A construction firm has been fined £4,000 for breaching Health & Safety legislation and endangering the public.
Corrigan Construction Ltd, based in Onchan, appeared in Douglas Courthouse on Tuesday (March 6) for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to five breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1994.
The offences took place on 4 April 2011 while Brendan Corrigan, Managing Director of Corrigan Construction, was working at a property in Kermode Road, Crosby. Mr Corrigan had been contracted to remove a kitchen and realised that the gas hob needed to be disconnected and removed to complete his work.
Instead of reporting this to the company which had contracted Corrigan Construction to do the work, or contacting a registered gas engineer, Mr Corrigan decided to disconnect and remove the gas hob so that he could complete his work.
Mr Corrigan was not trained or competent to undertake this type of work and, therefore, was not aware that he should have capped or sealed the open end of the pipework. In failing to both seal off the pipework and test the pipework for leaks, Corrigan Construction Ltd exposed the occupants of the property and nearby residents to the danger of leaking gas and the possibility of a gas explosion.
HSI Spokesman Robert Greaves said:
'Mr Corrigan was not competent to undertake gas work and he had not carried out any gas training, both of which are legal requirements for all gas engineers in the Isle of Man, and Corrigan Construction was not registered with the Gas Safe Register, which was previously known as CORGI.
‘This case highlights the very real danger of unqualified tradesmen carrying out work for which they have not been trained. Two years ago, a similar incident in Salford, Manchester, resulted in a gas explosion which injured 15 people.
‘This case should also serve as a warning to those operating in the gas sector that the Health and Safety Inspectorate will investigate and take appropriate action in such cases.'
Corrigan Construction was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £200 costs. The company was fined £2,000 for failing to undertake a proper assessment of removing a gas appliance and thereby exposing the occupants of the property to the risks of escaping gas, £1,000 for allowing the work to be undertaken by someone who did not have the required competence to perform such work and who was not on a list approved by the Department of Infrastructure (Gas Safe Register), and £1,000 for failing to seal off the appropriate gas outlets and failing to immediately test the installation for gas leaks. Mr Corrigan was informed by the Deputy High Bailiff, Mrs Jayne Hughes, that the fine would have been greater had it not been for his co-operation with the Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate during the investigation.
