Warnings about illegal gas fitters
The Gas Safe Register states that some 250,000 gas appliances in the UK are installed or serviced by illegal gas fitters every year, a worrying state of affairs.
The concern is real as over the last 9 months, one eighth of gas installations that were investigated by Gas Safe were classed as “immediately dangerous”, they said.
Adding to the statistics it was noted that 14 people have died and 234 have required extended hospital treatment in the last year due to carbon monoxide poisoning, a very poisonous gas.
These figures have prompted a campaign to alert householders of the dangers of using rogue gas engineers and central heating fitters. In the UK, by law, only registered engineers should carry out gas work in people’s properties.
The register of qualified gas fitters is overseen by the Gas Safe Register, a safety body that replaced Corgi in April 2009. Most people still think of CORGI and Gas Safe is less well known as a watchdog name.
Gas Safe estimated that at least 7,500 illegal gas fitters are at work without the skills, qualifications or registration to do the correct and safe job. It said that almost as many gas hobs and ovens were installed by unregistered gas fitters as registered ones.
Of the installations discovered to be dangerous, nearly 40% were leaking gas, and 45% had flueing or combustion faults which could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning in time.
The Gas Safe Register has highlighted the figures as it wants householders to ensure that they use registered workers, and to request a free inspection if they were suspicious of recent work.
