A heating and plumbing company has been fined and two self-employed workers sentenced after faulty gas installations were discovered at sites in Poole and Reading.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated DSI Plumbing and Heating, Robert Percival and Andrew Church following reports by residents of ill-health.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard that sites in Poole and Reading, containing a total of 79 town houses and 321 flats had been fitted with gas boilers with flues installed to vent gases to building voids, however none had inspection hatches to allow for periodic checks.
After reports by residents of ill-health, the HSE discovered faults including gas leaks. At one site in Poole, Harbour Reach, the investigation found that over 90 per cent of the flats had defective installations.
The findings came after homes were evacuated following a serious gas leak in 2009.
HSE head of operations Harvey Wild emphasised the risk the failings had posed to the lives of residents at the properties: “These serious failings involving gas safety only came to light after residents started to complain about ill-health. It is fortunate that in this case, no-one suffered long term ill-effects but the consequences of the faults, if left undetected, could have been fatal.”
Southampton-based DSI Plumbing and Heating Ltd was handed a fine of £10,000 and costs of £1,000 after pleading guilty to two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The act permits that “so far as is reasonably practicable” companies and their employees, as well as the self-employed, ensure that they do not pose a health and safety risk to others.
The self-employed workers hired by the company, Robert Percival and Andrew Church, were both given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 in costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the act.