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Plumbing board approves two-apprentice ratio relief for Homestead Fuel, contingent on no new discipline
Summary
The Plumbing Piping Work Examining Board granted Homestead Fuel permission to add two apprentices now (keeping under the departmental eight-apprentice limit), contingent on no new disciplinary actions; the company had a recent permit-delay fine that enforcement said was resolved.
The Plumbing Piping Work Examining Board voted July 23 to allow Homestead Fuel to add two apprentices immediately, subject to the condition that the company incur no new disciplinary actions. Dale Gerber, partner and operations manager at Homestead, told the board he currently employs six licensed plumbers and four registered apprentices and seeks flexibility to add apprentices as staff complete licensure.
Gerber acknowledged a resolved complaint tied to an emergency water‑heater installation and a delayed permit, saying, "The situation was we had an emergency, water heater replacement," and that the company subsequently pulled the permit, completed the inspection and paid the fine. Occupational enforcement investigator Ernest Thigpen said his investigation showed the complaint was resolved to the customer's satisfaction and mediated by the inspector. John Messner (agency staff) explained the procedural outcome: the department will update records and forward approvals to the Department of Labor; Gerber "does not have to appear before the board" for incremental approvals up to the eight-apprentice threshold. The board recorded the motion and voted to approve the two-apprentice relief.
