AES Heating & Plumbing – Central Heating – Ticking Both Boxes

It has recently been reported that a self-employed gas engineer from Middlesex has been fined for safety failings after carrying out an unsafe installation of a combi boiler. An investigation by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that on 7^th February last year, the engineer, Michael Efthymiou, of Nursery Gardens, Enfield, Middlesex, left the boiler in place with significant safety failings that left the property’s tenants in significant danger of a carbon monoxide leak or gas explosion. Efthymiou was found guilty of breaching both Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which states that it is the duty of every self-employed person to ensure that their services do not expose persons other than their employer to risks to their health or safety, and Regulations 27(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

The real worry when it comes to this story, however, is that Mr Efthymiou was a fully-certified, card-carrying member of The Gas Safe Register. As we stressed in one of our recent blogs, it’s never too early to start thinking about arranging a boiler service ready for winter, and if – as it appears – even ensuring that your engineer is a member of the Gas Safe Register cannot guarantee your safety, you’re likely thinking, “What can I do?”

Well, it’s worth noting that, as a self-employed engineer, Mr Efthymiou would not have had the backing of an established, reputable company such as AES National behind him, to provide him with the appropriate training, resources and support that are needed to ensure that an installation is carried out to the absolute highest standards. In addition to being a listed provider on OFTEC, an accredited GOLD installer of Worcester Bosch Boilers, and a registered member of Gas Safe (previously known as Corgi) for over two decades now, we also ensure that our team is big enough to be able to handle workloads of any scale and scope. Currently, we have a team of over a dozen Heating and Plumbing professionals with an extensive range of expertise, who can provide one another with any support that is needed to give our customers peace of mind that they, their property and their loved ones are in safe hands.

The AES National Heating & Plumbing Team

The Gas Safe Register is a fantastic organisation, and is by far the best marker and regulator of quality in the industry, but this story just goes to show that no single safeguard can be entirely fool-proof. We therefore recommend that you also take into account whether your gas engineer has the support they need to maintain the highest standards of both safety and quality. Of course, there are many trustworthy self-employed gas engineers out there, but when it comes to safety, you really can’t be too careful, and by ticking both boxes, you can rest assured that the job will have been done right.

If you need an emergency plumber or a skilled Gas Safe engineer for installation, repair or boiler service any day of the week, or would like to find out more about our wide range of products, including gas and combi boiler systems, get in touch with our friendly and helpful staff today – We look forward to hearing from you:

01473 320 350 | services@aesnational.co.uk