Jail time for illegal fitter underlines need for gas detection equipment

Frontline 100

A prison sentence handed to an illegal gas fitter has highlighted how seriously the authorities take gas detection and installation regulations.

Evidence of just how seriously gas detection and installation regulations are taken by the authorities can be seen in the recent jailing of a man who illegally claimed to be a qualified gas fitter.

Simon Dale - a qualified plumber from Wiltshire - had fraudulently claimed to be signed off to carry out not only gas work, but also electrical jobs before being jailed at the end of September.

The 39-year-old will spend 30 months behind bars after being found guilty of a number of offences and his story may encourage businesses and homeowners to invest in gas detection equipment to help reduce the chances of endangering lives.

Salisbury resident Mr Dale had been trading under Cathedral Plumbing Services when he carried out work on combination gas central heating and water boilers at six properties between November 2007 and October 2009.

He also acted under the name of Wiltshire Plumbing & Heating Ltd, where he misled more than a dozen customers between October 2007 and December 2010, Salisbury Crown Court found last week (September 28th).

The use of official CORGI - now known as the Gas Safe Register - and OFTEC - the Oil Firing Technical Association - logos on his paperwork and van wrongly led customers to believe Mr Dale to be a legitimate tradesman qualified to work with oil and gas.

He pleaded guilty to six offences under section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for breaching Regulation 3(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, ten offences of fraud by misrepresentation, breaching Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006 and three breaches of Regulation 12 and Schedule 1 Paragraph 4 of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, for engaging in unfair commercial practice.

This list of offences saw him sentenced to 18 months in prison for eight of the fraud crimes and a year for the gas safety and unfair trading offences, with these sentences to run concurrently.

However, he was also handed a further year in jail for the two additional fraud offences that were committed while on bail for the other misdemeanours.

This means Mr Dale will now spend two-and-a-half years in prison as a result of his crimes - a stark warning to other would-be illegal gas fitters.

Gas Safe Register chief executive Paul Johnston explained that the authorities will come down hard on such criminals due to the risk to life and property.

"We work closely with the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) to investigate unregistered gas fitters. All gas engineers have to be Gas Safe registered by law," he said.

"Before allowing them to begin any work in your home you should always ask for their ID card. Unqualified gas engineers are more common than you think, so make sure you check they are legally registered."

Frontline Safety can offer the servicing and maintenance of portable gas systems and the installation, commissioning and maintenance of fixed gas systems to give you peace of mind.  Visit our website for more information where you will find a range of fixed and portable gas detection systems and also more information on the servicing and calibration of instruments.

Meanwhile, a Morecambe landlord has found himself in court after he failed to arrange for annual gas safety checks to be carried out at three flats on Balmoral Road and Clarendon Road between September 2009 and October 2010, the HSE reported.

Written by Chris Malone