Registration and Notification Process

[davemate23]

I'm doing some research into the current processes involved in the Gas Safe Register and building regulations in general. I wondered if anyone on here had any significant issues or areas of improvement that they wanted to highlight to hopefully be changed in the future. This could range from the registration process, membership fees/benefits, notification to the Local Authorities, access to data, or anything else.

Thanks.

 

[firemant]

I'm doing some research into the current processes involved in the Gas Safe Register and building regulations in general. I wondered if anyone on here had any significant issues or areas of improvement that they wanted to highlight to hopefully be changed in the future. This could range from the registration process, membership fees/benefits, notification to the Local Authorities, access to data, or anything else.

Thanks.

Who are you, and your credentials?

 

[davemate23]

Who are you, and your credentials?

I don't have any credentials. I'm doing a course in public administration and I'm trying to understand what issues there might be with the currents systems in place regarding building regulations and the Competent Persons Scheme.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

There isn't a problem well I don't think there is

Very easy to notify/ let bc know unless your unqualified then it's very hard which is the way it needs to be etc

 

[Ric2013]

I can't disagree more with you, Shaun. Surely the best way to ensure DIY work is done properly is to make it easy to notify, then the work will be checked by someone more knowledgeable?
The real bodges are generally done by those who feel it's best not to notify/building control is unhelpful/expensive/difficult/not needed.
Surely we should be making it easier to notify, not harder? Making it difficult to notify won't stop people doing the work themselves.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I can't disagree more with you, Shaun. Surely the best way to ensure DIY work is done properly is to make it easy to notify, then the work will be checked by someone more knowledgeable?
The real bodges are generally done by those who feel it's best not to notify/building control is unhelpful/expensive/difficult/not needed.
Surely we should be making it easier to notify, not harder? Making it difficult to notify won't stop people doing the work themselves.

So general public fitting more boilers and unvented cylinders is a good thing

And checked over by with a glance from the bc office not an in depth check etc

 

[Ric2013]

Come on, Shaun, the question extended to building regulations in general, not just gas. There are some appalling installations done even by competent persons in all trades, we see it every day. I never said DIY was a good thing or otherwise.

I was trying to be pragmatic in that making people reluctant to notify is not going to stop people doing the work.

If you're earning £7.60 an hour (and bear in mind, you have to be 25 to be entitled to that), paying a sparkie £300 or whatever to lift floors etc, to replace a section of cable that the mice have chewed through, seems like a waste of several months worth of spare money, as the materials charge is probably around £20.

Realistically, most people are rightly scared of gas and electrics, so it's more likely to be a new floor, roof covering, insulation, windows, structure.

In any case, if the check is genuinely just a glance from the bc office, then that explains Grenfell tower - building control needs to be thorough and accurate.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Don't think it was as he's posted on the sparky forum asking about there side

And same can be said for putting a nail through the gas pipe

How's the person supposed to test there electrical fix is sound and good ?

Edit

Going off on a little side ways note

That's why anyone body can walk into a lets say screwfix b and q wickes etc and buy a gas appliance

Was speaking to someone high up a few years ago and he said if they start restricting sales of gas things eg appliances, spares etc

They would have to do the same for the sparky side and so on, and they would loose too much money to trade only etc as they make a decent chunk

 

[Ric2013]

Yes, I agree with that. Restricting sale would probably prevent DIY work, but wouldn't really be politically acceptable in the current neo-liberal mindset. Though I have a hope that things may start to turn around again and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the socialists won't make a mess of it a second time

"Don't think it was as he's posted on the sparky forum[...]". Are you referring to my (badly explained) Grenfell comment or to someone else's comment?

My point about electrics is that the person replacing the cable would not be able to test the cable to the IEC standards through lack of proper equipment, so could not possibly meet the requirements. But then, replacement of a section of cable is not (usually) notifiable work (which would require at least the circuit testing to be done professionally or by building control depending, I think, whether you are in England or Wales).

In practice, I suspect not many cables are tested in this sort of situation, and, when an electrician can report a bad earth to the DNO and then DNO guy comes around, pretends the earth is okay and then gets annoyed, saying, 'it doesn't matter anyway because the RCD works!' (true story, not sure how the non-RCD protected circuits in that house are, then, even reasonably safe!), what hope have we?

To come back to our own industry, I'm equally bad. I don't have a pressure testing kit (don't personally know any plumber that does), so you could argue that none of my plumbing work actually meets the Water Regulations because it has not been pressure tested in accordance with the relevant procedures.