HSE warns of dangers of using unregistered gas fitters following prosecution of Lincolnshire plumber

Date:

10 November 2009

Release No:

HSE/EM/DRAFT

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned of the dangers of using unregistered gas fitters after a Lincolnshire plumber carried out work which posed a risk to public safety.

Stephen McGill, of Thorpe Road, Whisby, Lincolnshire, was fined a total of £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000 by Lincoln Magistrates today after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998, and Regulation 6(1) of the same regulations.

Between 1 April and 1 May 2008, Mr McGill, who traded as Plumbtek, was employed at a house in Jerusalem Road, Skellingthorpe, to provide the entire gas plumbing for the property including pipe work and the installation of a boiler and gas fire

HSE inspector Judith McNulty-Green said:

"The incident came to light after the Health and Safety Executive received a complaint from a genuine CORGI-registered gas installer about the substandard quality of the work that had been carried out.

"When the work was inspected, there were a number of faults in the installation, some of which were deemed to be immediately dangerous.

"Every year around 20 to 30 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning associated with domestic gas appliances, due mainly to these appliances not having been properly installed or maintained. The householder in this case had a very lucky escape."

Notes to editors

1. Regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 states: "No employer shall allow any of his employees to carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting or service pipework and no self-employed person shall carry out any such work, unless the employer or self-employed person, as the case may be, is a member of a class of persons approved for the time being by the Health and Safety Executive for the purposes of this paragraph."
2. Regulation 6(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 states: "No person shall carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting in such a manner that gas could be released unless steps are taken to prevent the gas so released constituting a danger to any person"
3. The law requires that anyone who works on gas appliances must be competent, and if they are doing the work as a business, i.e. employer or self-employed, they must be a registered engineer.
4. HSE and Local Authorities enforce the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 in domestic and commercial premises. These regulations place responsibilities on a wide range of people, including those installing, servicing, maintaining or repairing gas appliances and other gas fittings; as well as suppliers and users of gas systems/appliances. Statutory obligations are placed on landlords to maintain gas appliances that they own.
5. Free advice on gas safety is available from the HSE Gas Safety Advice Line 0800 300 363 (freephone service) and on www.hse.gov.uk

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