Unregistered plumber and company fined after unsafe gas work

1 Jun 2017 05:56 PM

An unregistered plumber has been sentenced after carrying out gas work at addresses in North London over a two year period.

Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited has also been fined after allowing the sub-contractor to carry out work on the gas appliances on its behalf.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how Errol Dillon carried out gas work at more than 1,000 addresses in North London over a two year period, without being Gas Safe Registered. The court heard Mr Dillon had previously been registered while employed at a previous company contracted to carry out work for Whirlpool. When he left that company and resumed contract work for Whirlpool through another company, he provided false details to Whirlpool, which they failed to check.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) alongside Gas Safe Register (GSR) found Errol Dillon had provided Whirlpool with false GSR registration number, and Whirlpool failed to check Mr Dillon’s credentials with GSR.

Whirlpool UK Appliances Limited of Morley Way, Peterborough, PE2 9JB has pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 3(3)  of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998  and has been fined £ £90,000 and ordered to pay costs of £ 9,358.22.

Errol Dillon of Grenville Gardens, Woodford Green, Essex pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was sentenced at an earlier hearing to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with 50 hours unpaid work requirement and ordered to pay costs of £2000.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector James Caren said: “Whirlpool failed to check the Gas Safe Register credentials of Mr Dillon and as a result allowed him to conduct unregistered work on more than 1,000 homes across London.

“Mr Dillon should have taken into account that being Gas Safe Registered is not an option when carrying out gas work; it is mandatory.”

Notes to Editors:

  1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk[1]
  2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/ link to external website[2]
  3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk