Gas fitter fined over Irlam explosion
A gas fitter has been fined over a major explosion in Salford which injured 10 adults and five children, and left a 73-year-old woman with severe burns.
The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted Paul Kay after carrying out an investigation into the explosion in Merlin Road, Irlam, on 2 November 2010, which destroyed three houses and caused extensive damage to several others.
Manchester Crown Court heard yesterday that resident Marie Burns went downstairs to make her breakfast in her City West Housing Trust home at around 7.15am on the day of the explosion.
She turned the knob on her cooker to switch on the gas hob and the house exploded around her. She survived but was taken to hospital with severe burns.
The investigation found that Mr Kay had carried out work at the property the day before the explosion as part of a project to install new kitchens in several houses on the Irlam estate.
The 30-year-old had needed to disconnect the gas meter so that it could be removed from the bottom shelf of an old sink unit. He then stacked up six bricks on the floor and rested the gas meter on them before reconnecting the gas supply.
The court was told this left the meter in an unacceptable state as it meant it was not secured properly and increased the risk of a gas leak.
A forensic examination of the gas pipes at the house also found that a lead pipe leading to the meter had not been connected to a brass pipe properly. However, investigators were unable to establish exactly when this work took place, or who carried it out.
The investigation concluded that when Mr Kay left the gas meter unsupported on a pile bricks this may have widened a fracture in the joint and allowed gas to slowly seep into the property overnight.
Mr Kay, of Slater Street in Warrington, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 7(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 by failing to make sure the gas meter was properly supported. He was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £500 in prosecution costs.
Speaking after the sentencing yesterday, HSE Inspector Philip Strickland said: ‘If registered gas engineers do not meet their legal duties they can expect to be held account for their actions. They must apply their knowledge and skills on every job and make sure appliances and supplies are left safe for people to use.’
