RE help on regulations to stop unqualified diy'ers

[Dr.pip]

HI guys
Just looking for a bit of help

Im a memeber of a new london based handyman site who basically connect those requiring odd jobs with those willing to do them on a Bid basis
this is normally build furniture cat sitting etc

Twice now persons have posted jobs up for boiler repairs, last one was GAS would you beleive

Tonight another has been posted for an electric boiler repair, I have advised that this requires a qualified engineer
but so far im being ignored even by the client and bids have been put up by persons of the type you would expect.

First off the owners of the site have no scrupples on this matter as they collect a fee.

I would like to know what regs are there to stop this and to understand if laws are being broken

Secondly can somebody advise who it is that they are reported to, if laws are being broken.

Many thanks
David

 

[shagbite]

times must be hard if doctors are moonlighting as cat-sitters.

 

[Dr.pip]

Hi Shagbite
Im guessing its a good thing our forum names dont reflect what we actually do.
I think Doctors are called GP's now General Practitioners, honestly I dont really like cats or anything else that bites, you never know what been it their mouths.
but enough about me

 

[Knobhead]

Out of interest, what servies do you offer?

 

[Dr.pip]

Im semi retired and just do general handyman stuff (25 years as a slavage engineer) The particular company does everything for anyone really (upto about £500) But its lack of respect for qualified trades is remarkable and cant carry on, someone will get hurt because its allowing uninsured diy'ers to carry out these type of works. The clients dont care, they just want a cheap fix.

 

[shagbite]

certain electrical jobs are notifiable to local building control, unless the person carrying out the work is registered with a part p scheme. works that are notifiable are, for example, electrical work carried out in the kitchen or bathroom. certain gas fitting works must be carried out by persons on the gas safe register.

i'm not sure there's anything you can do about people taking these jobs. how would you know how competent they are?

 

[snowhead]

(certain) ALL gas fitting works must be carried out by persons on the gas safe register, with the appropriate qualifications for the work being carried out

I've corrected that for you.

Re the whole thing, I don't believe there is anything legally that can be done to stop what's happening.
The site is acting as a point of contact, not supplying labour.

 

[grantr37]

a large amount of the general public look at the price point and think about their holiday savings..... an example, if you wanted the outside of your house painted and a company wanted £2,200 for 1 days work, or you could get joe from the pub to do it for £300 and it would be not too bad a job (judging by what he did next door and along the road) what would you do? would you shell out the £2,200 (plus VAT) or think about your week in Florida coming up?

 

[wade88]

A holiday in Florida is all well and good, but going alone after your family died in a house fire after a cheap fix electrical job done by Billy No Idea is not money well spent in my opinion.

The only way to stop it, along with many things of a similar nature, not just electrical work, is for the general public, who are generally speaking ignorant to the dangers of electrics, to become wised up to the serious hazards of having unprofessional electrical work done. If a plumber makes a balls up, you all get wet and your cat is fairly unimpressed, if some chap turns up to sort out your flat pack wardrobe for you and misses a few screws out, the bugger falls over and you newly pressed suit earns a few creases, but if electrical work is done poorly, as we all fully aware, fires start, people get electrocuted and a genuine danger to human life becomes present.

I honestly think the only thing that deters this sort of thing from occurring, is tragedy. Nothing puts people off more then being negatively affected by the outcomes.

 

[Guest111]

I've said it before and I'll say it again,do away with RCD's and MCB's before they were in general use people had a healthy respect for electrics, "you can get killed if you don't know what your doing" was a commonly heard phrase, now it's " oh well if I get it wrong something will trip". same with airbags etc in cars people think "well I've got all this safety gear I'll be ok" then drive like fools. unfortunately they have accidents and thanks to the safety devices walk away relatively uninjured,sadly the same doesnt apply to the people they hit.The ordinary man in the street needs to realise that safety devices are to be used in conjunction with common sense,not as a replacement for it.

 

[Clive P]

Hi,

Some really excellent well informed replies,

Regards.

 

[Brightspark2]

The electricity at work regulations???...

Building regulations? Part P?....depends on the job...

 

[LEDCENTRE]

What kind regulations??

 

[IanHug]

Can't see how you can tell that building regulations aren't being complied with by these DIY'ers (although it's highly likely that they aren't). Giving the job to a Part P scheme member is just one way of meeting the notification requirements. No guarantee that a qualified electrician taking the job will be complying either. If these jobs have been openly advertised then building control could check that they've been notified - suspect they have better things to do though.

 

[trev]

If these jobs have been openly advertised then building control could check that they've been notified - suspect they have better things to do though.

Experience has proved that LABC do have better things to do mate, any amount of them have been told about terrible dangerous work carried out by idiots and not notified but when did you last hear about the notification and standards police kicking anyone's front door in?

 

[worzol99]

Wonder how many eastern european trades notify their jobs, and there is alot more on the way!

 

[IanHug]

There will be less jobs that need notifying after April. Someone in building control has been doing a bit of lateral thinking - if you can't enforce a regulation then drop it and problem solved.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

I've corrected that for you.

Re the whole thing, I don't believe there is anything legally that can be done to stop what's happening.
The site is acting as a point of contact, not supplying labour.

Unfortunately you've corrected it incorrectly.
The criteria for conducting gas work, is that the person be competent.
It is only when the person is conducting the work for remuneration, that they must be registered with Gas Safe.

 

[guest119]

The good old Common Law would prob apply.

Boydy

 

[snowhead]

Unfortunately you've corrected it incorrectly.
The criteria for conducting gas work, is that the person be competent.
It is only when the person is conducting the work for remuneration, that they must be registered with Gas Safe.

My post was in relation to this thread, which is refering to work that will be paid for so even you agree my statement is correct.

 

[defrag2blue]

If the gas work is domestic,commercial the person must have a gas safe card, on the back will have the qualified registration numbers. The person ordering the work needs to check the card to make sure the person carrying out the work is qualified.

 

[Marvo]

.....It is only when the person is conducting the work for remuneration, that they must be registered with Gas Safe.

So if a sparky hypothetically had a customer who needed his boiler piping up and wanted a new light switch in the bedroom there would be nothing stopping him charging 300 quid for the new light switch and piping the boiler for 'free' even if he's not gas safe registered????

 

[IanHug]

Norfolk and chance.

 

[whitestu]

Norfolk and chance.

Aren't they a firm of solicitors?

 

[trev]

So if a sparky hypothetically had a customer who needed his boiler piping up and wanted a new light switch in the bedroom there would be nothing stopping him charging 300 quid for the new light switch and piping the boiler for 'free' even if he's not gas safe registered????

A similar thing, when VAT was put on hot takeaway food like fish and chips years ago there were a few places that were giving away the food but charging for salt and vinegar, packaging etc to get round it.

 

[amlu]

yeah for gas you can report the dodgy ones to gas safe, there is a number for it on their website.

for electrics you can do nothing, unless you got the money and time for private solicitors.

london is the land of cowboys, building control is there only to make moneys, same with all part Pee providers and regulators.

:83::cowboy::cowboy::cowboy:

 

[Elmer BeFuddled]

Norfolk and chance.

Company had a secretary once, she was sacked because she couldn't spell Norfolk.

 

[IanHug]

Company had a secretary once, she was sacked because she couldn't spell Norfolk.

Suffolk & good?

 

[malcolmsanford]

Aren't they a firm of solicitors?

I think you will find that the actual name of that fine legal organisation is Hadaway & Sh1te, they have always served me well

 

[defrag2blue]

yeah for gas you can report the dodgy ones to gas safe, there is a number for it on their website.

for electrics you can do nothing, unless you got the money and time for private solicitors.

london is the land of cowboys, building control is there only to make moneys, same with all part Pee providers and regulators.

:83::cowboy::cowboy::cowboy:

part p a money making machine! Can't be policed, why not issue a qualified card to the qualified spark, in order ta get materials he needs ta show his card wiv reg number, No more cowboys an DIYers! Problem solve!

 

[Brendan976]

The problem with as you say, a qualified spark to produce his card with reg no, now what card would that be. Some might say a jib card, alright by me,as i have one,but, looking at the threads on here a huge number do not have the card and in this climate it's becoming more difficult for people to evidence their work.

Ben

 

[whitestu]

part p a money making machine! Can't be policed, why not issue a qualified card to the qualified spark, in order ta get materials he needs ta show his card wiv reg number, No more cowboys an DIYers! Problem solve!

How do you define a qualified spark, and do you want an equal system across all trades where there is an element of danger? I certainly wouldn't like being forced to take my car to the dealers every time I want to change the oil.

 

[Engineer54]

part p a money making machine! Can't be policed, why not issue a qualified card to the qualified spark, in order ta get materials he needs ta show his card wiv reg number, No more cowboys an DIYers! Problem solve![/QUOTE]

And then just watch those material prices rise and rise , ...along with many of the self employed electricians claiming the dole!!

Sort your own industry out, and leave the DIYers alone, they have been around since time began, and are a valuable source of an electricians work!! ...lol!!

 

[Deleted member 26818]

part p a money making machine! Can't be policed, why not issue a qualified card to the qualified spark, in order ta get materials he needs ta show his card wiv reg number, No more cowboys an DIYers! Problem solve!

Sounds like a good idea, however in countries where such schemes operate, it has been shown that it is detrimental to safety.
Prohibiting joe public and DIYers rom obtaining electrical equipment means that often dodgey and substandandard meterials and pratices are conducted.
New Zealand who along with Australia are one of the few countries who have had such a scheme, recently abondoned it, to improve safety.
Australia has a very strong electrican's union, and so far has blocked any attempt to abandon their scheme.
Unfortunately it appears in Australia, the electricians and their union are more concerned with profit than safety.