Melbourne plumber convicted for non-compliant commercial kitchen installation

A Melbourne plumber who was charged by Energy Safe Victoria after failing to deliver a safe gas installation at an Ocean Grove restaurant, has been convicted.

William Greig was found guilty and fined $3,200 in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on 9 November after carrying out the works and falsely claiming Energy Safe the works were compliant with the Gas Safety Act 1997.

Before installing a chargrill and a gas fitting line at the Grubb Road business in April 2021, Mr Greig submitted an application to Energy Safe detailing the proposed works.

Energy Safe provided him with the relevant technical information, including a commercial kitchen installation checklist, detailing the required safety clearance between the gas appliance and the exhaust canopies.

In May 2021, Mr Greig informed Energy Safe that the works had been completed and that all requirements of the Gas Safety Act had been met.

Energy Safe followed up with an inspection of the business the same month to find the clearance between the char grill and the gas canopy was 1230mm, less than the prescribed minimum clearance of 1350mm. This requirement is in place in order to reduce the risk of grease filter and exhaust canopy fires.

Mr Greig failed to pay a $661 fine, prompting Energy Safe to take action through the court. Mr Greig did not attend court during the proceedings.

Energy Safe Chairperson and Commissioner Marnie Williams

“Energy Safe provides guidance to industry to ensure gas fitters do their job safely and complete inspections to enforce these clearance requirements for the safety of the community.” “We will always follow up on gasfitting works and prosecute gasfitters who stray from the guidelines set out in the legislation.”