APHCI

BUSTED OPEN
it will be like the closed shop that the Taxi s had for many a year , only to be busted open and everyone could become one ! think of the business that rgii would get out of it and the local rip off training centres , its going to happen , wheather you need 6 months training or not sure they have loads on the jobbridge , the only one laughing is the top table

gary71 wrote: »

When A RGI's incompetent actions ends in a death(s) they are vilified and judged by fellow RGIs, but Christ, what do you expect after a ten day training course

As a member, I'd wonder if APHCI would approach a good union and look for protection and the implementation of real world safety training for its members, if that happened then that would be a good days work by APHCI and might bring a safer working environment for all of us.

The problem is unions are not designed to represent the self smployed or company directors, they fall into the category of employers or to the hardened union members "The Enemy".

The more members that APHCI have as a trade association should mean they have more power but only if the members back any decisions made.

I think the real reason for the easy entry levels is to ensure Bord Gais and Sierra are sure to make money by having a large pool of labour they can exploit by paying the RGI's who do the work peanuts.

Honestly I truly fail to understand why possibly the only group of people in control of bringing explosives into peoples homes and preventing injury / death from carbon monoxide poisoning are so badly paid that the only way they can make a living is by ignoring the safe practices they are supposed to maintain.

Even using the revised service (gas safety check) should not be accepted as being possible in nine minutes.
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scudo2 wrote: »

The absence of random inspections was the downfall of standards in my opinion.

At least back then you knew that there was a good chance of been cought out. You knew the guys personal who weren't going to survive long. And it worked.

Now the odds of been cought out are next to nill, even if your reported by another RGII as there is no mandate to follow it up unless there has been a major accident or death. ( I think )

Bring back "Random" inspections.

I would agree 500% with this and i have been calling for it for some time.

Another thing i have come across is some customers think you are a trouble maker. Because you have highlighted faults in the installation.

It was only last week i was at a boiler that was a couple of year's old.

The system was full of sludge, the flue was too close to a soil stack and to try and rectify the installer thought putting it sideways would make it ok. He never thought of the rain that will now enter (and all ready did) the flue through the air intake.

The PRV was letting by due to an over pressurised system that was down to an auto fill valve. Another company was in and never mentioned the flue or the dirty system and wanted to charge €250 to put a vessel in the hotpress.

So a new flue, new prv, system flush and brand new air in the vessel it's as good as new.
A quick inspection would also have found a leak on a towel rad and an auto fill valve was someone's answer to that.

If it had of been done right in the first place they would not have had to fork out the extra 2 year's later to make it right.

gary71 wrote: »

If the work being done is inspected and a home owner can request a inspection then you had me at hello, but inspections as they are now random or otherwise are a farce in respect of improving safety.

The grant scheme and SEAI have shamed RGI by their ability to improve good working practicses by inspecting work done(albeit to get a SEAI grant) imagine if RGII inspected work done with the same vigour in the interest of public safety and adherence to regs, then we'd be sucking diesel.

We begin with competence, which also suggests a willingness to learn about new systems / boilers to ensure they are installed and working within both the manufacturers recommendations and Irish Law.

The manufacturers are now making their boilers with the thought in mind that the installer will not take a look at the manual let alone read it, in the UK they now have telephone support that the RGI must pay for (premium telephone numbers) because the answer to the majority of the questions asked are in the manuals or just experience based.

I think the problems begin with the pay levels, RGI's who want to work for themselves (includes Bord Gais / Sierra) have to spend a lot of money in set up costs, when seasonal factors are taken into account many discover they are lucky if they earn a little more than a site labourer.

Bord Gais Networks should request a copy of the annual Gas Safety Cert from all consumers either direct or through RGII who have the certs on a database and any customers who have not had the safety check carried out facing disconnection the consumers may start to get the message that the service is necessary.

Also a few videos from B.G.N. showing an outline of what the consumer should expect from the RGI when they are carrying out the safety check at their home or business would help the consumer understand why the service is necessary and why they should be happy to pay a realistic fee for a professional service.

scudo2
"It is common for a RGI to do a 20 minute boiler service"

I know of the nine minute service, how could any consumer believe they received value for money when such an important job can be rushed?

We have standards to work to, it is very rare for any group providing a service to consumers to have their duties enshrined in legislation, the domestic standard is commonly referred to as I.S. 813 I believe that is an error that should have been corrected a long time ago, it should be known as S.I. Statutory Instrument I.S. is an Irish Standard, there is a world of a difference between the two.

I find it very annoying that the very people (Bord Gais) who explained how necessary the legislation is / was and had it passed in Government are the one's who are now treating many of the RGI's in charge of ensuring the standards are adhered to as fools by taking the majority of the money the consumer pays as profit for running their call centre.

Board Gais doesn't take any of the money i make.
I not sure what you mean by that!

I have never finished a service in under an hour either so i would really like to know how these larger companies are able to do it.

gary71 wrote: »

You know in the movies when the pimp grabs the money off the hoe takes most of it:eek: then hands the rest back.

That's what happens when you work for BG;)

I know that, but no one is twisting there arm to work for them.

You could also see it as, BG are getting them there customers and they have no advertising costs to contend with.

I fear for the APHCI as an organisation.

They have been talking about picketing for the last year but nothing has materialized yet.

I thought they where a breath of fresh air when they set up, just what the industry needs.
Now i am afraid that they might become an organisation who's bark is worse than it's bite.

I hope I'm wrong.

The problem with the industry is that a lot of people are only in it for them selves.