TV3 reports of a Timaru real estate company being handed a $55,000.00 fine for failing to check the safety of gas appliances and fittings before renting out a property. The agency and a home maintenance franchisee pleaded guilty to breaches of the Gas Act and Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act last year. The agency hired the franchisee to remove a gas heater from a rental property – but neither entity were authorised to do so and the gas supply was left uncapped.
After noticing a strong smell of gas the new tenant contacted WorkSafe’s Energy Safety and it discovered around 35kg of gas had leaked into the house.
Working with gas is serious business and must be carried out by tradespeople who are certified to do such work. The consequences are potentially fatal. A 19-year-old woman perished in 2013, after a gas leak ignited in the Ruakaka rental property she had just moved into.
If you contract Auckland Plumbers Group for your next project we will ensure that any gasfitting work is fully authorised and certified.