Upcoming Changes to Gas Safety in Northern Ireland

From 1st April 2010 the Gas Safe Register will replace CORGI gas registration in Northern Ireland.

This means that from that date anyone carrying out work on gas supplies or appliances must be on the Gas Safe Register. Those who continue to work after this date with gas and without being registered are breaking the law. You should ensure that anyone working on gas installations in your home is properly registered before agreeing to let them do the work or negotiating a price.

The changes being made in Northern Ireland follow on from similar changes implemented in Great Britain last year.  When the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland carried out a review of Gas regulation and consulted with the gas industry and public representative groups, the overwhelming opinion was to bring Northern Ireland into line with the new scheme being introduced in Great Britain and to do so from 1st April 2010.

It is easy to check and confirm that someone is properly registered. All registered engineers must carry a Gas Safe Register ID card displaying their own unique licence number. Before you have any gas work carried out, always ask to see the card. Check both sides of the card to make sure the engineer is qualified for the work you want done and that their qualifications are in date.

Badly installed and poorly maintained gas appliances are potentially dangerous and can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning, so it is extremely important that you carefully check a gas engineer's card and registration before the work commences.  

To find a  a Gas Safe registered engineer in Northern Ireland you can go online and visit  www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk or phone 0800 408 5500.