gas cooker fitting refused because of health and safety.

lived in the house since it was first built.
just bought a new gas cooker and it was delivered this morning . fitter came on time for what i expected was a routine job.
refused to fit it becuse the electric switch is next to the cooker. he says it has to be moved a metre away due to health and safety.
only lived in the house for 50 years. never heard mention any such problem ever before.

lets say i'm a little annoyed!

What's the electric switch for, is it just a socket outlet?

If it is, cover it with a blanking plate and get the jobsworth to connect your cooker.

Then after he's gone put it back the way it was.

These safety rules were designed to create more work for tradesmen.

It's all a load of bollox.

More work = more tax

no tax on foreigners

I'm pretty sure the switch only needs to be 65mm away from the edge of the cooker (or 65mm from any point vertically from the edge of the cooker)

make that 50mm...

http://www.appliancesfitquick.co.uk/faq/

go to Q5 - gas hob clearances. (please note some hobs require a larger clearance)

Must be literally millions of cookers in the country with a socket < 1m from it?

Our gas cooker switch is 10cm from the cooker.

It's impossible in some kitchens to get a sink and a cooker in with the electrics far enough away.

It's all a load of bollox designed to create work for tradesmen. They couldn't care less about safety, it's the money going into their pockets that they care about.
Nevertheless they've shot themselves in the foot.
The electric cowboys can easily undercut the tradesmen, because they don't have to bother filling in rubbish forms that they have to submit to the councils and then charge for them.

And where's the evidence to say that full time cowboys do a poor job?
It's the diy bloke who can't afford pay a tradesman who is dangerous, and you'll never stop the likes of him doing his own work.

Amongst tradesmen only certain ones are qualified to sign the certificates, a lot of their work is done by sub contract cowboys and passed off as being done by qualified people.

I've actually 3 sockets < 1m from my cooker.

If its a freestanding cooker connect it yourself. Should be a simple bayonet fitting just needing a push and twist action.

Ha ha connect it yourself i like it. Im a heating engineer and you lot are talking boll0x

Is there a proper procedure or wiping your own arse or do you have to get a registered tradesman to come and do it for you?

Ha ha connect it yourself i like it. Im a heating engineer and you lot are talking boll0x

A heating engineer ffs, that’s a plumber.

They train monkeys to do that.

You cannot touch Gas unless you are trained to do so. You thicko's on here would never pass the gas exam so leave it to the those that are proper qualified to do the job.

At least we can read and write.
You'd never pass an English test.

The gas exam must be easy or you couldn’t have passed it.

Why don’t you tell him how to fit his gas cooker if you know how to do it you miserable sod?

It’s only illegal to work on gas if you’re not gas safe registered and getting paid for it.