World Plumbing Day is celebrated on 11 March every year as a means of promoting the important role played by the plumbing industry throughout the world.

Although we tend to take access to good quality water supply and sanitation systems for granted in the UK, many parts of the world still face the tragedy of death and disease as a direct consequence of the lack of access to basic plumbing systems. The World Health Organisation has estimated that around 1 billion people worldwide still do not have access to safe water supplies and 2.6 billion (about one third of the world’s total population) do not have access to basic sanitation systems. It is believed that over 3 million children die every year as a result of preventable water-borne diseases.

Fraser Lawrence, SNIPEF president said: “In the UK it is legally possible for anyone to practise as a plumber whether or not they have been trained or hold any qualifications, and television programmes regularly publicise the activities of so called “rogue traders”, many of which are in the plumbing business. Although the numbers may not be on the scale of those in the developing world, many in the UK have become seriously ill as a consequence of plumbing work which has not been undertaken competently and professionally.

“On World Plumbing Day, 11 March 2013, please take a moment to think about the critical role played by SNIPEF, its members and others aiming to promote excellence in the plumbing industry and consider what life might be like if we did not enjoy access to the professional plumbing facilities which are widely available to us.”