Heating and Ventilating

A coroner is recommending new safety measures for gas fitters after a worker was electrocuted whilst repairing a boiler.
CORGI-registered fitter James Davies was electrocuted and died on October 11, 2007, after his hand became jammed between water pipes and a live switch.

An inquest into his death was told Davies had trained to become a heating and ventilation engineer, but had not been trained to deal with electrical problems even though workers regularly dealt with them.

Coroner Mary Hassell expressed concerns for CORGI-registered workers who lacked electrical qualifications.

Davies had electrical burns on his left hand and forearm. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

The Health and Safety Executive said CORGI registration does not consider electrical competence as a priority. It said 'All too frequently we have issues of heating and ventilation engineers being electrocuted.'

The coroner has recommended action by the authorities to prevent similar fatalities caused by CORGI-registered engineers carrying out work without electrical training.