Heating and Ventilating

A joiner found illegally working with gas boilers while unregistered was ordered to pay more than £1,000 compensation to a customer.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted Jim Price in Bury St Edmunds court on November 26, after he pleaded guilty to working on gas boilers while not registered.

Price removed an old gas boiler from a house in Bury St Edmunds and installed a new one in its place. The joiner was not registered and carried out the installation incorrectly. As a result, his customer had to pay another engineer to put right the faulty work.

Price, who trades as Jim the Joiner, was ordered to pay £1,150.74 in compensation to the customer for faulty boiler work he carried out in 2007. He was fined £250 for breaching Regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998. He also paid £250 in court costs.

HSE Inspector Andrew Saunders, who led the investigation said: 'When unqualified workers try to bypass the law in this way they are not only putting themselves at risk of prosecution and a large fine, they are also putting their customers' lives at risk. Working with gas appliances is difficult, specialised and potentially dangerous. Only qualified and registered engineers should attempt it. Those employing someone to carry out work on a gas installation such as a boiler or fire should first make sure the person is fully registered with the Gas Safe Register. HSE will not hesitate to prosecute those who flout the law in this way.'