Being Gas Safe
Greetings, I hope you are all well and staying safe.
This blog post has been borne out of both recent events and as a follow on to our previous blog themes. Here at FJM Plumbing and Heating we strive to provide the very best we can offer, this now goes without question. Whether that be the advice we offer or the products we use, both of which can be seen in “The whole system approach” or even our “Mission statement” posts. I have been reminded recently of why it is important to use the right professionals for the job. Not only do we as Gas Safe engineers have to comply with the Gas Safety Regulations but many others including the Water Regulations, multiple parts of the Building Regulations, Boiler Plus Regulations, multiple British Standards and possibly most importantly specific manufacturer’s instructions. All of these take a considerable amount of ongoing learning and research by us to achieve our aims.
However, it is not uncommon for us to come across boilers and installations, old and more worryingly new, that do not comply with the above list. Now whether this is quite naturally due to changes in the regulations over time, or again more worryingly due to a lack of knowledge or ignorance or even worse flagrant disregard, sometimes it is hard to tell, but for the end user it matters a lot. The efficiency currently required by the above regulations is something that can not be guessed at, it takes time, effort and knowledge to work out. We use a wide variety of tools to help us here to again provide the very best solutions.
Regulations are defined as ‘A rule or directive made and maintained by an authority’, they are actual requirements. As engineers and experts in our field it is down to us to advise of what is required. One of the biggest regulations that I see flouted is Boiler Plus on combination boilers. It is required by law for both the supplying engineer and the customer to make sure they comply, yet many installations I go to do not conform. Failure to conform can result in prosecution or if unsafe injury or possibly death.
Finally, a thought. Recently Gas Safe have had their Gas safety awareness week. Fred and myself are both Gas Safe registered, we both hold and carry Gas Safe cards. We encourage people to actively inspect them to make sure they are happy that we are qualified to do the job we are there to do. The Gas industry is also constantly evolving and we strive to keep our training and knowledge fresh and up to date. To fit a Gas boiler, you need to be Gas Safe registered and competent to do so but being Gas Safe is just that, safe with gas. It doesn’t mean that someone who is Gas Safe knows how to fit boilers, design and install heating systems correctly. Boiler Plus is not taught as part of the Gas training courses as 1 engineer complained after he recently found out about it, it is something we know about because as stated we are constantly hungry for the knowledge of our industry. So, when choosing a company to install or maintain your boiler and heating system make sure they know the industry and are aware of the above regulations and how they affect what they do for you.
Here at FJM, we know....