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Our proposal was submitted to GSR, they agreed there were interesting points, but out of their remit. I'd like to see Gas Safety regulations enforced. No grey areas, I don't want to legalise a work that an illegal fitter had done, by checking it and ticking it for the sake of customer having heat and hot water. If I did, I would never get rid of illegal fitters.
 
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I would like to see RIDDORs addressed, I would like to see simplifying the unsafe situation to either NCS or Dangerous. AR is a get out claw and it serves no purpose. I would like to see sales of Gas appliances to become licensed, an much more.
 
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I know of a Landlord who uses a handyman to do all his work and I mean all his work. He has 70 properties and he never has any of his appliances fitted by professionals. As you know, a Landlord with a Gas Safety record is not in breach of any laws. Where can we go with this! If you don't shut off his boiler what else will stop this!
 
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It's taking each case on its own merit that separates us from a standardisation that this industry severely lacks. I class something NCS, you class it as AR and GSR classes it as ID! No sir, we need all to read from the same hymn sheet.
 
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gas safe produced a good tb explaining how you have to approach this issue. I wont do it unless I can follow the tb word for word and it wont be cheap. Re clout everytime i have approached gas safe re illegal work the customer hasnt complained so no further issue in their mind, despite my knowing the builder installing it was illegal!
 
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I did a boiler quote for a customer and it turned out a relation of the customer was gas safe for a company.and did it at the weekend.i then receive a call from the customer could I register the boiler as it was stopping the sale of the house.i told customer I could not register the boiler as this should be done by the installer.but told customer that I could inspect the installation and issue a homeowner safety report.
 
I agree 100% not to sign anyone's work !
I always answer the Question can you with NO .
today I had a call someone I know who used to do power flush for the company I used to sub
" stan what it's f29 on a new Vaillant ?"
me : why
he : " I fitted a new boiler "
me: you fitted a boiler you ain't gsr let alone knowing how boiler works
he : stan don't worry
me : you will go to prison if anything goes wrong
he : stan do you know what a f 29 is ?
me: I think no gas
he : thank you and don't worry about me
this man could not tel which is flow or return pipe on a boiler and hi fitted a boiler ....
 
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It isn't illegal to sign work of but it is frowned upon and not recommended.
Personally i have never signed anything off for anyone, ever and never will.
But think of how lots of the the big site or contracting companies work. One gsr guy for 20 installers. The work is all done and dusted (and most often fired up) then the one guy goes around doing the checks and signing it off. Maybe they should clamp down on that carry on but it won't happen.
 
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Back last October I was sub'd to work on a site where we fitted about 40 boilers. On about the second day the boss asked me to commission/sign off the boiler and unvented cylinder. I was new on site and said yes.

The boss' younger brother fitted it, who was fresh out of college and gs. I watched him earlier trying to do a tt with his regin gauge with the bung still in one end!

I done a tt, he said "don't worry the tt was sound". I said no, i'm going to fully commission it as normal. Surprise, surprise 3mbar leak on boiler union.
 
only way to stop illegal work is to stop selling them the kit, bit hard with ebay etc but not impossible, just takes a government minister with some balls, something you dont see a lot of now Maggies gone
 
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Although i was no fan of the woman i admit she had balls to stand up for what she believed in.

Does anyone really think the powers that be are interested in saving a dozen or so lives a year when there is money to be made. They certainly won't stop waging war on half the world with all the deaths and casualties that brings about but it keeps someone in work and makes moiney.
No government of any persuasion will ever ban the sale of gas products unless some MP's kids die from a diy or unregistered fitter and they take it up as a personal crusade.
 
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It isn't illegal to sign work of but it is frowned upon and not recommended.
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you need to ask yourself the question "do i know that the person who did the installation is correctly register'd with the correct qualifications?"

So working on a building site, if you know that the installation was done by a competent person then i see no problem with commissioning an appliance and system. If you dont know the details of who did the work then your in a grey area and you should request the information from the company your working for. In my eyes the plumbing company is legally responsible if they have allowed illegal work, and they should have records of who did what work.

it was alot better when the benchmark had a section for you to put the installers name and gs details and then your details as the commissioning engineer. why did they stop this?

so in the eyes of the law, for you to cover yourself i guess you need to know and prove that the installtion was done by a competent, register'd person.

me personally i would never do such a thing. Most people who do such work could not give a carp about the standard of the work, pipe sizing etc..... as there name is not going against it.
 
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As you quoted, It isn't illegal to sign off works. Nowhere in the GSIUR would you find that, but every job you sign off (A) You are taking the risk of someone else's work knowing they are not even Gas trained, (B) You are promoting illegal works and thereby taking our industry one step closer to the cliff.
 
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It IS illegal to sign off work done by an unregistered fitter, but not to sign off the work of a registered fitter.
 
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Our proposal was submitted to GSR, they agreed there were interesting points, but out of their remit. I'd like to see Gas Safety regulations enforced. No grey areas, I don't want to legalise a work that an illegal fitter had done, by checking it and ticking it for the sake of customer having heat and hot water. If I did, I would never get rid of illegal fitters.

RESA
Can you you start new thread to post the proposal you made to GSR. I would like to see it, I am sure other would too.
 
The way I see it:

Why should I sign off work by someone, who obviously is actively seeking financial reward from a customer. If they want to earn fitting boilers, then go get their acs, fga and calibration etc, extra insurance, gas safe reg. the list goes on.

Incase you are unsure, I never sign off anyone elses works
 
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