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Author Topic: PGDB board news release  (Read 5687 times)

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Offline aboutgas

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PGDB board news release
« on: June 19, 2012, 08:10:04 PM »
Please read the following and see if you can pick up what they have missed in this story?  >:( >:(


Media release | 18 June 2012

West Coast man fined $2,750 for unauthorised plumbing

A West Coast man has been fined $2,750 for illegally carrying out sanitary plumbing which caused flooding at a property in Punakaiki.

John Playter, of Barrytown, was not authorised by the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (‘the Board’) to replace a hot water cylinder with an instantaneous gas water heater at the home in Owen Street in 2009, as required under the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Act 2006.

It was found that the water pipes Mr Playter installed were under strain and he also failed to put the appropriate joints in the pipes. As a result, the pipes burst and flooded the property. In addition, the gas water heater did not function properly and the owner did not have hot water running at her premises for a prolonged period of time.

The owner of the home had to ask a licensed plumber and gasfitter to repair Mr Playter’s work.

Mr Playter failed to attend the hearing, however the Judge was satisfied that a conviction be entered along with a fine of $2,750. In addition to that, Court Costs of $140 and solicitor’s fees of $226 were imposed.

Plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying are regulated industries in New Zealand and it is illegal for anyone to do this work unless they are authorised to do so by the Board.

The Board’s Deputy Registrar, Kern U'ren, said: “There are serious health and safety risks associated with sanitary plumbing carried out by an unauthorised person. Any defective plumbing work has the potential to cause disease and serious damage to the home and in this case, the poor workmanship led to flooding.

“All authorised tradespeople are required to carry their current authorisation card. We urge consumers to ask tradespeople for this card before any work commences so that they can be assured that the work is being done by an authorised and competent tradesperson.”

If a homeowner or building inspector believes that work has been done by someone who is not authorised, or has concerns about the competency of tradespeople, they can make a complaint to the Board.

Mr Playter was sentenced in the Greymouth District Court on 5 June 2012.


Linkback: https://www.plumbers.nz/rant-or-rave/5/pgdb-board-news-release/1151/
Unless the moral improves the floggings will continue

Offline roberto

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2012, 08:44:30 PM »
people like this make me sick, if I paid $7000 to do my job why can just anyone do it????

Offline wombles

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2012, 09:17:17 PM »
There is something seriously wrong when it takes nearly 3 years to get a prosecution for something so cut and dried.  I wonder if he paid for the damage he casued or returned the payment to the homeowner (that he wasn;t entitled to or if he paid the real tradesman fee for the repair?

Offline Thunderhead

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2012, 09:44:51 PM »
he would also be commiting fraud as he defrauded the innocent person into beliveing that he was a licensed and compentant person...all so who did the gas work? i guess if he did the plumbing he also did the gas work but no mention of this?

Offline 07442

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2012, 09:50:31 PM »
I wonder how much was spent to prosecute this guy?

Offline Rodza1

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2012, 09:21:35 AM »
Probably 10-15k at our expense once again lol       

 I cant get over how prevalent people doing their own plumbing has become in this day and age. Yet the FOCUS of the board continues to be towards keeping license holders obedient and in line. According to previous posts ive read on this forum, we as licensed or certifying practitioners do not even have the right
to make a complaint about a dangerous or very un-compliant job from another license holder. The complaint has to come from the public sector/consumer. I cant get over that aye.







The Plumbers Gasfitters And Drainlayers Board- "White Collar Mafia"

Offline Rodza1

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2012, 09:33:33 AM »
people like this make me sick, if I paid $7000 to do my job why can just anyone do it????

Yeah exactly roberto it pisses me off too,but wait it gets worse, as of earlier this year make that $10,580 for your plumb/gas apprenticeship + all your books, codes, AS/NZS standards which are apparently no longer free or never were (+$650)   Buy all your own tools over the course of your time. ( Say + $5k easy ), Exams, x2 ($306x2) , First time registration fee if you pass both exams ($357x2)  license fees ($102x2)  Disciplinary and offences levy ($175+$90)


$17,925


Wow....I doubt there will be any NEW apprentices starting...maybe 5 per year lol. Training has also hit an all time low....

Offline Jaxcat

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2012, 10:56:25 AM »
$10 - 15k would be on the cheap side.  Unlicensed people have to be prosecuted through the court system (and that includes registered people without a current licensed as they are "unlicensed" as well.  They do the ground work at the Board, hire an investigator, pay them, then outsource the legal stuff to another firm of barristers.  Still we do want these people prosecuted and I have no problem with that - the fines are pathetic and costs can be garnered off them.  Trouble is the guy usually doesn't have the money and might drip feed $10 a week.  On top of that they sometimes have trouble locating the person.

Licensed practitioners can make complaints about unsafe situations - simply fill in the form on the ESS website.  We did one this week and they were on to it within 24 hours.  I was very impressed.  This was a situation where we had informed a homeowner that what they had was unsafe and they didn't want to pay to have it rectified (not necessarily to us, but they could have gotten in any gasfitter).  Becasue we knew the situation existed we had to notify someone or else we could then be culpable for knowing and saying nothing.  Should there have been a fire or explosion at a later date we would have been the last gasfitters on site.  The form has been updated and is now pretty user friendly, takes a wee while to fill in, but with such speedy follow up you can't complain.  The net result of this is that the homeowner is now being compelled to undertake the work (and it is for his own safety - after he had had a crack at rectifying the issue himself).  The homeowner was pretty good in the end and understood our gasfitter's licence was on the line if he didn't report it - but it took an official person to make him see sense.  If you come across UNSAFE (and that is the key for reporting to Energy Safety - they are interested in unsafe as opposed to non compliant) work then I would encourage you to report through the ESS channels - you will be impressed with their speed and response.  They seem to be pretty pragmatic about it all too - phone calls and getting it sorted seem to be their main motivation rather than threats and legal action (that is not to say they won't initiative this - but it seems to me their main motivation is getting the situation safe as soon as possible).
Have you learned lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you?  Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed the passage with you?  (Walt Whitman 1819-1891)  American Poet

Offline Thunderhead

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2012, 04:37:18 PM »
This is the funny bit..."Court Costs of $140 and solicitor’s fees of $226 were imposed"...not even the licence fee for one year for one plumber/gasfitter holding two licenses...you would think that the fine would be actually to pay back all the legal fees for the prosecution so then this sector of the pgdb can be paid by the public as it is only used for the public!...shit we pay our displinary fees so the pgdb can f**k us and under this code the public should pay for any displinary action taken on them by the pgdb why are we made to pay for something that has absoutley NOTHING to do with us!.

Offline Thunderhead

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2012, 04:42:47 PM »
Probably 10-15k at our expense once again lol       
 According to previous posts ive read on this forum, we as licensed or certifying practitioners do not even have the right
to make a complaint about a dangerous or very un-compliant job from another license holder. The complaint has to come from the public sector/consumer. I cant get over that aye.


Yea friken stupid when we the compentant person only has the health and safety of the public in mind when we want to complain about dangerous installs...one way to get around this would be to get your wife,brother,friend to lodge a complaint with your info you give them then the pgdb is compelled under the act to investigate it!...

Offline Rodza1

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #10 on: June 21, 2012, 09:57:58 AM »
Hi Jax, that is true thanks for that!! Forgot about energy safety for the gas as our voice to be heard if required. I recognise in the gas (safety and management) regs 2010 it is an offence to do nothing if coming across an unsafe installation/appliance.
Why cant the board take a similar stance I wonder in regard to plumbing and drainlaying? I have seen plumbing and drainlaying done by random members of the public that is poorly done and un-compliant as we all may have at times. I cannot believe it. I guess like thunder says all we can do is get an associate or friend to make a complaint??

I feel its a two edged sword, if we remedy the work, or at a minimum see them doing it, and say nothing, on an official level they get away with it and we are breaking the law if we see it,  its unsafe and we dont do anything about it. If we report it and an investigation follows our fees are more likely to balloon in the coming years...Great, seems like a no win to me?? Something has to change!!. I can really see the fees increasing due to the PGDB prosecuting more people or are figures down on there forecasted projections to their actual??. I dont like it but I dont really have a problem with the cowboys getting worked over by the board if neccessary and funded by us, but the public is just too many people for so few to carry the burden for. Its as if it is tax payer funded but there is no govt to pull them up in regard to the increasing spending. Its left up to us. The harder economic times get, the more people are likely to give things a go themselves is my opinion, which means investigations will be on the rise over the coming years as will the boards expenditure. I feel it is only a matter of time before the next fees increase. How much of their BS are we suppose to swallow until enough is enough.

I will start sending Maurice Williamson a letter a week as of next week outlining my concerns and that they are subsequently losing many excellent plumbers and gasfitters through the cracks to places like Australia based on the PGDB's ever rising costs of investigating and prosecuting of the PUBLIC, not licensed or certifying plumber/gasfitters/drainlayers. This really annoys the F*ck out of me. If license fees wind up being $550 per single annual license in 5 years time, it would not suprise me at all. Things have to change. If a cost or fee for a service you get in return rises every year or two quicker than inflation eventually it becomes un-sustainable. Like rates rises in some districts.

Back in 2006 I think it was I uplifted a limited license as it was back then for exemption as a drainlayer and it cost $75, before I got my drainlaying apprenticeship thus making it free as I was a trainee. Haha and I thought I was getting ripped then. If the 2006 rodza1 talked to the 2012 rodza1 I would probably not be in this country anymore. I was not hit with the full cost as a registered person untill May 2008. Can anybody provide accurate details on what license costs were back in say 2003 for a registered or craftsman person per license? Or perhaps 04, 05, 06 etc. At a minimum I want to piss off his parliamentary staff with a continuous stream of letters that change every few weeks to repeat the same facts over and over. Think of it as a propaganda war.

If there is anyone else in industry that would make a good target let me know. Perhaps a few of us could do this and really bog them down with mail and at a minimum get a thought churning in our ministers head??

I will be doing my bit to fund the prosecution of all the random losers who are not trades people and are caught doing dodgy plumbing gas fitting or drainlaying this year thats for sure..Three exams $306 x3, first time regisration $357 x3, certificates $51 x3, license fee $102x3, other levies $265.....=$2713.... sigh......If anyone prospers from my hardwork this year it definitely will not be me nor my family.It will be someone on the board on $100-200k a year and their children, who are at their fully paid for private school paid for with my money.........


Offline integrated

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Re: PGDB board news release
« Reply #11 on: June 21, 2012, 06:49:18 PM »
Can anybody provide accurate details on what license costs were back in say 2003 for a registered or craftsman person per license?






$110 all up I think it was Rodza


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