Startling research reveals a quarter of a million illegal gas jobs
New research on cowboy gas fitters in Great Britain reveals that they are doing a QUARTER OF A MILLION gas jobs each year, including fitting and servicing appliances.
The study carried out for Gas Safe Register, estimates that 7,500 hard core illegal gas fitters are doing these jobs without the skills or the qualifications to work on gas.
Commenting on the research, Gordon Green of Wessex Electricals who undertake hundreds of gas boiler installations and maintenance in the region said: “We very much support the Gas Safe Register’s investigation team who are searching for illegal gas fitters around the country who are not registered; with many illegal installations leaking gas with possible exposure to lethal carbon monoxide exposure it is worrying to think how many unsafe gas installations are currently in the community.”
Gas Safe Register believes many illegal gas fitters advertise their services online and in local papers as few if any checks for registration are carried out. In contrast, directories such as Yellow Pages and Thomson Local check for registration, so few illegal gas workers advertise their services as for example, ‘gas fitters.’
Gas Safe want everyone to understand that different types of gas work require different qualifications. Just because someone is qualified and registered to work on one gas appliance, for example gas boilers, does not mean that they are automatically qualified to put in a gas fire. If they do this, the work is illegal and potentially life threatening. The work that engineers can legally do is listed on the back of their Gas Safe Register card – and it’s so important you check this every time you have work done.
In the right hands gas is perfectly safe, but in the hands of an illegal gas fitter it can kill. Gas Safe are urging people to help them to protect the public by…
1. always asking for and checking the engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card to make sure they are qualified to do the work
2. urging the public to nominate their property for a free gas safety check if they have had gas work done in their home in the last six months
3. reporting suspected illegal gas workers to Gas Safe Register