Illegal gas work: why you should report it

Gas Safe Register’s Investigations Team looks at the many forms of illegal gas work and the reasons why you should report it when you discover it.

Illegal gas work is any work that falls within the scope of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 that has been carried out by anyone who is not registered or does not hold the appropriate ACS qualifications.

Working illegally can take many forms, including:

• Someone who has no qualifications to fit or work on a gas appliance
• Someone who is registered but working outside the scope of their competencies
• Someone who was registered previously but not when undertaking gas work
• A business or engineer carrying out gas work when they have been suspended from the Register
• Someone working outside the business with which they are registered
• A registered business using unregistered and unsupervised operatives.

Technical Bulletin 014 (B)* provides guidance on what is regarded as gas work, as defined in current gas safety legislation concerning the safe installation, maintenance and use of gas systems and appliances. It also covers the industry standards and competence requirements that apply to gas work in different environments, to ensure all work is carried out by competent engineers holding the correct work categories.

HSE makes it clear: knowingly commissioning appliances for illegal gas workers is against the law. Doing so places the Gas Safe registered engineer at risk of prosecution, because they assume full responsibility for both the installation and any subsequent faults.

Where the installer is unknown, engineers must check every part of the installation to ensure it is safe to use.

Reporting illegal gas work is a requirement under Gas Safe Register’s Rules of Registration. Gas Safe registered businesses and engineers must ensure that:

• Nothing is done that would contribute to unsafe gas work or illegal activities
• The Register is notified of any concerns about unsafe gas work carried out by others, registered or otherwise, as soon as possible
• The Register is notified of any evidence of illegal gas work found.

Where poor workmanship or design causes an unsafe situation and meets the threshold under RIDDOR, this must be reported directly to the HSE within 14 days. This enables HSE to monitor and investigate incidents and share lessons learned in the interests of public safety. Gas Safe registered businesses are required (by RIDDOR) to carry out this reporting.

Gas Safe Register has simplified its online form to make it easier to report illegal gas work. You can submit the form anonymously but if you are happy to provide your own details, Gas Safe Register may contact you for more information.

Where possible, the information needed to help with investigations includes:

• The unregistered engineer’s name and/or business name
• Contact details for the unregistered engineer
• Address(es) of where the gas work has taken place
• The customer’s name and contact details.

You may have only limited information but please do report unregistered work even if the information is minimal as this may help to support future investigations and enforcement action.

In some circumstances, the Register understands that you may be required to rectify the work before it can inspect. In these instances, please email details of the work, with photographs, to nonreg@GasSafeRegister.co.uk

Illegal gas work undermines industry safety and exposes the public to significant risks. Engineers have a responsibility not only to avoid association with unregistered workers but also to report illegal activity when they discover it.

By carrying out proper checks, refusing to commission unsafe installations and reporting concerns promptly, engineers help protect public safety and uphold the integrity of the industry.

If you find work that you think may have been carried out illegally, you can report it by filling in the “Report Illegal Gas Workers” form at: www.gassaferegister.co.uk/gas-safety/concerns-reporting-illegal-gas-work

You can also call the Register on 0800 408 5577 or report concerns by email at: nonreg@GasSafeRegister.co.uk