Director sentenced for unregistered gas work
AN UNREGISTERED gas fitter operating as a director of Master Plumbing Contractors Limited has been sentenced for carrying out gas work without being registered with Gas Safe.
Aylesbury Crown Court heard how Mr Stevens purported to be Gas Safe registered when he undertook gas work at two properties in Milton Keynes between 2015 and 2016. He brandished a t-shirt with the Gas Safe logo, which was also on the company van. Mr Stevens was reported to Gas Safe Register after defects were found in the installation of a gas boiler.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Mr Stevens was not Gas Safe registered at the time he conducted this work.
Mr Stevens of Reynolds Place, Grange Farm, Milton Keynes, was found guilty of four offences under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Mr Stevens was ordered to do 300 hours of community service and pay costs of £15,000.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Andrew McGill said, “Mr Stevens undertook gas work which he knew he was not registered to do”.
“HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate action against rogue gas fitters who disregard the law and place lives at risk. Working with gas appliances is difficult, specialised and potentially very dangerous, so it is vital that this is only undertaken by trained and competent engineers who are registered with Gas Safe.”
Further information about gas safety can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas
