HSE/NW/128/07 13 November 2007

HSE reminds gas installers of need for vigilance after fire was left in dangerous condition

A self-employed CORGI registered gas installer, Azam Siddiqi, has been fined £500 and ordered to pay a contribution towards costs of £2,500 after pleading guilty to installing a gas fire, but leaving it in a dangerous condition, in a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

This case should remind all gas installers of the need to be vigilant when installing appliances and ensure adequate post-work checks are done to help ensure that they are safe for the consumer to use.

Mr Siddiqi, from Oldham, was charged under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998,  Regulation 26 (5)(a), as he installed a gas fire that could not be used safely. He was also charged under Regulation 26(6), in that he installed a gas fire without there being a means of shutting off the gas supply.

Trafford Magistrates Court heard that HSE received a complaint after a gas fire had been fitted at a property in St George’s Road, Fallowfield, Manchester, and the resident and her daughter started to suffer from headaches and noted a funny smell. The residents contacted National Grid Gas, who immediately disconnected the fire because of its dangerous condition.

HSE Inspector Richard Clarke said:

“This is an unusual case as it involves a CORGI-registered installer, who should have known better. One of HSE’s roles is to hold all installers to account for their actions, or in this case lack of actions, in order to protect the safety of consumers.  There was no excuse for this fire to have been wrongly fitted which put this family at unnecessary risk.”

Being CORGI-registered is a legal requirement for anyone installing or repairing gas fittings or appliances in homes. CORGI’s aim is to improve standards in the industry and help individuals find and use safe and competent tradespeople. Anyone wanting to find a CORGI -registered installer can contact CORGI on 0800 915 0485 or www.trustcorgi.com.

Notes to editors

1. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 Regulation 26 (5)(a) says:
   
   ‘No person carrying out the installation of a gas appliance should leave it connected to the gas supply unless….the appliance can be used safely’.
2. Regulation 26(6) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 says:
   
   ‘No person shall install a gas appliance without there being at the inlet to it means of shutting off the supply of gas to the appliance unless the provision of such means is unreasonable’.

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