A self-employed electrician has received a suspended sentence after carrying out work despite not being Gas Safe registered
Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Robert Parker had carried out the work between March and August 2017 and installed a boiler on 24 October 2017 at a domestic property in Rossendale without being Gas Safe registered.
Following notification of installation defects by the occupiers of the property, Gas Safe inspectors checked and found the work was at risk and not to current standards. The boiler was deemed to be immediately dangerous as there was no flue connected.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), discovered that Robert Parker was not Gas Safe registered and was not qualified or competent to undertake the work.
Robert Parker pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was given a 26 week suspended sentence to 12 months, 150 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £2,298.20.
HSE inspector Sharon Butler said after the hearing: “Mr Parker undertook gas work which he knew he was not registered to do. All gas work must be done by registered Gas Safe engineers to ensure the highest standards are met to prevent injury and loss of life.”
What is the Gas Safe register?
It is a list of businesses that are legally permitted to carry out work under the trading name that they have registered with. When a business becomes listed they are issued with a unique Gas Safe registration number (1-6 digits). Each business employs one or more gas engineers.
As well as running the list of legally qualified gas engineers, it investigates reports of illegal and unsafe gas work.
