$35K fine after home exposed to live wiring

An electrical contractor has pleaded guilty in Perth Magistrates Court to breaching WA’s electricity licensing regulations after leaving a home exposed to electrical hazards.

The court heard that between October and November 2023, the company carried out electrical installation work at a property in East Victoria Park. This included replacing the main switchboard, rewiring internal circuits and installing new power points, light fittings and switches.

Western Power inspected the property in January 2024, discovering an unenclosed joint and exposed wiring on a lighting circuit in the roof space. These defects left live conductors exposed, posing a serious risk of electric shock.

It was found that the contractor had breached the regulations by failing to ensure the electrical work was completed, checked, tested and safe to use. The company was subsequently prosecuted by regulator Building and Energy, a division of WA’s Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety.

WA’s Director of Energy Safety, Dan Kearney, said the case should remind all electrical workers and contractors of their responsibilities.

“Checks and tests are compulsory. There is simply no excuse for cutting corners with any area of electrical work when people’s lives can be at risk,” Kearney said.

“These defects would have been detected if mandatory checks and tests had been carried out. It was very lucky the hazards were discovered before any potentially lethal consequences.”

Magistrate Joe Randazzo ordered the company to pay a $35,000 fine and $968 in costs. While acknowledging the company’s early guilty plea and remorse, Randazzo emphasised that the conduct represented a serious failure to meet its obligations to ensure the electrical installation was safe for use.

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