| By :
Martin Hofschroer
Gas engineers need to take accredited plumbing courses before branching out as a plumber. The Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC) has said that there has been a rise in the number of people calling themselves plumbers despite not having the proper qualifications. More tradesmen have been operating as plumbers over the last thirty years because of a change to government policy on learning, new legislation and the advent of new technologies, according to the APHC. Many tradesmen start as engineers by passing either gas training courses or commercial gas courses but this does not qualify them to move into the mainstream plumbing sector, said the APHC. Gas engineers who operate as plumbers do not have the appropriate skills and necessary experience in working with sanitary pipe work to operate in the conventional plumbing industry, claims the APHC. The APHC statement read: "The result is that there is some poor work being done out there, and a lack of knowledge is potentially putting consumers in danger. "Unfortunately for many tradesmen and women, their general knowledge of plumbing systems is simply not good enough." A fully qualified plumber must have completed the City & Guilds NVQ 6129 level 2 and level 3 plumbing courses and is not just someone with a van, a wrench and some overalls. Engineers who have passed their level 2 or 3 gas training courses or commercial gas courses do not have the right to call themselves a qualified plumber and undermines the profession, according to the APHC. "The level 3 plumbing qualification is a far more detailed, more complex qualification than the equivalent for a gas engineer," said the APHC. Poorly fitted sanitary pipe work undertaken by under qualified tradesmen masquerading as plumbers can cause greater risk to human health and safety than an incorrectly fitted boiler, claims the APHC. The industry body pointed to the recent incident where foot and mouth disease was caused by a faulty plumbing drainage installation in a British laboratory, which cost an estimated £100 million. "To be a plumber is a privilege after years of hard work; you should have the full plumbing qualification and several years good quality experience, not just a qualification that examines a particular industry niche with little or no experience required," said the APHC. The APHC said that increased fragmentation of the plumbing and heating industry is damaging the sector and it is crucial not to tolerate less qualified individuals calling themselves plumbers.
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