Unregistered gas fitter fined after putting lives at risk

Date:

14 October 2011

Release No:

COISE/1410b

A gas fitter has been fined after he misled a customer into believing he was legally registered and then carried out work that put lives at risk.

Janusz Mazur, 34, of Sunnyhill Road, Lambeth, was self-employed when he carried out work at a flat in Ritherdon Road, Tooting Bec, installing a new boiler and pipework.

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 and Use) Regulations 1998.

Investigations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the work carried out was sub-standard. The Gas Safe Register could not confirm the safe operation of the gas pipe work and gas boiler. Gas safety defects with the potential to cause harm were present on installation work, which could have put lives at risk. It was also found that Mr Mazur had falsely pretended to be a Gas Safe registered engineer but was not and never had been.

HSE inspector Saif Deen said:

"There is no excuse for illegally carrying out work on gas appliances and to falsely claim Gas Safe Register membership in order to defraud customers is a very serious offence.

"It is illegal for any unregistered person to carry out such work. When unqualified workers try to bypass the law in this way they are not only putting themselves at risk of prosecution, a large fine and a lengthy time in prison - they are also putting their customers' lives at risk.

"The householder in this case has suffered a great deal of stress and feared for her safety as a result of Mr Mazur's actions.

"Working with gas appliances is difficult, specialised and potentially dangerous. Only qualified and registered engineers should attempt it. HSE will not hesitate to prosecute those who break the law in this way."

Janusz Mazur, Sunnyhill Road, Lambeth, was found guilty of breaching Regulations 3(3) and 3(7) of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 and was fined £600 with £1,994 costs.

Paul Johnston, chief executive of Gas Safe Register said:

"We work closely with the HSE to investigate unregistered gas fitters and the prosecution of Janusz Mazur comes as welcome news to us all.

"Gas fitters working unregistered like Janusz Mazur are far more common than you think - we estimate they're doing 250,000 illegal jobs each year, causing fires, explosions, gas leaks, carbon monoxide poisoning and leaving people out of pocket.

"All gas engineers have to be Gas Safe registered - it's the law. Our message to everyone is clear - check the engineer's Gas Safe Register ID card before letting them work on gas."
To find or check a Gas Safe Registered engineer in your area go to www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call 0800 408 5500.

Notes to editors

1. 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
2. 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."
3. Regulation 3(7) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 states: "No person shall falsely pretend to be a member of a class of persons required to be approved by the Health and Safety Executive."
4. Gas Safe Register replaced the CORGI gas registration scheme in Great Britain in 2009 and 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.
5. HSE information and news releases are available at www.hse.gov.uk

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News & PR London