why cant gas info be in easy english

[buckley plumb]

been to a boiler where flue exits into covered passage between terrace houses its 600mm in from one end - I get corgi essential gas out and it says flue ok if working as it should and analyser readings ok . customer call Worcester out for fixed repair and they cap boiler due to flue - landlord onto me like a ton of bricks why did I not pick it up well I did and explained what the book says - I call gas safe who email me the regs and conditions of flues in passages which in most cases means the flue is ar unlike what the book states - why is this info not put into simple easy to obtain English .TB007

 

[Reg Man]

Rules about covered passage ways have been clamped down, since Domonic Rogers, a young lad who died of CO poisoning in a bedroom above a closed passage way.

 

[lame plumber]

was there a tb Ive missed?

 

[buckley plumb]

was there a tb Ive missed?

tboo7 first I heard about it yesterday why don't gas safe make these things easy to see and know about

 

[lame plumber]

why dont they email them to techies, not hard

 

[ambrosia]

i wish the gsr magazine when they publish new regs would translate it from legalise to plane english

the way its written is for solicitors, but i've yet to meet a solicitor who could install a boiler.
if we installed an over complicated set of controls in a non techicnical old ladys house those controls would be 'not fit for purpose' yet regs written for gas engineers written in over complicated legal language is the norm

I know why they do it, but it still annoys me

 

[Reg Man]

Domonic Rodgers died in February 2004. Soon after CORGI issued TB150 and put a technical article in the Installer magazine. When GSR took over the scheme they re-issued the Technical bulletin as TB007 in December 2009.

 

[AWheating]

Offten regs are written the way they are as they are the legal requirements, they will never be simple/ written in laymens terms.
then the industry creates general standards/ best practice guidelines to help the industry meet the requirements. The books like the corgi and viper ones are designed to be general guides, so following them does not 100% garantee meeting the legal requirements. Its our duty to keep up to date with changes, which can be a challenge tbh.

 

[Reg Man]

The technical literiture is written unambiguously, which sometime leaves it up to you as the professional to use your own engineering judgement. I always say, If your not sure of some thing ask some who does. As part of your professionalism, it is up to you, to keep up to date with any changes. Thankfully GSR do help us in this way, with the magazine and web site.

 

[ambrosia]

Thankfully GSR do help us in this way, with the magazine and web site.

but they dont, the magazine prints the regs as theyre written and if you have to phone them you'll get some condenceding official who'll take all your details making you feel like theyre compiling a database on you, it feels like youre ringing the police and grassing yourself up

the help, is forums like this where you can post semi anonymously and get access to high quality info and gas engineer brains, or if youre lucky an experianced and knowledgeable mate who'll answer questions

either that or learn to speak solicitor jargin dealing with the regs which as you said are written ambiguously

 

[buckley plumb]

a translation book of all the latest regs in easy to understand English bit like unsafe situation book emailed to us every month would not be hard

 

[Reg Man]

but they dont, the magazine prints the regs as theyre written and if you have to phone them you'll get some condenceding official who'll take all your details making you feel like theyre compiling a database on you, it feels like youre ringing the police and grassing yourself up

the help, is forums like this where you can post semi anonymously and get access to high quality info and gas engineer brains, or if youre lucky an experianced and knowledgeable mate who'll answer questions

either that or learn to speak solicitor jargin dealing with the regs which as you said are written ambiguously

Its interesting that you feel this way about GSR tech line. Did you know they are only experienced retired from tools plumbers? Not the Plumbing Police:toilet:

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

the help, is forums like this where you can post semi anonymously and get access to high quality info and gas engineer brains, or if youre lucky an experianced and knowledgeable mate who'll answer questions

There is often incorrect info given in these forums (OK mostly by me! sorry).

I phone GS technical line only recently and I felt a fool because I knew I was asking a question that I should know the answer to - so there's the guilty feeling -
and that I used to know the answer to but had simply forgotten.

But some things we rarely come across and can't remember everything.
Te GS tech line confirmed what I thought was correct - it was quick and easy to get the right answer.

And you can talk through your actual situation rather than trying to apply the abstract written rules.

 

[buckley plumb]

There is often incorrect info given in these forums (OK mostly by me! sorry).

I phone GS technical line only recently and I felt a fool because I knew I was asking a question that I should know the answer to - so there's the guilty feeling -
and that I used to know the answer to but had simply forgotten.

But some things we rarely come across and can't remember everything.
Te GS tech line confirmed what I thought was correct - it was quick and easy to get the right answer.

And you can talk through your actual situation rather than trying to apply the abstract written rules.

most of the time they are very helpful but its premium phone rate - I also think if you phone too many times they will inspect you more.if the info was set out and widely available it would be easier it took me ages to find the little paragraph on covered passage in the core essential gas safety and that went against tb007 so how can we make the correct decision if we don't know things have changed- I did what I was taught refer to me book and it was wrong

 

[aligorgon]

Working for a company its very difficult to keep up with any
changes in regs or TB's. I first became registered as an engineer with gas safe in 2009 and have yet to see a Gas Installer magazine, they just arent filtered down.

I just finished working for balfour beatty workplace, they were great they put all the TBs and GI magazines onto disk and stored them on a shared drive.... Fantastic... Just 1 problem, engineers dont have access, only faceless managers who you may speak maybe once /twice a yr.

 

[Reg Man]

Working for a company its very difficult to keep up with any
changes in regs or TB's. I first became registered as an engineer with gas safe in 2009 and have yet to see a Gas Installer magazine, they just arent filtered down.

I just finished working for balfour beatty workplace, they were great they put all the TBs and GI magazines onto disk and stored them on a shared drive.... Fantastic... Just 1 problem, engineers dont have access, only faceless managers who you may speak maybe once /twice a yr.

Great testomy to Balfour Beaty, but do need to share it. Good companies should have tool box talks on updates and changes.

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

Working for a company its very difficult to keep up with any
changes in regs or TB's. I first became registered as an engineer with gas safe in 2009 and have yet to see a Gas Installer magazine, they just arent filtered down.

Can you log in to engineers section of GSR website I don't know if engineers who work for a company can log in? all the old magazines are there available to read.
And all the TBs.

We are a very small business and all the subcontractors we have had on our GSRegistration also had their own registration so I have never investigated this.

 

[aligorgon]

yes you can log in, and read the magazines online. there are 2 things wrong with this to my mind, 1) there is nothing to prompt engineers to log in to check for updates and 2) I don't know about you but I hate reading long reams of text on a screen.

arrraghh now I feel like I have hijacked this thread!