A self-employed roofer has been sentenced after leaving a gas appliance flue in an immediately dangerous condition when he removed a chimney stack from a property in March 2019.
Truro Crown Court heard how MR Roofing & Leadwork was contracted to remove and rebuild a chimney stack from the roof of a client's property.
The chimney stack was shared between the client's and a neighbouring property, occupied by a vulnerable elderly woman. In removing the chimney stack the Roofer exposed the flue liner for the gas range within the elderly woman's property. He left the flue liner unsupported, dangling at an angle and exposed to the elements. A flue liner left in this condition would not function correctly, with a high risk of combustion products, including carbon monoxide, entering the property.
The flue liner was left in this dangerous state for seven days and was only discovered when a carbon monoxide alarm sounded in the woman's home. When the fire service entered her house their carbon monoxide alarms sounded, so they ventilated the property and made it safe by isolating the gas supply. A Gas Safe Registered engineer tested the gas range flue and found it to be spilling dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, and classed the situation as "immediately dangerous".
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the Roofer had failed to make any proper or meaningful enquiries into what gas appliances were fluing through the chimney he was working on. He pleaded guilty to breaching the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations SI 1998/2451. He has been sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 24 months, fined £5,000, and ordered to pay costs of £3,000.
HSE inspector Simon Jones said that the Roofer made "no enquiries whatsoever as to what was fluing through the chimney and his actions put an elderly and vulnerable woman’s life in serious danger. It is only by good fortune that she heard an alarm sounding and called for help and so did not suffer potentially fatal carbon monoxide poisoning".
"Builders and roofers should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standard".
