Willmott Partnership Homes Ltd has been fined £1.2 million after exposing members of the public to carbon monoxide fumes
On 11th December 2014, Aylesbury Crown Court heard that a number of gas installations had been found to be dangerous and put members of the public at risk, following the report of a smell of gas by a householder.
Willmott Partnership Homes Ltd of Incknield Way, Letchworth Garden City pleaded guilty and has now been fined £1.25 million with an order to pay cost of £23,972.33.
The fine followed a previous investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which found that Willmott Partnership Homes Ltd had built the effected flats several years before the incident.
They found that in 2014, some remedial work was needed to be carried out on an external wall.
However, during the demolition and reconstruction of the wall, many live flues of gas boilers were removed damaged and blocked and as a result, exposed the residents to a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The HSE found that Willmott Partnership Homes Ltd as the principal contractor had not ensured that an adequate system of work was in place to manage the risks from working around the live flues.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Stephen Faulkner said: “Risks from gas installations, including those related to carbon monoxide, need to be managed by all during refurbishment.
“This incident could have been avoided if the company had implemented a safe isolation system for the live boilers.”
A spokesman for Wilmott Dixon has said that the company has reviewed their practices to ensure an incident of this kind does not happen again.
