OFTEC, the organisation which represents the domestic oil heating and cooking industry in Ireland, issued a safety reminder to householders following the sentencing of a boiler installer who pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
The boiler installer, George Brown, pleaded gross negligence in connection with the deaths of two teenagers from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2010.
He was sentenced at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday to two years in prison and two on licence for the manslaughter of Neil McFerran and Aaron Davidson, who were overcome by carbon monoxide from a poorly installed, faulty boiler in Castlerock, Derry.
OFTEC Ireland Manager, David Blevings, issued important advice for householders to prevent tragic incidents like this happening again: “It was clear from this devastating case, that the very sad and untimely deaths of Neil and Aaron may have been prevented if the installation of the boiler had been carried out by a fully qualified and competence technician.”
“The best way to protect yourself and your family from incidents like this is to make sure that any fuel burning appliance, whether it runs on gas, as was the case in Castlerock, oil or solid fuel, is installed by a fully registered installer. To ensure continued safety, they should also be serviced regularly by a registered technician – for oil consumers, this is an OFTEC Registered Technician as they carry a flue gas analyser that can specifically check for carbon monoxide spillage.”
The sentencing of George Brown followed a large and complex two year investigation by the Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Criminal Investigation Department. The judge found Brown to have carried overall responsibility for the deaths of the two teenagers, explaining he was guilty of deploying workmen on boiler installation jobs who were not adequately qualified or trained to carry them out.
OFTEC supports the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) in its efforts to raise awareness of Carbon Monoxide in the Republic of Ireland, for more information, visit: www.carbonmonoxide.ie.
