An Otago gasfitter who signed off on a heater blamed for the death of a 12-year-old boy has told an inquest he is deeply sorry and thinks of him every day.
By Katie Todd of RNZ
Jesse Samuel died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a small, portable shower unit at his family's bach in Haast, in October 2018.
At the inquest in Queenstown, coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale is examining the circumstances of Jesse's death and how to prevent anything similar happening in future.
The gas water heater was installed by Gary Hale of Laser Plumbing Alexandra, who has since died, and signed off by his colleague Michael Cartwright, who did not inspect the work.
The Bosch unit was not a room-sealed heater, meaning it should not have been used in a bathroom, and had a sticker on it advising against doing so.
In 2021 Michael Cartwright and the company pleaded guilty to charges under the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act and were ordered to pay more than $120,000.
On Tuesday, Cartwright told the inquest he was deeply sorry.
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about Jesse and what happened. I think about his family and how it's affected them and I'm deeply sorry for my role," he said.
"There's nothing I can say that will take away the grief that the family has experienced and will continue to experience."
Gasfitter was 'very remorseful' of role in tragedy
When Hale installed the gas water heater, the shower block was outside a house near Alexandra, where Cartwright said he was doing renovation work. It was being used temporarily while the main bathroom was out of action, and was later taken to the bach in Haast.
Cartwright said the heater installation was not a typical job for his company. He accepted that he failed to supervise Hale appropriately and should have inspected and tested the heater.
"I accept that I should have taken more care to ensure that my belief that it was a room-sealed unit was correct, and I should have conducted an inspection prior to issuing the certificate," he said.
"I saw the unit. I saw the installation. I didn't formally inspect it, though."
Cartwright said he typically had broad supervision over Hale because of his confidence in his work.
"I learnt a lot off Gary. He was technically very sound. I didn't have reason to doubt his ability. He would work independently and I would check in with him from time to time. I did not have direct supervision or oversight of his day-to-day work."
Cartwright said Hale had been in the plumbing and gas industry for more than 40 years, although he was not sure when he had become a gasfitter or the specifics of his work history.
Typically, Laser Plumbing Alexandra worked on in-situ housing rather than portable units, Cartwright said.
"It was unusual for Gary to engage in this type of work, this type of gas work, without first checking with me. My recollection is that he went ahead and installed this unit before I was aware that it was being done."
Cartwright said he stepped back from hands-on work and Hale surrendered his gasfitting licence following Jesse's death.
"It really affected him and he was very remorseful of his role in the tragedy," he said.
'It would have set alarm bells off'
Jesse's uncle Brendan Walker told the inquest he bought the heater and remembered being assured by someone at Laser Plumbing Alexandra that it was fit for purpose in the shower block.
"I recall giving the person I spoke to the model number and being told it was OK," he said.
After the gas water heater was installed, there were some issues with the shower room steaming up very quickly and the hot water cutting out, he said.
"After the window and the extractor fan were installed, those issues stopped," he said.
Walker said he remembered seeing warning stickers on the unit, although he did not read the one that warned the unit should not be installed in a shower.
"It would have set alarm bells off if I had."
Walker, a builder, had worked alongside Hale and Cartwright previously and said although they were mostly doing plumbing work, there would have been a lot of gasfitting.
Walker said the quality of their workmanship was typically high and he had no reservations about their competence.
On Monday, Jesse's mother Justine Walker told the inquest she would never think of her son's death as an accident because it was preventable and she was hoping for more accountability.
She described her son as a dedicated athlete, a fabulous big brother and a truly caring soul.
The coroner is expected to hear from representatives of WorkSafe, the heating appliance maker Bosch, and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment over the inquest's five days.
SHARE ME