A plumber from Malswick has been fined £250 after he installed an oil fired boiler at a property that had the potential to cause death from CO poisoning. 

Nigel Grinnell, 48, from The Willows, Malswick, Gloucestershire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act after Cheltenham Magistrates’ heard the boiler was installed in a compartment with inadequate ventilation and an unsuitable material, flue liner, linking the boiler into the chimney.

No problems were noticed for around six months until the householder came home to find the house full of smoke and fumes. The flexible flue liner had dipped to form a moisture trap. This had become full of water which had fully or partially blocked the flue. These conditions led to incomplete combustion and the spillage of products of combustion including carbon monoxide.

OFTEC’s Registration Services Director Adrian Lightwood said:

“OFTEC were asked by the HSE to check the competence of this installer on other installation work he had recently undertaken. HSE were satisfied with the outcome of these inspections and that the non-compliant installation was a one off.

“As enforced throughout OFTEC’s comprehensive training processes, we would like to remind installers that adhering to manufacturing instructions for boilers and flue installations is critical to ensuring the safe and correct use of oil fired appliances. Registered technicians can contact OFTEC’s expert team of technical advisers for industry advise on any aspect of their installation and servicing work.”