Health & Safety Update (February 2009)

New Gas Safe Register in Operation from 1 April 2009

Last year, HSE announced changes to the gas installer registration scheme. The scheme currently operated by CORGI will be replaced on 1 April 2009 by the new Gas Safe Register operated by Capita. The Gas Safe Register will be the only approved gas installer registration scheme from 1 April under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Any gas installer undertaking domestic gas work in Great Britain from 1 April will need to be registered with this scheme in order to lawfully carry out any work on gas fittings, which includes gas appliances.

Gas Safe Register will maintain an up-to-date register of gas installers who are qualified to install or repair gas fittings and appliances. It will have systems in place to check the competence of gas installers, inspect their work and to deal with complaints about unsafe gas work. The operation of the Gas Safe Register will be overseen by HSE as the regulator with responsibility for gas safety.  So, from 1 April, users of gas should ask for a Gas Safe Registered Engineer and not any other. The CORGI register will no longer be valid.

The Gas Safe Register opened on Monday 19th January for currently registered gas installers to register in advance with new scheme by telephone or through the website: http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/.