Risk news

A joiner has been prosecuted under the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 after illegally carrying out work on gas boilers.

Jim Price, of Ravenscroft Road, Beckenham, Kent was fined £250 and ordered to pay £250 in costs, as well as being told to pay over £1,150 in compensation to the affected householder, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported.

Price - who trades as Jim the Joiner and who was not registered as a gas engineer - removed an old boiler from a property and incorrectly installed a new one.

HSE inspector Andrew Saunders said: "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."

He stated that unqualified workers not only put lives at risk but also face the threat of prosecution and a large fine.

The Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 can be found on Aviva Risk Management Solutions' website, here.