Construction firm fined £4,000 for safety breach

Corrigan Construction appeared in Douglas Courthouse on Tuesday for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to five breaches of the health and safety, and gas safety regulations.

The offences took place on April 4 last year while managing director Brendan Corrigan was working at a property on Kermode Road, Crosby. 

Mr Corrigan illegally disconnected a gas hob without contacting a registered gas engineer or informing the firm that had hired his company’s services.

In failing to both seal off the pipework and test it for leaks, Corrigan Construction exposed the occupants of the property and nearby residents to the danger of leaking gas and the possibility of an explosion.

The company was fined £2,000 for failing to undertake a proper assessment of removing a gas appliance, £1,000 for allowing the work to be undertaken by someone who wasn’t qualified and another £1,000 for failing to seal off the appropriate gas outlets and failing to immediately test the installation for gas leaks.

Mr Corrigan was informed by the Deputy High Bailiff that the fine would have been greater had it not been for his co-operation with authorities during the investigation.