Illegal gas fitter sentenced

Date:

7 October 2010

Release No:

YH/239/10

A man who falsely claimed to be a registered gas engineer has been sentenced for illegally installing gas appliances at addresses in York.

Bennett Morley of Cherry Paddock, Haxby, York, was prosecuted by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for five offences under Gas Safety legislation after complaints by householders.

York Magistrates Court heard Mr Morley carried out gas work while not being competent to do so, and for falsely claiming to be officially registered.

The court was told the offences involved installation of gas boilers in two properties in York in late 2008 and again in summer 2009. The work was so poor that complaints were made by householders and remedial work had to be carried out by a registered gas engineer.

Mr. Morley also passed himself off as a registered gas engineer by completing installation paperwork with a false identity number and advising customers that he was registered with them.

Magistrates heard that Mr Morley had worked for several years with a gas installation company but had been operating as a sole trader when the offences took place.

Mr. Morley pleaded guilty to all the offences and was fined a total of £500 with £500 toward costs. He was also referred to a debt counsellor.

After the court case, HSE Inspector Julian Franklin said:

"Mr Morley deliberately misled householders about his qualifications. The work he carried out put people at risk and fell well below standard. While the danger was not immediate, the customers involved did complain, allowing the HSE to investigate and take swift action.

"The HSE will not hesitate to prosecute workmen like Mr Morley who bypass or choose to ignore important safety legislation and thus put people at risk. Registration of qualified engineers with the Gas Safe Register is compulsory and is there to provide the public with confidence in the work that is carried out by gas engineers."

Gas Safe Register's chief executive Paul Johnston added:

"Registered engineers have a Gas Safe Register ID with their picture on it, the date it's valid until and, if you turn it over, it shows what gas work they are qualified to do. If they refuse to show the card, or if you have suspicions they may not be legitimate, report them immediately to the HSE or GAS Safe Register.

"You can also nominate your property for a free gas safety inspection from Gas Safe Register if you've had gas work done in the last six months."

Notes to editors

1. Registered engineers can be found or checked at www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call free on 0800 408 5500.
2. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
3. Gas Safe Register replaced the CORGI gas registration scheme in Great Britain and Isle of Man on 1 April 2009 and in Northern Ireland and Guernsey on 1 April 2010.
4. 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".
5. Regulation 3 (7) of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) regulations 1998 states: "no person shall falsely pretend to be a member of a class of persons required to be approved under the Health and Safety Executive."
6. Gas Safe Register is the government approved registration scheme for gas engineers in the UK, Isle of Man and Guernsey. The register of 126,000 gas engineers, aims to protect 21 million gas consumers from dangerous gas work. It is a legal requirement for any gas engineering business or self employed gas engineer carrying out domestic or commercial gas work to be registered under the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998.
7. Gas Safe Register assesses the competence of engineers on the register by inspecting a sample of the gas work they carry out to make sure they are safe to work on gas.  Gas Safe Register is focused on gas safety and campaigns to raise awareness of gas safety risks, including those associated with using illegal gas workers.
8. Gas Safe Register deals with all aspects of the downstream gas industry covered by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. It covers both piped natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

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