CORGI

CORGI was set up in 1970 as the as the 'Confederation for the Registration of Gas Installers'. CORGI was set up in 1970 in response to the 1968 'Ronan Point' accident, when a gas explosion caused the partial collapse of a new tower block, resulting in 4 deaths and numerous injuries. This accident was caused by a faulty gas installation, and it was from this that CORGI was created.

Initially, gas installers only needed to become CORGI registered on a voluntary basis. However, in 1991, the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) asked CORGI to maintain a register of competent gas installers in the UK. As a result, CORGI now stands for 'Council for Registered Gas Installers'.

Registration with CORGI is now compulsory for any company or trader working with gas fittings or appliances. In order to become CORGI registered, a plumber or contractor must take certain courses pertaining to different subjects of gas and gas maintenance; these courses must be passed, and re-taken every 5 years.

Once these courses have been passed, you become registered with CORGI, and will be provided with an ID card. This card will carry the name and photo of the engineer, as well as his company details. The card is only valid if the engineer is working for the specified company - if the engineer is not working for the named company, then the card is not valid, and the engineer may not carry out work on your gas fittings or appliances.

The card will also display a validity date - the card expires when the engineer is no longer CORGI qualified. If the card is expired, the engineer must re-qualify - until he or she has regained these qualifications, they cannot legally work on gas fittings of appliances.

The CORGI register card will also have a 'checklist', which displays what the engineer is qualified to do. It is illegal for the engineer to carry out work upon a fitting or appliance if they do not have the requisite tick. The ticks will differentiate between natural gas and LPG, as the engineer may be qualified to work with one fuel but not the other when maintaining certain appliances.

Finally, there are two validation links on the card. If you wish to confirm the validity of a card or its owner, you can do this in one of two ways; either by phoning CORGI on 0870 401 2300, or by logging on to their website at www.corgi-group.com, where you will be prompted to fill in either the serial number (9 digits) or registration number (6 digits) of your engineer. This will tell you whether or not the card is valid, and will also confirm the company the engineer is working for, which should match the card.