| By :
Martin Hofschroer
People should pass the appropriate gas training courses if they want to avoid prosecution. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned prospective gas fitters that they must possess the relevant qualifications after a man from Lancashire was fined £750 for forging gas certificates and deceiving homeowners. The HSE prosecuted Geoffrey Hewitt after he illegally carried out work at homes in Burnley during 2007. Mr Hewitt was charged with three offences under the Health and Safety at Work after he supplied forged Landlords' Gas Safety Certificates. Geoffrey Hewitt fraudulently posed as Jordan Rogers of Gas Heating Services Ltd when issuing gas safety certificates and a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to attend two previous hearings. There was a risk that people may have died because Mr Hewitt had not completed the relevant gas training courses before attempting work, according to HSE Principal Inspector Dorothy Shaw. She commented: "Geoffrey Hewitt put lives in danger by issuing fake Landlords' Gas Safety Certificates, despite not being qualified to know whether the gas fittings in the houses he visited were dangerous or not. "He worked in people's homes over several months. By producing the fake certificates, he was able to gain money from unsuspecting landlords and potentially risking poisoning homeowners with carbon monoxide." Ms Shaw has advised people who want to become gas fitters to pass the proper gas training courses and commercial gas courses in order to learn the relevant skills and avoid prosecution. "People should always make sure that gas fitters are registered by checking ID before allowing people to carry out work. HSE will continue to prosecute anyone who carries out work without adequate training, or who falsely claims to be a registered gas engineer," she added. All gas fitters must become members of the Gas Safe Register, which has replaced CORGI as the official gas safety registration scheme. Anyone employed to work on gas appliances in domestic premises must be Gas Safe registered and competent as unsafe gas work can lead to a gas leak, fire, explosion and exposure to carbon monoxide, which could result in injury or death. An unregistered gas fitter who illegally carried out work across Nottingham with falsely issued gas safety certificates was given a 12-month community service order earlier this month and ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work.
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