Must be OFTEC registered?

We continue to encounter comments from clients who say oil engineers must be OFTEC registered to work on their oil appliances.

Others give examples of oil engineering businesses continuing to state upon their websites that;

 We have viewed these websites and can confirm,

this is what they are saying!

 The public MUST ONLY use OFTEC registered engineers

to work upon their oil appliances.

What is true, concerns the need for engineers who wish to work upon oil appliances and their associated systems, to undertake approved training and certification.

This is undertaken at any one of the approved training centres throughout the country and the following OFTEC modules are currently available.

If you are intending to undertake work upon oil fired appliances, then ensure you have successfully completed the appropriate training and achieved certification in the OFTEC modules relevant to your type of work.

OFTEC training for liquid fuel heating technicians:

OFT10 –  101 – Commission, service, maintenance of single stage pressure jet appliances.

OFT10 – 102D/W – Commission, service, maintenance of vaporising burner appliances.

OFT10 -  105E – Installation of oil and bio-liquid fuelled fixed combustion appliances and systems.

OFT10 – 600a – Installation of oil storage tanks and supply systems to fixed combustion appliances.

OFT10 – 201 – Commissioning, service, maintenance of multi-stage pressure jet appliances (i.e. Commercial use).

 Another word in their ear.

Once again, our advice to installers and service engineers is simple! “Wake up and smell the coffee”. The information you are displaying is incorrect and could be construed as being anti-competitive, a matter upon which OFTEC is taking positive action.

OFTEC have requested that;

If you have any examples of problems of this kind, please contact OFTEC’s marketing team – marketing@oftec.org

A lack of understanding continues:

There remains within the oil industry, an inherent lack of understanding about the way in which today’s Competent Person Scheme functions and those organisations who are legally permitted to operate such a scheme.

Let’s not get confused with Gas Safe Register, where it is a legal requirement for any person who undertakes work upon gas systems or appliances (Nat Gas or LPG) to be registered with a body approved for the time being, by the Health & Safety Executive.

A reminder about CPS changes

While heating engineers have been aware of these changes (have they really?), the wider world has been slow to wake up to the diversification within the CPS sector.

It’s understandable that householders may not realise that a solid fuel heating installer registered with OFTEC is no different to one registered with HETAS when it comes to competence and the ability to self-certify work.

This may indeed be the case where they’ve used HETAS registered engineers in the past. However, it’s apparent that some industries that should know better have been slow to understand the changes.

The training Centres:

It is the responsibility of the numerous approved training centres up and down the country, who deliver the training and assessments to tradespersons that enable the certification bodies to review a tradesman's assessment and provide the certification that will enable them to apply to become members of a Competent Person Scheme and self-certificate their own work.

Competent Person Scheme providers.

Organisations permitted to offer competent person schemes to the oil fired sector (including liquid biofuels) are as follows:

APHC – Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (Certification) Ltd

BESCA – Building Engineering Services Competence Assessment Limited.

Blue Flame Certification – Blue Flame Certification Limited.

Certsure – Certsure LLP trading as ELECSA or NICEIC.

NAPIT – National Registration Limited.

OFTEC – Oil Firing Technical Association Limited.

OFTEC’s view of competition within the Competent Person Scheme:

Competition is good news for heating engineers

This diversification has several benefits for heating engineers. Increased competition means more choice and potentially more competitive pricing. It also means you can stay with a single provider as you or your business diversifies – which could save money and keeps renewals simpler. In the past, this was of only moderate value, but in an industry where decarbonisation is a reality, the potential to diversify and offer a broader range of technologies may become an increasingly popular – even essential – option to ensure businesses to remain competitive.

Please Note:

It is NOT the responsibility of the training centres nor the Competent Person Scheme providers to award certifications.

 UKAS Accredited Certification Bodies:

UKAS Accredited Certification bodies are those groups who’s responsibility it is, to undertake the final assessment of and approval for, the awarding of any certification in the competence of an individual working in for example; the oil, gas, water, electrical and renewable energy industries.

OFTEC do not provide this aspect of learning directly to tradespersons, nor do they act as the Accredited Certification Body.

They are a; COMPETENT PERSON SCHEME PROVIDER as detailed within the Building Regulations 2010 (as amended).

UKAS Accredited Certification Bodies are for example:

Bpec.

ERS.

Logic 4Training

cert-ain Certification Ltd

Lack of experience & training:

Unfortunately, we encounter numerous appliances that have been serviced last year by operatives who clearly have NO training nor certification, to work on these appliances, nor undertake a suitable and sufficient safety/risk assessment of the appliances or their associated oil services.

We photograph these situations and retain the information and our final word is.

You know who you are, and we know who you are!

If you are going to continue undertaking work upon oil fired appliances and their associated systems, then make the effort to obtain approved training and certification, whereupon you can then apply to become a member of a competent person’s scheme.