Andysam said:
Rainbow-Chasers said:
The new 'Gas Safe' register that has replaced Corgi (corgi is no longer valid)
Corgi is still valid and GENUINE Corgi registrations may still be around for another couple of years. The reason is that Gas Safe has not taken on Corgi. The two can run in tandem. Corgi registration was purchased in 3 or 4 year blocks, so someone who purchased a registration just before the switch over still has a valid registration and is not required to be Gas Safe.
My father is currently Corgi Registered and that registration does not expire until Apr 2010.
I think suggesting that you "purchase" a block is giving the wrong impression that you buy your way in - not true!
Certainly when I was registered, you had to sit courses and/or tests which you pass or fail, for each element of gas qualification you require, every 5 years. Inbetween time, you are subject to inspections by qualified gas personnel, usually annually, which includes you carrying out specified work and answer questions, as designated by the inspector, that work and questioning geared to the level of elements you are qualified to carry out.
Yes, you have to pay (dearly) for the courses and examinations, especially industrial ones, and yes, you have an annual registration fee - and I assume this is still the same, BUT you have to be competent to pass the examinations, whatever the fee you pay, or you do not get your certification.
CORGI was originally a voluntary organisation, formed after a major gas explosion at Ronan Point, London, killing several people, and deemed to have been caused by incompetency of gas installation work. Most courses were run by The Gas Board (later BG) until about 1990, when the HSE determined that it was to become compulsary, and initially those who had 5 years plus experience was deemed competent. Over the next 5 years, the examinations became compulsary for all, however many years you have worked on gas, and 16 separate elements were formed, later expanding to somewhere around 40 +, covering most types of gas safety and installations, both domestic and industrial.
LPG was not originally included, and this was phased in later.
2008 saw the GB gas scheme put in a public tender process with Capita announced as the successful bidder. From 1st April 2009 the mandatory gas scheme started operating under the "Gas Safe Register" brand. However, CORGI remained to operate mandatory gas schemes in Northern Ireland and Channel Islands.
In 2009, CORGI introduced a new
voluntary membership for registered gas installers in England, Scotland and Wales to benefit from. The members of new quality scheme are not only gas competent
(members of Gas Safe Register) but in addition to this, committed to providing excellent customer service, which is what every home owner expects from a CORGI installer.
I would guess that all current CORGI registration holders are automatically accepted as GAS SAFE REGISTER members, and be required to carry a Gas Safe I.D. card, until their current certificate runs out, at which time they must become fully fledged members of the GAS SAFE REGISTER, by the same (or similar) process as the original CORGI requirements.
Presuming the timescale between certificates being issued is still 5 years, then this is the timescale that it will take before all old CORGI certificates run out.