Prosecutions
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the builder following the incidents between September 2009 and July 2010.
The Gas Safe Register is the official compulsory registration scheme for gas engineers in Britain and it is illegal to carry out domestic gas work without registration.
Worcester Magistrates’ Court heard the offences were discovered when the builder failed to fix a leak in a gas boiler he had earlier fitted.
His client contacted a registered gas engineer who told her the work was substandard. She then alerted the Gas Safe Register, who checked the four properties where the gas work had been carried out and they found two of the fires that the builder had fitted were immediately dangerous.
The court also heard a family at one of the houses had suffered from headaches, which they suspected had been caused by the gas fire.
The builder pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was fined £1,330 and ordered to pay £1,170 costs.
Speaking after the hearing, a HSE inspector said:
“Anyone who works on domestic gas appliances without being Gas Safe registered is breaking the law.
“This builder’s substandard work meant the appliances were a serious risk to the health and safety of the people using them.
“Poorly installed gas work can cause explosions or carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be fatal and can also cause serious long-term health problems.
“Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, breathlessness, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, vomiting, collapse and loss of consciousness.
The Chief Executive of Gas Safe Register, said:
“All Gas Safe registered engineers undergo rigorous training to ensure that the work they carry out in people’s homes is safe.
“With a quarter of a million gas jobs carried out every year by illegal gas fitters who don’t have the skills or the qualifications to work safely on gas, it is vital that householders always check that the engineer they use is on the Gas Safe Register, or they could be putting their lives and pocket at risk.”