7 minute read
Gas Safe News
FROM THE EDITOR
Comment
I’m not a green activist by any means. I’m quite good about recycling as much as I can. I use the car less, eat less meat and walk a lot more than I used to. More of a ‘yes, I see what you mean’ kind of person. And the IPCC’s climate report last month – described by the head of the United Nations as ‘Code Red for Humanity’ – made for uncomfortable and worrying reading.
It gives a stark warning of a future where the world is hotter, there are more extreme weather events such as this summer’s devastating floods in Belgium and Germany, and to a lesser extent in the UK, and the searing temperatures and raging fires in Greece, Turkey and Canada.
The report says deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions could stabilise the world’s rising temperatures. It’s a vivid illustration of why decarbonising the way we produce and use heat and power is necessary.
Yes, the UK’s carbon emissions are not as high as those of some other global polluters and we’re definitely going in the right direction – but the emissions from our homes are not a drop in the ocean. And if we want to prevent our oceans rising any more, haven’t we got to do something?
Nicki Shearer, editor
Gas Safe Register, PO Box 6804, Basingstoke, RG24 4NB.
Email: enquiries@gassaferegister.co.uk, register@gassaferegister.co.uk or technical@gassaferegister.co.uk Managing editor: Scott Darroch scott.darroch@gassaferegister.co.uk Editor: Nicki Shearer editorial@registeredgasengineer.co.uk News: Jennie Ward news@registeredgasengineer.co.uk Publisher: Peter McCreary publisher@registeredgasengineer.co.uk Technical consultants: Gary Aymes, Carl Banister, David Smith, Jonathan Stirling Production: Mark Turpin Advertising enquiries only: Ian Carter ian@rgemagazine.co.uk
Additional print subscriptions £25 per year email: wgardiner@circdata.com, Tel 01635 869 868
The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Gas Safe Register. The publishers will accept an advertisement or other inserted material only on the condition that the advertiser warrants that such advertisement does not in any way infringe copyright or contravene the provisions of the Trade Descriptions Act. All copy is subject to the approval of the publisher, who reserves the right to refuse, amend, withdraw or otherwise deal with advertisements submitted to it at its absolute discretion and without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice. ABC membership approved 19 March, 2009. Calls to phone numbers starting 084 and 087 cost up to 7p per minute plus your service provider’s charge.
Registered Gas Engineer is written, designed and published by The Team on behalf of Gas Safe Register. 30 Park Street, London, SE1 9EQ
CIRCULATION: Jan-Dec 2020 77,332
We’re ready for Gas Safety Week: are you?
You’ve probably heard hundreds of excuses from your customers – from “my mate did it and said it was OK” to “I just forgot”.
This year, Gas Safety Week will be reminding people not to let excuses get in the way of keeping their loved ones and communities safe, and to make sure that they get their gas appliances safety checked by a registered engineer.
The industry’s biggest annual gas safety event will kick off at the Castle Quarter shopping centre in Norwich. Here there will be a special Gas Safety Week video booth where Gas Safe Register will be asking shoppers to confess their real-life excuses – and playing them throughout the week on social media.
Community safety will be at the heart of the campaign this year, helping to bring home the importance of staying gas safe for you, your loved ones and your communities. As always, Gas Safe Register will be working with gas engineers, organisations, MPs, manufacturers and industry stakeholders to use their voices to help spread gas safety messages across the nation.
It’s not too late for you to get involved too, in whatever way you want to. When you sign up to support, you’ll receive a digital toolkit packed full of
13-19 September 2021
Gas Safe Register at a glance 2020/21
Gas Safe Register’s At A Glance report highlights the Register’s work during the past year. The Register was not immune to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and, like many other organisations, it faced challenges and had to adapt to a new way of working.
Investigations and on-site inspections were focused on work suspected or triaged to be higher risk.
1,488 reports received about illegal gas workers
You can read the full report at www. GasSafeRegister.co.uk/ media/3117/gas-safeat-a-glance-lr-web.pdf
1,984 defects attributed to illegal gas workers
Press ads will run in national newspapers throughout Gas Safety Week
ideas, images, pre-written articles and social media updates that you can use on your website and social media. It’s a great way to showcase your professionalism to your customers and communities.
And if you’re using social media to support, don’t forget to use the hashtag #GSW21 to join in with the conversation.
Don’t make excuses, join in with Gas Safety Week – help to keep your own communities safe and raise your own business profile too.
Get involved and receive your own toolkit at
www.GasSafetyWeek.co.uk Guaranteed contracts: be on your guard
Once again, we’re warning gas engineers to be careful if they’re offered so-called guaranteed contract work. Gas Safe Register has been contacted by gas engineers who, in some instances, have lost thousands of pounds after paying out to secure exclusive gas servicing work in their area that didn’t ever materialise.
We’ve been told that this is how these schemes operate: a company contacts you by phone or email, offering you exclusive and substantial guaranteed work in your postcode area.
The company, often describing itself as a property maintenance firm, says it’s giving you a contract to exclusively provide landlords’ gas safety record checks and maintenance of gas appliances in that area.
But here’s the catch: you’ll be asked for a fee to secure the ‘exclusive’ contract, often around £2,000. Gas engineers have told us that they don’t ever receive any such work. When they try to contact the company, they can’t get hold of them – and they can’t recoup their money.
These companies pop up regularly and change their name frequently. Their addresses are often serviced offices and any phone numbers provided are not in service or go through to virtual assistants only.
If you believe you have been the victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or go to www.actionfraud. police.uk. Reports of fraud and any other financial crime in Scotland should be reported to Police Scotland via 101. You can report scam text messages by forwarding them to 7726.
Remember: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
What happens when you report illegal gas work?
Reporting illegal gas work when you find it can benefit your business finanacially as well as strengthening your own reputation. When you make a report, a Gas Safe regional investigations officers will aim to visit the property and inspect the gas work within 10 working days.
The officer usually spends two to three hours on site and makes a full report of their findings to your customer and HSE (or other bodies, where appropriate) within 10 working days of the site visit.
These reports are very detailed and record every gas-related defect on the work, as well as photographs and information about what needs to be done to correct the faults, to provide the evidence that the enforcement agencies need to take enforcement action, including prosecution.
The report may be disclosed to other agencies, if appropriate, such as local authority Environmental Health or Trading Standards.
Enforcement
The HSE will review the report and decide on the most appropriate enforcement action, in line with its Enforcement Policy. Enforcement action may result in: • a Warning Letter: the first stage of enforcement • a Prohibition Notice: this orders the worker to stop working on gas immediately • Prosecution: this may result in a fine and/or imprisonment of up to six months in the Magistrate’s Court and/or up to two years in the Crown Court or Sheriff Court.
Gas Safe Register does not have enforcement powers but it is responsible for investigating and compiling the evidence of illegal gas work that is then used by enforcement agencies to bring prosecutions.
National Investigations Coordinator Ronan Howard says: “We take all reports of unregistered work seriously. Where it has been alleged that specific gas work has been undertaken, we will always endeavour to visit the property, undertake an on-site risk assessment and refer our findings to the enforcing authority for consideration.
“Because we are the registration body, not the enforcement agency, we do not make the decision as to whether enforcement action will be taken against an individual or business.
“While investigations are ongoing, we are limited in what information we can provide – but just because we cannot provide sensitive information, this doesn’t mean that action isn’t being taken.
“We can only investigate based on the information we receive: if you have concerns, please contact us.”
