10 years of the gas safety register

The HSE report that every year around 14 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by gas appliances and flues which have not been properly installed or maintained, faulty gas installations can also cause fires and explosions.

Anyone who carries out work on relevant gas installations and pipelines must be officially approved to carry out this work. The register of businesses and operatives who are competent to undertake such work in Great Britain and Northern Ireland is maintained by Gas Safe Register. Gas Safe Register was launched in April 2009 to replace the previous CORGI Gas Registration scheme.

When businesses are registered they are issued with a Gas Safe registration number. Gas engineers are also issued with their own individual ID card for that business, showing a unique licence number. You can check whether a business or engineer is on the register and authorised for the type of work you need by phone on 0800 408 5500 or by using the check the register facility on Gas Safe register’s website at: https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk. New licence cards are issued annually and an engineer’s licence number will change each time a new card is issued.

As well as maintaining the register Gas Safe Register conducts public awareness campaigns to make gas consumers aware of the risks of unsafe and illegal gas work, carries out inspections to monitor that work is being carried out safely and investigates reports of illegal and unsafe gas work. Gas Safe Register report that their inspectors undertake over 40,000 inspections of engineers and their work each year. The findings of investigations into illegal work are passed on to the HSE who have the power to prosecute.

Gas Safe Register operates under an agreement with HSE and was initially launched with a 10 year contract. This agreement has now been renewed for a further five years with some revised inspection targets.

Please speak to your normal PIB Risk management contact or get in touch using [email protected] if you have any questions about gas safety.