Gas Safe Register is the UK’s only official gas registration body of gas businesses and engineers. It’s the law that all gas businesses must be on the Gas Safe Register. A gas engineer can only be on the Gas Safe Register, and be licensed to do gas work if they hold a valid and current qualification.
Registration is only given on the basis of a business having at least one gas safety qualified engineer. Gas Safe Register operates on behalf of the relevant Health & Safety Authority for each region.
What About CORGI?
CORGI (Council of Registered Gas Installers), originally established in 1970 no longer exists. Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI on 1 April 2009 in Great Britain and on 1 April 2010 for Northern Ireland and Guernsey. CORGI was originally established in 1970 as the Confederation for the Registration of Gas Installers to operate a voluntary register.
What Gas Safe Register Do vs What They Don’t Do…
They do operate the official UK database of gas businesses, which also includes qualified gas engineers that work for those businesses, which is required by law.
They do inspections and monitoring to make sure those that are registered with Gas Safe are applying gas competence.
They do investigate gas safety complaints against registered companies and installers.
They do apply a sanctions where unsafe work or breaches of rules have been identified.
They do investigate illegal gas work and submit their findings to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive).
They do carry out consumer awareness campaigns, to raise awareness around gas safety, and the dangers associated with faulty gas appliances, and using unregistered, illegal gas installers.
They do provide a self assessment facility, where registered businesses can notify them that a gas appliance, and the heating and hot water systems they serve are compliant with Building Regulations in England and Wales.
They don’t have the authority or ability to recommend one registered engineer over another.
They don’t employ any of the businesses or installers registered with them.
They don’t deal with any issues, which fall outside of their remit, such as financial disputes.
They don’t enforce the completion of gas defects by a registered business or engineer, where a consumer will not allow them back into their property for remedial work.
They don’t apply sanctions on registered installers without sufficient evidence.
They don’t undertake checks on registered installers outside normal work issues, unless they are related to gas safety matters.
They don’t check Public Liability or Professional Indemnity insurance for businesses or installers.
They don’t perform criminal records checks on installers as it’s not a requirements under the Gas Safety (installation and use) Regulations 1998.
They don’t arbitrate on issues between customers and installers.
