Gas plumbing company created potential fire and explosion risks at Melbourne shopping centre

A court has heard a plumbing company’s substandard gas installation work could have caused a fire or an explosion at a Craigieburn shopping centre.

Accurate Plumbing Vic Pty Ltd was fined $4000 after pleading guilty to two counts of breaching the Gas Safety Act 1997, including failing to comply with safety and gas installation standards having been engaged to carry out all gasfitting works during the construction of the Senol Mall shopping centre.

The company also failed to comply with an Improvement Notice issued by an inspector from Energy Safe Victoria after he uncovered numerous safety breaches affecting multiple tenancies in March 2023.

The Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court heard Accurate Plumbing used materials that could have failed and potentially caused a gas leak. A leak could have then caused a fire or an explosion, if the issues had not been detected before the gas was connected.

Had this happened, the impact would have been significant given the volume of gas that would have been connected to the Senol Mall, putting tenants and the public at risk.

Energy Safe CEO Leanne Hughson said businesses should never underestimate the potential harm they can cause if they don’t follow the rules.

“A lot of people can be in a shopping centre at any given time and none of them can be put in danger because of shoddy work,” Ms Hughson said.

Accurate Plumbing never rectified the issues detailed in the Improvement Notice and a different gasfitting business had to be engaged to redo the pipelines, delaying the opening of some tenancies.

Magistrate Grainger said it was apparent that Accurate Plumbing had bitten off more than it could chew, accepting their submission that the Senol Mall was the first large commercial contract for their small but growing company.

Her Honour said it was important that growing companies do not lose sight of their important legal obligations and that they don’t overstretch themselves.

Energy Safe. Always.

Media contact: M: 0477 572 378 l media@energysafe.vic.gov.au