Ways to identify legal gas fitters have been published after a plumber was found to be carrying out illegal gas work that was found to be unsafe.
The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) has listed ways to check that engineers are properly trained and registered after the case in Farnborough, where a plumber installed a gas boiler but after failing to produce a gas safe certificate, the homeowner became suspicious.
The boiler was later found to be ‘at risk’ when inspected and the plumber was subsequently fined.
The CIPHE is giving the following advice to homeowners employing an engineer for gas boiler installations and breakdowns:
- Use the right websites – The best place to find an engineer online is to check the Gas Safe website or the CIPHE website, where engineers listed will have the correct registrations, skills, qualifications and experience.
- Verify your engineer – To verify an engineer’s credentials before they start work, ask them for their engineer’s licence number and go to https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/find-an-engineer/#checkanengineer. This online tool not only helps you to see if they are registered, it also allows you to double check that they are qualified to do the type of gas work you need them to undertake. And if they are claiming to be a CIPHE member too, you can simply check by typing in their CIPHE membership number into CIPHE’s online verification tool.