UK
Ireland
Scotland
London
Construction News
17/04/2013
Gas Fitter Sentenced Following Major Explosion
A gas fitter has been sentenced following a major explosion in Irlam, which injured ten adults and five children, and left a 73-year-old woman with severe burns.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Paul Kay after carrying out a large-scale investigation into the explosion on Merlin Road on 2 November 2010, which destroyed three houses and caused extensive damage to several others.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Marie Burns went downstairs to make her breakfast at around 7.15am on the day of the explosion, and turned the knob on her cooker to switch on the gas hob.
The next thing she remembers is seeing a flash to the left of the cooker as her house exploded around her. She survived but was taken to hospital with severe burns.
The HSE 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 been connected to a brass pipe several years earlier, using a piece of metal solder just 2.5mm wide. This left the joint in a fundamentally weak condition and was identified as another cause of the explosion.
However, investigators were unable to establish exactly when this work took place, or who carried it out. HSE was therefore unable to bring a separate prosecution against the person responsible.
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.
Paul 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.
(CD/H)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Paul Kay after carrying out a large-scale investigation into the explosion on Merlin Road on 2 November 2010, which destroyed three houses and caused extensive damage to several others.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Marie Burns went downstairs to make her breakfast at around 7.15am on the day of the explosion, and turned the knob on her cooker to switch on the gas hob.
The next thing she remembers is seeing a flash to the left of the cooker as her house exploded around her. She survived but was taken to hospital with severe burns.
The HSE 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.
-- Advertisement --
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 been connected to a brass pipe several years earlier, using a piece of metal solder just 2.5mm wide. This left the joint in a fundamentally weak condition and was identified as another cause of the explosion.
However, investigators were unable to establish exactly when this work took place, or who carried it out. HSE was therefore unable to bring a separate prosecution against the person responsible.
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.
Paul 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.
(CD/H)
Latest Construction News
17/01/2025
Leeds Trinity University has officially opened its newly refurbished City Campus at 1 Trevelyan Square in Leeds.
Completed by GRAHAM Interior Fit-Out, the transformation of the central Leeds site introduces state-of-the-art facilities designed to improve learning and collaborate with industry partn
17/01/2025
Trammell Crow Company (TCC) has secured planning permission for a Grade A logistics scheme in Heywood, Greater Manchester, following a successful planning appeal.
The development will feature two state-of-the-art industrial and logistics buildings. One building will house two units measuring 4,796
17/01/2025
Poole-based developer AJC Group has celebrated a record-breaking 2024, delivering 100 affordable homes, a significant increase from the 72 units completed in the previous year.
Since 2023, AJC Group has completed and handed over 172 affordable homes across five sites.
In 2024 alone, the developer
17/01/2025
Plans for one of the most ambitious parks projects in London have taken a significant step forward, with Haringey Council securing nearly two additional acres of land around The Paddock nature reserve in Tottenham Hale.
The agreement with Thames Water marks a major milestone in the transformation o
17/01/2025
Islington Council has unveiled two draft guidance documents aimed at helping residents, businesses, and developers combat climate change by making buildings more energy efficient and fostering a greener, healthier borough.
The consultation seeks feedback on the draft Climate Action Supplementary Pl
17/01/2025
The City of Wolverhampton Council has unveiled a £98 million investment plan over the next five years to develop around 500 new homes across the city.
The proposal, part of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan, received Cabinet approval this week and now moves to Full Council for final
17/01/2025
Croydon Council has announced a significant milestone in the redevelopment of the Purley Pool site, with revised proposals submitted for a new leisure centre, later living housing, and the regeneration of the surrounding area.
A planning application for the site was initially submitted in 2024, pro
17/01/2025
The City of Wolverhampton Council has announced that demolition work has commenced on the New Park Village estate, marking the start of a major £40 million redevelopment project to transform outdated council housing.
Contractor DSM Demolition has begun pulling down poor-quality bungalows on Valley
17/01/2025
Hillingdon Council has acquired 12 new homes at Carpenters Court in Uxbridge.
Leader of Hillingdon Council, Cllr Ian Edwards and Cllr Steve Tuckwell, Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth, visited the site to officially mark the handover of the properties from local developer Kearns Devel
17/01/2025
Organisers of UK Construction Week (UKCW) have announced another major coup for the show's 10th anniversary year, with the news that UKCW London will be co-locating with the 14th edition of The Stone Show & Hard Surfaces, the principal industry event for surface design.
Established 26 years ago, th
