A pub manager who allowed potentially dangerous gas work to be carried out on his premises has been successfully prosecuted by Oldham Council.
On May 30 last year, a qualified Gas Safe Engineer carried out a routine safety inspection at The Duke of Edinburgh Pub, Market Street, Royton. The engineer found that the gas boiler was dangerous due to an inadequate flue being in place. The boiler was immediately isolated to make it safe and a report submitted by the contractor under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) to the council.
The report highlighted that the boiler was in a dangerous condition, with the engineer stating that he had never seen anything so dangerous in his career. An investigation was launched and council officers found that the work had been authorised by the licence holder, Michael Wilson.
Wilson, of Moelydd, Trefonen, Oswestry allowed the boiler to be fitted by a customer who gave his name as ‘Jan’ and who claimed he was a plumber. Wilson held no paperwork or any kind of documentation relating to the gas work undertaken at the pub.
On 13 June at Tameside Magistrates’ Court Wilson pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 4 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
At a sentencing hearing on July 14 Wilson was sentenced to a 12 month Community Order and ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work. He was also told to pay £1477 council costs with an £85 victim surcharge.
Councillor Arooj Shah, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, said:
In failing to make straightforward, simple checks, Wilson put the health and safety of his workers and customers at major risk.
“He was hugely fortunate that no one was harmed as a result of his lack of action.
“It is vital that business owners make reasonable efforts to obtain evidence that any person they ask, or pay, to carry out gas work is a registered Gas Safe engineer.”
According to the Manchester Evening News, Wilson said after the sentencing that the customer had all the certificates to prove he was qualified:
I took this plumber on in good faith. He had been a customer in the pub for about three months.”
“I spoke to him on the phone and he said he had a boiler that was nearly new from another premises. He fitted and it never worked. I tried to get back into touch with him but he never responded. It cost me £800.
“I accept full responsibility for what happened and should have done more. I don’t do computers and did not realise until after the case that I could have checked online to see of he was Gas Safe Registered.
“The magistrates took into consideration the circumstances, which was why I got such a light sentence. I thought I was going to jail. But I would never put my customers’ and staffs’ lives at risk deliberately.”
