Corgi and Oftec

Corgi and Oftec are the respective watchdog's for gas and oil appliances within the UK and offer training to engineers wishing to become gas or oil competent. Both Corgi and Oftec work along side existing Building Regulations in an effort to offer more protection for consumers and a more regulated and indeed more educated gas or oil engineers.

Corgi - gas safety

Who and what are Corgi?

corgi gas safety Corgi are watchdog's for natural gas and LPG safety and have become the leading authority on gas safety within the UK. Corgi have over 30 years experience of gas safety information and have been the pioneers of gas safety ever since.

Corgi was founded in 1970 initially to try to protect the public from unsafe gas installations through poor workmanship. When Corgi first started it was not actually a legal requirement to become Corgi registered when working on gas appliances. However with the backing of the government and through exceptional standards, becoming 'Corgi registered' is now a legal requirement.

Through Corgi's continued efforts with gas safety and exceptional quality the Corgi badge is now looked upon as a 'badge of quality' and is now a mark of guaranteed quality.

What do Corgi do?

Being the watchdog of gas safety, Corgi compile an up-to-date register of all qualified engineers and businesses who have all passed their Corgi registration training. Random visits to any of the businesses within the database are undertaken to continually monitor the quality of the workmanship and to ensure that Corgi's 'core values' are being upheld. Corgi registration is not permanent, every engineer needs to be reassessed every 5 years to renew their Corgi registration, thereby forcing every engineer to keep up with the ever changing regulations.

Of course keeping an up-to-date register of Corgi registered (and competent) engineers means it is easy to check and weed out any rogue engineers. All Corgi registered businesses are issued with a Corgi number (ours is 215085) to prove that the business is adept to deal with gas appliances. Every Corgi registered engineer is also given his or her own card displaying the competencies that he/she are capable of, i.e. LPG, mobile homes, etc.

The card should display:

Front:
- A photograph of the operative
- Their name
- The trading name of the registered business
- The CORGI Registered Installer logo with registration number underneath
- The expiry date of the card
Reverse:
- Details of the different types of gas work the operative is competent to undertake. Installers are not - legally allowed to carry out any work not listed

Why use Corgi registered engineers?

If you are still not convinced that you need to use a Corgi registered engineer for attending your gas appliances or you still think gas appliances are a appropriate for a budding DIYer to undertake please review the following checklist.

You should use a Corgi registered engineer because:

It is a legal requirement- consequences for not can be severe including fines or even imprisonment, this is especially true for Landlords
Piece of mind that the engineer your using is trained to a minimum standard as required by Corgi
Building Control exemption- because a Corgi engineer is deemed as a competent person to install gas appliances and boilers they can self certify their own installations
Gas appliance manufacturers may not honour any guarantees unless the appliance was installed by a Corgi registered engineer
If work is carried out by a non-Corgi registered engineer in the event of anything going wrong your home insurance company will not pay out

Oftec - oil safety

Who and what are Oftec?

oftec oil safety Much like Corgi is for gas Oftec are watchdogs of oil safety within the UK, Oil Firing Technical Association for the Petroleum Industry (Oftec) are also in partnership with Building Regulations in an effort to stamp out rogue engineers and improve overall quality and standards within the oil fired industry.

Although not as long standing as Corgi, Oftec offer the same core values, excellence and safety for consumers, knowledge and standardisation for oil engineers.

Oftec registered engineers are trained to Government and British standards and should be the only people who maintain, service or install your oil fired heating or cooking appliances.

What do Oftec do?

Again Oftec offer similar assistance to oil safety as Corgi does to gas safety, "It is our mission to promote excellence in oil heating and cooking" Oftec. Oftec keep an up-to-date register of approved oil engineers that can be referred to by consumers and authorities alike to either find an approved engineer or to check the eligibility of an engineer.

Much like Corgi, Oftec also offer assistance to consumers and engineers regarding safety information, regulations and general technical know how. Oftec are self appointed watchdogs of oil heating and cooking and provide the foundation for safer working practices.

Why use Oftec registered engineers?

All Oftec registered engineers undergo a thorough assessment and training program to government recognised standards but if you need further assurances that an Oftec registered is a must please read through this checklist.

You should use an Oftec registered engineer because they:

Are individually trained at an OFTEC Approved Training Centre, and their skills independently assessed before they can apply for OFTEC Registration
Have their work inspected from time to time by an OFTEC Inspector
Are re-assessed every five years to maintain their Registration
Carry an identity card confirming the type of oil heating work for which they are registered
Have to hold appropriate insurance to work in your home
Are able (in England and Wales) to self-certify work for which they are Registered. This saves you time and money, as non-Registered technicians must, by law, notify Local Authority Building Control, or submit plans when installing oil-fired appliances
Will leave with you a written statement of the work they have done on your appliance, replacement parts fitted and recommendations for work needed in the future.