About

WaterSafe is a free online search facility funded by the water industry to help customers find competent and qualified plumbers, water supply pipe installers and other water services specialists in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

WaterSafe was founded in 2013 and follows a long history of protecting public health through quality plumbing.

You can read more about the history of WaterSafe on our 10th anniversary page.

The scheme is a national accreditation body which checks and approves businesses and their staff to give customers reassurance about the tradespeople undertaking work for them.

It brings together thousands of qualified contractors employed by businesses from the six existing approved contractors’ schemes across the UK:

• The Water Industry Approved Plumbers’ Scheme (WIAPS),

• Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC),

• Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE),

• Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF)

• Anglian Water’s APLUS, and

• Severn Trent’s Watermark

Our aim is to help you find the nearest qualified contractor to help keep water supplies safe in homes and businesses.

Using an approved contractor helps prevent the risk of drinking water being contaminated by poor plumbing practices or sub-standard products.

The scheme is supported by the government watchdogs for drinking water, the Drinking Water Inspectorate in England and Wales, the Drinking Water Inspectorate (Northern Ireland), and the Drinking Water Quality Regulator in Scotland.

NHS guidance advises all hospital trusts to use approved WaterSafe contractors in their premises, in order to safeguard public health.

Contractors approved through WaterSafe have specific training in the Water Fittings Regulations and Byelaws, to ensure they meet the strict legal requirements for installing water pipes and fittings.

WaterSafe approved businesses must adhere to the WaterSafe customer commitments, demonstrate compliance and follow the scheme conditions and rules.

Where businesses fail to meet these standards, a disciplinary process applies, each approved contractors' scheme has their own process.

All members of WaterSafe carry agreed levels of public liability insurance.

Important information

WaterSafe recommends you read this important information during the selection process and employment of any potential contractor.

• WaterSafe approved businesses employ qualified operatives. It is an individual not the business that become Approved Contractors for a specific scope of work.

• Please note, the checks made focus on technical competency and to ensure members adhere to WaterSafe’s requirements. For example, approved contractors have been vetted to ensure they hold recognised qualifications. You may wish to conduct further checks of your own.

• Your contract will be with the approved contractor or their employer and not WaterSafe, so we cannot give assurance of their availability or guarantee their work.

• We recommend that you ask in advance, whether there is a charge for giving a quote.

• We recommend that you obtain at least 3 quotes to give you a comparison of the likely cost of the work.

• We will not get involved in any contractual disputes between you and the contractor. However, if you believe that the work completed may not comply with water fittings regulations then you should use the appropriate complaints process.

• Please make sure the work is carried out or witnessed by a named approved contractor listed as being approved for that company.

• Please make sure you receive a work completed certificate on completion of the work. This document gives you a legal defence provided that the approved contractor is approved for the scope of work completed.