A self-employed Lockerbie builder has been given a Community Service Order after he carried out unsafe gas installation work at a house near Dumfries. Kevin Graham was carrying out general building and plastering work during the Spring and Summer of 2009, when he offered to install a new gas fire which he said was relatively easy to do and had done so in his own home. Mr Graham was not a Gas Safe registered engineer.
After Mr Graham had installed the gas fire, it was used regularly until January 2010, when the owner noticed a smell of gas. A competent and qualified gas engineer carried out a visual check of the fire and also noticed a smell of LPG. He identified a gas leak at the back of the fire and immediately prohibited its use. The company then raised their concerns about the fire to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
On 19 February 2010, a Gas Safe Register Inspector visited the property and found that the fitting connecting the gas supply to the fire was loose, causing LPG to leak. The 11-metre supply pipe had also been unsafely installed, as it had been routed around the property without any support, putting stress on the soldered joints of the pipe. The investigation also found that the flue from the fire wasn't functioning properly so there was a risk that smoke and fumes could re-enter the property when the fire was in use.
Within days of the Gas Safe Register inspection, the HSE issued a Prohibition Notice against Kevin Graham stopping him from carrying out any work on or to gas fittings or service pipe work. At Dumfries Sheriff Court, Kevin Graham was given a 240 hours Community Service Order after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to breaching the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations SI 1998/2451 and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Russell Berry said, "In carrying out this work while not registered and competent to do so, Mr Graham put those living at Greenbank Cottage at risk not only from carbon monoxide poisoning but also from fire and explosion. Any business or sole trader who carries out work on any domestic or commercial gas appliances without being on the Gas Safe Register is breaking the law and potentially putting lives at risk."
All gas engineers have to be Gas Safe registered. You can check if an engineer is registered by visiting www.gassaferegister.co.uk or calling 0800 408 5500.
