In a bold move, NAPIT has challenged CORGI’s monopoly and filed an application with the Health and Safety Executive to run a gas safety scheme.
In a bold move, NAPIT has challenged CORGI’s monopoly and filed an application with the Health and Safety Executive to run a gas safety scheme. NAPIT already runs a successful competent person scheme for electricity, and was recently authorized by Government to run schemes in plumbing, heating and ventilation.
Bruce Allen, Registration and Development Director for NAPIT, explained ‘more often than not trades people operate across a number of disciplines and therefore having a one stop solution for heating (including gas and oil), electrical, plumbing and ventilation seems sensible. But having only one organisation being able to offer that because of their monopoly on gas seems fundamentally flawed, and we believe that the introduction of competition is healthy for the marketplace.’
NAPIT already has the infrastructure and skills to run large schemes, and is successfully doing so in the electrical area. Unlike other electrical competent person’s schemes, NAPIT insists on both individual competence and company registration just like the gas model, so you’ll never get the situation where an unqualified tradesman could be carrying out work which might get signed off (unseen) by someone else. It’s this philosophy which NAPIT believes will support their application to run an effective and efficient gas safety scheme.
Bruce Allen is no stranger to gas safety schemes, having spent several years at CORGI in the role of Registration Manager. NAPIT also recently appointed former CORGI Chief Executive Bob Henry as a Non-Executive Director. Both have considerable experience of gas safety, and lend significant weight to the NAPIT application.
Bruce Allen comments ‘we want to use our experience to make the NAPIT scheme as easy for trades people as possible. Nothing will change in terms of the gas qualifications required – it will still be the ACS and UKAS system of accreditation, but the key difference is being able to offer an alternative to CORGI for those who want one.’