One of our favourite programmes that catch so called professional's in the act known as Rogue Traders on the BBC has recently warned viewers of the importance of checking the Gas Man's ID card.
The ID card being referred to relates to Gas Engineers who enter our homes on a daily basis throughout the UK. Although what sounds like a regular occurrence, so many of us still do not think to ask for ID, as faulty work could lead to much bigger problems, making the initial issue even worse.
In this episode of Rogue Traders, Matt Allwright discusses the story of a rogue trader who finds work for himself through social media by responding to those who request help.
Not only did he leave a digital print as evidence, but the rogue trader also left a trail of unfinished work over the past several months and even demanded payment in advance.
Today's day and age unfortunately shows those less up to scratch on certain areas being taken advantage of as the false tradesmen even wore a shirt with the Gas Safe Register's logo to make himself appear even more legit. Working illegally on Gas, members of the public really trusted this man but had no idea of the danger he was putting their homes in.
Gas Safe
Gas Safe Register's Head of Communications Scott Darroch said,
''It's good to see Rogue Trades reinforcing the importance of always checking the ID card. Watchdog's coverage of illegal gas work backs up our campaign message to check a gas engineer's credentials before they carry out gas work''.
After Rogue Traders trying to help those affected at the hands of the so called 'tradesman', the public will be glad to know he has been handed a HSE Prohibition Notice. Such action against him means that he must either stop work immediately due to increasing a health risk to the public, or at least show signs that he has taken action to remove or control such risks.
We at Able Skills believe the importance of checking the Gas Engineer's ID Card is hugely under-looked. We have previously informed you guys of what to look out for but just incase you missed it, here it is again!....
The Gas Safe Register holds the official list of businesses who are legally permitted to carry out gas work. All of which employ gas safe engineers who are issued a Gas Safe ID card. We always recommend the public to only hire those you find on the list. Anyone else you hire are not legally capable and can lead to hazardous gas work also.
You can check for a Gas Safe Registered Engineer via Location, their business name and also by their unique licence number.
All individuals looking to carry out gas work must carry their Gas Safe ID Card which shows their unique 7 digit number. Gas Safe supply engineers with a new card each year, giving them a completely new number to match. We remind you to look out for this and make sure they are still legally capable of carrying out safe gas work on your home!
Making sure they are Gas Safe Registered is one thing, but making sure they are qualified in the right areas is an essential too. Engineers often have several qualifications allowing them to carry out gas work and these can also be found on the Gas Safe Register website.
Gas Engineers should all have the correct qualifications and experience in order to carry out work on public homes and anyone without such skills could find themselves facing serious consequences.