Don’t be scared to refuse entry! Today we have a terrible story about a handyman who was not Gas Safe Registered and put an elderly lady at great risk due to faulty gas work. We tell you what to look out for amongst Gas Safe Engineer’s so you don’t make the same mistake. If they’re not Gas Safe Registered, chances are they haven’t undertaken the necessary Gas Courses either! Here’s what happened…
A self employed Handyman has been sent to prison as he risked the life of an elderly woman after ‘completing’ gas work at the poor lady’s house. Gas Safe reported the story stating the Handyman, ‘carried out work to replace ridge tiles on the roof of a property in Coatham Drive, Hartlepool. One of the tiles incorporated an adaptor so that it could be connected directly to the chimney/flue, which ran from the ground floor to the space. The purpose of the chimney/flue was to direct the products of combustion outside. An investigation by the HSE found that the type of tile vent used was neither an adequate nor appropriate substitute for the roof tile it was intended to replace, and was designed simply to ventilate the loft space. The vent did not incorporate an adaptor and was therefore not suitable for products of combustion’.
The investigation later found that the handyman was not Gas Safe registered and was not in a position to work on such flues or gas appliances. With such evidence stacked against them, the handyman was given a custodial sentence of 18weeks, ordered to pay a £1,470 in compensation and £3000 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
HOW CAN I AVOID THIS?!
To have such work done on our homes is amongst our worst nightmares especially when many of us have young families to look after. Here’s what you need to know:
The Gas Safe Register holds the official list of businesses who are legally permitted to carry out gas work. All of which employ gas safe engineers who are issued a Gas Safe ID card. We always recommend the public to only hire those you find on the list. Anyone else you hire are not legally capable and can lead to hazardous gas work also.
You can check for a Gas Safe Registered Engineer via Location, their business name and also by their unique licence number.
All individuals looking to carry out gas work must carry their Gas Safe ID Card which shows their unique 7 digit number. Gas Safe supply engineers with a new card each year, giving them a completely new number to match. We remind you to look out for this and make sure they are still legally capable of carrying out safe gas work on your home!
Making sure they are Gas Safe Registered is one thing, but making sure they are qualified in the right areas is an essential too. Engineers often have several qualifications allowing them to carry out gas work and these can also be found on the Gas Safe Register website.
It may be worth asking if they have undertaken a Gas Course here at Able Skills! We help get such businesses on the register through teaching excellence and helping them become qualified to carry out the work you need. View the Gas Courses we offer and ask your engineer if they studied with us!