Something nasty had to hit the fan before too long and now it has. The implication is that the HSE have reneged on an actual or implied promise to review what is clearly identified as a damaging accreditation regime. There used to be honour amongst thieves but not any more it seems.

It is said that the camel is a horse designed by a committee. In this context the camel is ACS and the committee we know only too well. We have always held the view that independent management consultants should have chaired the current gas safety review so that no faction is dominant, including the HSE who clearly have an interest to declare. That is to say protectionism.

The HSE suffer from the CYA syndrome. One of my lecturers on ACS kept banging on about CYA, which is a philosophy he says he introduced from his days at British Gas, the Taleban of the gas industry. CYA or Cover Your Ass syndrome seeks to ensure the HSE are always on safe ground. Good old Heads they Win and Tails we Lose.

Recommendation 21 ? – Our Library contains the Final Report of the HSC fundamental review of the H & S regime for Installation and Use of Gas. In HTML format it is a hefty 519K or a modest 96K zipped. That section has incidentally been amended, updated and more files are now available zipped. Scroll down to Recommendation 21 and have a read then make your own mind up.

Now Bob Towse (ex-CORGI) is singing from a different hymn sheet at the HVCA he is leading the thrust and quoted describing the HSE stance as ‘unacceptable’. Readers will no doubt be amused to learn that somehow the HSE have come to believe there is no consensus in industry for change (?) Which Christmas cracker did they get that one out of I wonder and confirms our belief that independent management consultants are urgently needed.

H&V News quote a ‘senior industry insider’ offering the opinion that both CORGI and Training Agencies have heavily influenced the current situation. The situation being that we will carry on as before. Some allegation that is and essentially suggesting collusion.