If you need work done on a pipe that cannot be switched off, you will probably be told to look for hot tapping contractors. Hot tapping lets a specialist drill into a pipe while it is still full and under pressure, so the water, gas or other liquid keeps flowing the whole time. It sounds like a clever trick, and it is, but it is also a job that has to be done properly.
The tricky part is that most people asking for quotes have never hired a hot tapping contractor before. You are not expected to be a pipeline engineer. What you can do is ask to see the right paperwork. This guide walks through the certifications, approvals and insurance worth checking before you agree to any hot tapping work, so you can read a quote with a bit more confidence.
Why certifications matter more than the price
It is tempting to pick whichever quote is cheapest. The trouble is that hot tapping involves cutting into a live pipe that is full of pressure. If the contractor gets it wrong, you could end up with a flood, a gas leak, a damaged pipe, or worse, someone getting hurt. The accreditations covered below exist because they force a contractor to prove they know what they are doing, rather than just say it.
Asking to see these documents before work starts takes five minutes. Sorting out the mess if something goes wrong takes a lot longer.
WRAS approval, for work on water mains
If the job involves a drinking water main, ask whether the contractor and their equipment hold WRAS approval. WRAS stands for the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme. It checks that fittings, materials and equipment used on the UK water supply will not contaminate the water or cause it to leak.
Without this approval, a contractor might use a fitting that is not suitable for drinking water pipes, even if it works perfectly well on other types of pipe. For a closer look at what safe practice on a live water main actually involves, our guide on how contractors work safely on water mains breaks the whole process down step by step.
PED compliance, for the equipment itself
Hot tapping machines and the fittings bolted onto the pipe are themselves pieces of pressure equipment. That means they fall under rules originally set out in the Pressure Equipment Directive, known as PED, and carried into UK law through the Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 and the older Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000.
In plain terms, this means the equipment has to be designed, tested and maintained to a proper standard, and the people using it have to know the safe limits it can work within. A contractor who understands PED compliance will be able to explain, without hesitating, what pressure and pipe size their equipment is rated for. If you want to understand the regulations behind this in more detail, the Health and Safety Executive publishes a clear introduction to pressure systems safety that is well worth a read.
CHAS and SafeContractor, for health and safety
CHAS and SafeContractor are two of the best known health and safety accreditation schemes in the UK. Neither one is compulsory by law, but most facilities managers, councils and larger companies will only work with contractors who hold at least one.
Both schemes work similarly. The contractor sends in evidence of their health and safety policies, risk assessments, training records and past performance. An independent assessor checks it all before handing out the accreditation. Holding CHAS, SafeContractor, or both, is a fairly reliable sign that a contractor takes health and safety seriously rather than just saying they do.
Contractor insurance, in case something goes wrong
Even a well-run job can have an accident. That is what insurance is for. There are two main types worth asking about.
Public liability insurance covers damage to property, or injury to a third party, caused during the work. If a hot tapping job accidentally damages a nearby wall or floods a room, this is the policy that pays for it. Employer’s liability insurance covers the contractor’s own staff if they are hurt while working. In England, Scotland and Wales, employers are legally required to hold this if they have staff, so any contractor who cannot produce a certificate should raise a red flag straight away.
Ask to see the certificate, not just a verbal assurance, and check the cover limit is sensible for the size of the job.
Quick checklist
Here is the same information as a table, so you can tick things off as you go through a quote.
| What to check | What it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| WRAS approval | Confirms fittings and equipment are approved for use on the UK drinking water supply | Required for most work on live water mains |
| PED compliance / PSSR 2000 | Shows the pressure equipment is designed, tested and maintained to a recognised safety standard | Lowers the risk of equipment failure while the pipe is under pressure |
| CHAS accreditation | An independent check of the contractor’s health and safety paperwork | Confirms risk assessments and method statements meet a recognised standard |
| SafeContractor accreditation | A second widely recognised health and safety accreditation scheme | Often accepted alongside, or instead of, CHAS |
| Public liability insurance | Covers damage or injury to third parties caused during the work | Protects you if the job goes wrong |
| Employer’s liability insurance | Covers the contractor’s own staff if they are injured on site | A legal requirement for any contractor with employees |
Putting it all together when you compare quotes
Once you have this checklist, comparing quotes gets a lot easier. Instead of just looking at the price, you can ask each contractor the same set of questions and see who answers clearly and who avoids the question. A contractor who is proud of their accreditations will usually mention them without being asked twice.
For a wider look at what separates a strong hot tapping contractor from a risky one, including experience, equipment range and how quotes are put together, our practical guide to choosing a contractor covers the rest of the decision in more detail. It is also worth reading up on the general requirements for a hot tapping job, so you know what information the contractor will need from you before they can even give an accurate quote.
Ready to ask the right questions?
You do not need to become an expert in pressure regulations overnight. You just need to know which questions to ask, and this checklist should cover the basics. If you would like to see examples of completed jobs, our case studies show the kind of work a properly accredited team takes on.
If you have a job coming up and want to check what certifications and insurance would apply to it, get in touch with our team and we will be happy to talk it through.
