The GSR Decade Review is a comprehensive assessment of the UK downstream gas industry over the past ten years. The review is being conducted on behalf of Gas Safe Register, with recommendations to be made to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The main aims are to:
- Explore current arrangements for promoting gas safety across the UK.
- Identify areas of strength and weakness in the industry.
- Make actionable recommendations for the future, informed by key stakeholders.
The review will assess:
- The current state of the gas industry and its evolution over the past decade.
- Changes in engineer attitudes, behaviours, and motivations.
- Views on training, skills, and competence.
- Anticipated future challenges, including new technologies, an ageing workforce, new fuels, and government policies.
Background
This review builds on a previous Decade Review conducted by Accent in 2017 for Capita, which used online surveys, focus groups, and interviews to cover the industry, engineers, training, and future outlook.
Methodology
Engineer Survey
- Target Audience: Registered gas engineers, those working downstream of the meter, training bodies, manufacturers, energy companies, and others.
- Content: Open and closed questions on industry changes, gas safety, challenges, influencers, GSR performance, and future issues.
- Additional Topics: New questions on changing building regulations, the Future Homes Standard, and other relevant developments.
- Status: Survey is live and closes on 3rd October (may be extended). Average completion time is ~15 minutes.
- Access: Survey Link or email gsrdecadereview@talan.com for alternative formats.
Consumer Survey
- Method: question based survey distributed by YouGov to a UK consumer group (2,000 people).
- Focus: Consumer understanding of gas safety, the Gas Safe Register, decision-making when selecting engineers, and choices around future heating systems.
Workshops
- Format: Five online workshops, one for each devolved UK nation/region (England – small and large businesses, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland).
- Purpose: To gather richer, region-specific insights and ensure all areas are represented.
- Timing: Provisional dates throughout November.
- How to Join: Respondents can express interest at the end of the engineer survey .
Engagement and Dissemination
- The survey is being promoted via the Registered Gas Engineer magazine, trade press, and internal marketing databases.
- Additional dissemination through social media and LinkedIn is under consideration.
- Stakeholders are encouraged to share the survey widely, especially in Wales and Northern Ireland where responses are currently low.
Next Steps and Recommendations
- Complete and share the engineer survey before the deadline.
- Encourage participation in workshops, especially from underrepresented regions.
- Use the provided contact details for questions or to request accessible survey formats.
- Feedback and recommendations from this review will be actively pursued and communicated to Capita and HSE, with a focus on actionable outcomes (addressing concerns from the previous review about lack of follow-through).
Contact and Further Information
- Survey Link: https://forms.office.com/e/1c5nY45MLG
- Email: gsrdecadereview@talan.com
- QR Code: Available on the final slide of the presentation for easy access.