Company issues fraudulent electrical safety certificates

A registered electrical contractor has been found guilty of 47 instances where electrical safety certificates included the names and licence numbers of electricians who did not carry out or supervise electrical works.

Pro Install Electrical was found guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 30 March and fined $12,000.

Certificates of Electrical Safety are issued by an electrician to record the details of the work they performed, and to certify the work has passed all the required tests and complies with the Electricity Safety Act 1998 and Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019. The certificates are then lodged with Energy Safe Victoria (ESV).

Certificates provide assurance to Victorians that electrical work has been completed according to safety regulations. They are regularly audited by ESV.

The offences occurred across various Melbourne suburbs over a seven-month period between June 2019 and January 2020.

In some cases, the certificates included details of an electrician who was not employed by Pro Install Electrical at the time the electrical work was carried out. There were also instances where Pro Install Electrical falsely claimed an electrician who was employed on one site had done work on other sites.

Pro Install Electrical went into liquidation in April 2021.

ESV CEO Leanne Hughson said these actions were extremely disappointing, not just because they were fraudulent, but also because they were potentially dangerous, putting property and people at risk if the related works were not performed safely.

“The reason we have Certificates of Electrical Safety is to ensure all electrical works are carried out correctly, by qualified electrical workers,” Hughson said.

“ESV carries out regular audits of certificates to ensure they meet regulations, and that the electrical work does not result in safety issues for the consumer.”

ESV is the independent energy safety regulator responsible for electricity, gas and pipeline safety in Victoria. It is responsible for the issue, sale, acceptance and overall management of Certificates of Electrical Safety.

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