Gas Safe ID Card Explained: What Every Homeowner Should Know

Gas Safe Register is an official body in the UK that is responsible for the registration of qualified gas engineers. As per the gas safety regulations and the prevalent law, only the engineers registered with the Gas Safe Register are authorized to work on gas installations and appliances in domestic and non-domestic properties in the entire UK.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, as amended from time to time, legally bind the landlords of domestic and non-domestic properties to arrange gas safety inspections on an annual basis. This inspection is a pre-requisite for issuance of a gas safety certificate, which is also a legal requirement for all properties, having one or more gas appliances. This entire process needs to be conducted by a gas-safe registered engineer. 

Every landlord has to hire the services of gas safe registered engineer for this crucial task annually. Hence, it is important for them to ascertain whether the engineer hired by them is legally registered with the gas safe register or not, as any work done by a non-registered engineer would be illegal. The instant document available with a gas safe registered engineer is their ID, issued by the gas safe register. That's why it is necessary for the landlords to have complete knowledge of this important document.

Keep reading to get comprehensive knowledge about the gas-safe ID card. 

Gas Safe Register – An introduction

Before moving on to the gas safe ID card, let's have a brief introduction to the Gas Safe Register and its role in gas safety. 

The Gas Safe Register took on the responsibility as the official organization for the registration of gas safety engineers in April 2009 in the UK and Isle of Man and in April 2010 in Northern Ireland and Guernsey. Prior to that, the Council of Registered Gas Installers (CORGI) was responsible for this task. 

The Gas Safe Register maintains an updated record of all the qualified gas engineers. Every engineer registered with the gas-safe register gets an ID card, which is documentary proof that they are gas-safe registered engineers and are legally authorized to work on gas installations and appliances. The credentials of all these registered engineers are uploaded on the official website of the Gas Safe Register. Anyone can access this list to find an engineer for conducting the annual gas safety inspection and issuance of the gas safety register. 

Understanding the Gas Safe ID Card

The Identity Card issued by the gas safe register is proof that the holder of this card is licensed to work on the gas installations and appliances installed in domestic or non-domestic properties. All the necessary information of the gas safety engineer is mentioned on this card, on the front and back side of it. 

The engineer would ideally have this card prominently displayed while they are on the worksite. If not displayed, the landlord must ask them to show their ID card to ascertain their credentials. If an engineer is unable to show the ID card, the landlord should not allow him to work on their gas appliances. The ID card contains the complete details about the engineer on both sides of the card. 

Information on the Front Side of the Gas Safe ID Card 

The following information is provided on the front side of the gas safe ID card, which helps the landlords ascertain the genuineness of the card as well as the engineer:

• Gas Safe Register’s Security Hologram – The first thing that needs to be confirmed by the landlord is the official security hologram, along with the logo of the Gas Safe Register. If the card presented by the engineer does not have this hologram and logo, the landlord should not allow them to work on their property, as it is not a valid ID card.
• Photograph of the Engineer – The next important thing to note by the landlords is the photograph of the engineer on the ID card. The landlord can easily confirm from this photo that the card actually belongs to the holder. 
• License Number – Every registered engineer is issued a unique license number by the gas safe register, which reflects their identity. This number is printed on the top of the ID card and is also embossed across its middle part. It is often referred to as the ID card number, as well.
• Business/Company Name – All gas-safe registered engineers are employed by a business or a firm or company. The name of this business or company is also printed on the ID card. The landlords often contact a registered business or company to hire their services for conducting annual gas safety inspections and issuance of gas safety certificates. They can, therefore, check whether the engineer belongs to that company. This adds a further layer of authentication for the engineer.
• Issuance and Expiry Dates – Every gas-safe ID card is issued for a period of 12 months. Accordingly, the issuance date is specifically mentioned on the front side of the card. Similarly, the expiry date of the ID card is also mentioned alongside the issuance date. The landlords need to check these dates to ensure that the license is valid. If the ID card is expired, the engineer is not authorized to work on your gas installations and appliances.

The above information helps the landlords to confirm whether the engineer is lawfully authorized to work on gas appliances. In case, the ID card lacks any of the information or it is expired, the landlord must not allow the engineer to start the work. Instead, they should report it to the gas safe register on their official email or contact number. 

Information on the Back Side of the Gas Safe ID Card 

The information on the front side of the card speaks about the identity of the cardholder. Once you have satisfied yourself with the identity of the gas-safe engineer, the next step is to refer to the back side of the ID card, which contains a detailed description of the qualification and level of experience as well as the field of expertise. Every gas-safe engineer is authorized to work on a specific category of gas work, which is mentioned on the back side of the ID card. 

Essentially, all the gas-safe ID cards would have the following information on their backside:

• A complete list of the gas-safe engineer’s qualifications. 
• This list of qualifications is divided into two main categories: Domestic and Non-Domestic.
• The names of the work fields are also mentioned under each category. These are the fields; where the engineer is authorized to work. 
• The expiry date of each qualification is also mentioned against it. 

Hence, it is very important for the landlords to confirm that the engineer is qualified and authorized to work on the type and category of the appliances for which their services are hired. For instance, an engineer qualified to work on Gas Boilers for Domestic purposes can work on the boiler installed in your home, but they will not be authorized to work on a commercial boiler if not specifically mentioned on their ID card.

So, before allowing the engineer to start the work, the landlords must check both sides of their ID cards to confirm whether they are qualified and authorized to work on your gas installations or not. In case of any doubt or confusion, the landlords must contact the Gas Safe Register for clarification. 

IMPORTANT

Each gas safe ID card would have one or more of the following gas work categories mentioned as per the qualification of the engineer.

Types of Gas Work

• Installation
• Commissioning 
• Servicing
• Safety inspection

Most Common Gas Work Categories - Domestic

• Cooker
• Range Cooker
• Boiler
• Water Heater
• Warm Air
• Fire/Space Heater 
• Tumble Dryer
• Pipework
• Combustion Analysis
• Cabinet Heater
• Meter
• Emergency Service Provider (ESP)
• Caravan
• Boats
• Leisure Accommodation Vehicle (LAV)

Most Common Gas Work Categories – Non-Domestic

• Central Heating
• Air Heating
• Direct-fired air heater
• Plaque Heater
• Gas fired engines
• Plant and equipment
• Commercial Pipework
• Vessels
• Commercial Laundry
• Pool Boilers
• Meters
• Fire Simulations
• Incinerators

So, before selecting the engineer, do consider their qualifications, which should match your requirements.

Conclusion

Conducting annual gas safety inspections and getting a valid gas safety certificate is a legal responsibility of every landlord. For this purpose, they need to engage a qualified gas safe registered engineer. Any work done by a non-registered engineer will be invalid. Hence, it is important to confirm the credentials of the gas safety engineer being engaged to work on the gas installations and appliances on your property. 

The Gas Safe ID Card is the most important document, which is issued by the gas safe register, individually to each qualified and registered engineer. The information provided on both sides of this card is very important as well as relevant. The front side of the card contains the relevant information about the identity of the card holder. It also confirms the genuineness of the card. The back side of the card is equally important, as it consists of detailed information about the qualifications and expertise of the engineer. It consists of the complete list of fields and categories of the gas work that the engineer is authorized to work on. 

That’s why the gas-safe ID card is so important, and the landlords should be able to understand the information provided on it.