The very clear message was all registration and licensing must be kept up to date, Judge Dominic Flatley said when fining a plumbing company and two employees in the Dunedin District Court this week.
E C Shaw Plumbers Ltd was charged with employing a person to carry out sanitary plumbing without authorisation.
Kenneth John Shaw (55), of Mosgiel, managing director of E C Shaw Plumbers Ltd, was charged with carrying out gasfitting, sanitary plumbing and drainlaying work without authorisation between April 1 last year and March 31 this year.
Employee Christopher Logan Jenkins (35), of Mosgiel, was charged with carrying out sanitary plumbing without authorisation between April 1, 2013 and March 31 this year.
All charges were admitted and the following fines imposed: E C Shaw Plumbers Ltd, $2500, solicitor's costs $113; Shaw, $1500 (gasfitting charge), $500 (sanitary plumbing charge), $500 (drainlaying charge) and a $113 solicitor's cost on one charge; Jenkins, $750, $113 solicitor's costs.
Counsel Nathan Laws said Shaw and Jenkins were both qualified and registered - Shaw as a plumber, gasfitter and drainlayer and Jenkins as a plumber. It was a matter of the defendants' licences simply not being uplifted.
The company and the defendants were entirely remorseful for the oversight and had taken steps to ensure it would not happen again.
Notification was given by email when it was time to uplift licences. Here, there was omission to uplift the documents. The situation was rectified as soon as possible.
The firm had a good reputation. There was no attempt to mislead or deceive anybody or to work unqualified. It was a genuine oversight. Where necessary, work was recertified and there was no loss to anybody.
Judge Flatley said the very clear message was all registration and licensing must be kept up to date.
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