CORGI Tips On Spotting An Unlicensed Heating Engineer
If you live in the United Kingdom and use anyone but a CORGI registered heating engineer to do the gas work in your home, then you are setting yourself up for a wide variety of problems. CORGI, which is considered the national watchdog of gas work in the United Kingdom, estimates that there are probably 20,000 people that are working illegally in the gas field. These ‘cowboy’s’ – or unlicensed heating engineers – could cause you major damage and large amounts of money. In addition to losing money and damage, someone who is not a CORGI registered heating engineer could cause you to be poisoned by carbon monoxide.
When you have work done by someone who is not a CORGI registered heating engineer, the work could be unsafe and not up to code. Most of these non-registered gas workers are working for themselves and for the money you will pay them. Illegal gas workers may not support the work they do, leaving you in a bind when something goes wrong. This is one of the reasons why the government in the United Kingdom has made registration with CORGI mandatory.
CORGI has identified three types if illegal workers that everyone should be on the look out for:
- Full illegals – these are people who perform your gas work that do not have any training in the field whatsoever. There are generic handymen and they have been profiled on television programs in the country as a way to alert the general public.
- Lapsed illegal workers – these gas workers held a CORGI registration at one point in time, but for some reason have let their CORGI registration lapse. They are not up to date on the most current techniques and safety legislations and the lack of the information can impact the work they d.
- Part time illegal gas workers – these workers are probably a part of a CORGI registered business that is performing gas work on the side, usually for friends and family. Even though they may work for a CORGI registered heating engineer, they cannot provide any insurance or warranty on their work since it has been done off the books.
When you use someone that is not a CORGI registered heating engineer – a cowboy – you are: not getting proper CORGI inspection; not getting the most up to date techniques; the proper equipment may not be used; the worker is not qualified; the work may leave you with unsafe appliances; your work is not guaranteed and the appliances warranty may be voided. Of course, errors can leave you dealing with the problems related to carbon monoxide poisoning.
If you think the contractor you have hired is not a CORGI registered heating engineer, you should contact CORGI immediately. They will dedicate a team to investigate the illegal work and they will pass along the details to the HSE. When your contractor comes to do the work at your home, ask them to show you their CORGI registered heating engineer identification card to prove that they are qualified to do the gas work. You can also use the CORGI installer service to see if you worker is a CORGI registered heating engineer. Any discrepancies you find should be reported immediately. Only a CORGI registered heating engineer will be able to do the work you need safely and to code.
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