HSE Warning On Gas Safety Following Prosecution, UK

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 14 Jun 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning home owners to check that gas installers are properly registered and carry a current 'Gas Safe Register' identity card. This warning follows the prosecution of Mr Kevin Hall of Woodpecker Way, Cannock, trading as Norfix Plumbing and Heating who has been jailed for breaching health and safety legislation. Hall was yesterday (Tuesday, 9 June) jailed for 84 days at Cannock Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to two counts of breaching Section 33(1)(g) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by carrying out gas work in contravention of a Prohibition Notice.

The Court heard that HSE started an investigation into work carried out by Mr Hall after receiving a complaint concerning gas work undertaken at a house in Cannock in 2008. Mr Hall had replaced an old gas boiler after falsely claiming to be CORGI registered.

Until April of this year, when the Gas Safe Register was introduced, gas engineers were legally required to be registered with CORGI. Mr Hall used another engineer's CORGI registration number on paperwork that he gave to the householder.

When the work was inspected by a CORGI registered engineer, it was found to be 'not up to current standards' although it appeared to pose no major risk to the occupants.

In July 2008, a Prohibition Notice was issued against Mr Hall preventing him from carrying out further gas installation work. Despite attempts by HSE staff to contact Mr Hall, he did not get in touch. The ensuing HSE investigation uncovered further boiler installations in Cannock and nearby Brocton that had been completed in December 2008 after the Prohibition Notice had been served. At both addresses, Hall had falsely claimed to be CORGI registered and left the households with heating systems without hot water.

While the installations were not immediately dangerous, they did not comply with current standards and the householders received no paperwork certifying that the work had been carried out according to the gas safety regulations.

Speaking after the case, HSE investigating inspector Andrew Bowker said: "Kevin Hall continued to do sub-standard gas work without registration. The work has needed to be put right by registered engineers. Fortunately, in this instance, no one died or became ill. Such a blatant disregard for the law will not be ignored by HSE.

"By failing to be correctly registered with CORGI, Hall gained financial advantage over bona fide registered installers. However, the householders incurred additional costs in remedial work so their installations were a false economy.

"Every effort was made to contact Mr Hall in order to resolve the situation before proceedings were brought, so he was well aware that he was acting unlawfully.

"HSE would urge anyone having gas work undertaken to ensure that the contractor carries a 'Gas Safe Register' identity card. Tenants must also ensure that their landlord has provided them with a current gas safety certificate."

Notes

1. HSE is responsible for regulating domestic gas safety in Great Britain and does this largely through the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

2. Gas engineers undertaking gas work must be registered with a body approved by HSE. The body currently approved is the Gas Safe Register. For further information about the gas registration scheme, go here.

3. For further information on gas safety, contact the HSE Gas Safety Advice Line 0800 300 363 or visit here.

Source
HSE