That is silly Macplumb and it is not what I said.
You can't get into trouble for giving advice on a forum, especially safety information, its entirely at the readers discretion whether they follow it or not anyway.
Next thing you will be telling me, is that doctors all over the world are being arrested for giving medical advice on the internet and the government has closed down the NHS Direct internet site for giving advice.
Look at things this way then:
If a DIYer wants do a job they think they are competent to do, how are you going to stop them doing it?
Incidentally it is not against the law to do gas work in your own home if you are competent to do so. What constitutes competency has yet to be tested in the courts.
So a DIYer doing work in their own home, may very well think they know enough, to consider themselves competent. In reality they may know little about the job.
You can't say "You don't know how to do that?" they think they can. And I suppose, they are hardly likely to ask your permission to do the work, they may not even know you.
But if they happen to live next door to you and your family and a system they have installed incorrectly goes BANG what do you do?
Sue them?
But by then your family may be splattered all over the neighbourhood.
So which would you prefer?
A DIYer to do a job you can't stop them doing, doing it more safely or a DIYer doing a job any old way they think is safe?
Either way its your choice, I know which I would prefer.
Then suppose there was a gas explosion and the HSE investigated and found you knew the right way to do things, the DIYer had asked you and you had refused to tell them the dangers or proper procedures required, for reasons of your own.
Being a gas fitter you are probably classed as a responsible person and so not to give advice when asked, may be considered irresponsible and a good safety lawyer would probably have you in pieces in minutes.
Giving correct and full advice does not constitute any support for the listeners later actions of course.
There are probably plenty of people who could tell you how to fire a gun, but is it their fault if you shoot somebody?
Lets be more human please. DIYers do not intentionally go out to do bad jobs, I find its quite the reverse usually. Its usually through a lack of knowledge they get them wrong.
Another aspect is: If you knew what the DIYer was doing and reported them to the gas supplier, like you should if you think there is a suspected dangerous installation.
Now suppose the gas supplier found the DIYers installation to be correct and all standards followed. They can't refuse to supply the gas, because it proves the DIYer was competent by the standard of the work done.
Perhaps the DIYer may sue you instead, for bringing him or her into disrepute by suggesting they where jeopardising peoples safety?
Things are often not as simple as they seem.
Anything that may improve safety is a positive not a negative, whether that thing is information or not and most people respond if they know the reason why things are done, rather than told not to do it without an explanation.
As an add if you can't give them information on gas drops then it follws you should not be able to on gas boilers or unvented systems. That doesn't leave much to talk about on the forum does it, if you consider how many boiler questions we get. What about if Plumbers are required to be registered to work with water?
Will we have a forum full of blank mails?
