gas work safely and correctly. We’re not there to try and catch people out. No one likes being checked but we’re just making sure that everyone is working safely.

“I like going out and meeting engineers who are passionate about the trade. They want to do things right, they want to work alongside us and they want to keep standards high.”

But Sean’s day isn’t just about registered business inspections. He is also there to provide support and answer queries from his own team, he speaks to customers if they have concerns, talks to gas engineers, deals with any problems that customers might have and checks his team’s reports.

With a busy and demanding role, Sean spends his spare time with his family. He has three children between four and 12, and says: “Time away from work revolves around my family: we have days out, we go on walks and we go to the park. They help me unwind.”

His philosophy of not being quick to judge people comes from his own experience – two of his children live with autism and the badge on his lanyard highlights the condition. “We shouldn’t just make assumptions about people. Sometimes we need to slow down and understand people and just talk.”

Family matters

Sean’s father is still a gas engineer and was fully supportive of his move to the Register – although Sean says he wouldn’t inspect him, adding, “he wouldn’t have it easy”.

And although his grandfather sadly passed away before Sean joined the Register, his grandmother gave him his much cherished original CORGI registration card as a memento. “A couple of days after he died, I got the call from Gas Safe. I always keep his card in my wallet as a good luck charm.” n

Could you be an inspector?

Have you ever considered working at Gas Safe Register as an inspector?

If you’ve got great communication skills and you’re safety-focused, you can get in touch by email at: enquiries@gassaferegister.co.uk

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