Network operator fined after pedestrian receives electric shock

WA network operator Western Power has been fined $35,000 for failing to follow inspection requirements for powerline equipment.

If the utility had conducted a proper inspection, this might have prevented the equipment subsequently falling to the ground and being tripped over by an 88-year-old woman, who reported receiving an electric shock.

Electricity Networks Corporation, trading as Western Power, was sentenced at Perth Magistrates Court on 28 May 2026 after pleading guilty in April to breaching the Electricity (Network Safety) Regulations 2015.

This law requires a network operator to reasonably ensure that each prescribed activity carried out on its network follows its safety management system.

An investigation by WA’s energy safety regulator, Building and Energy, found that Western Power’s inspection of a pole top on Grand Promenade in Dianella, Perth, in June 2023 was inadequate and failed to identify defects with an overhead powerline connection.

Building and Energy reported that the inspection did not follow Western Power’s own safety management system. It did not include clear photographs, proper use of binoculars, a pole-top camera and thermal imaging, and it failed to properly identify defects in accordance with a condition catalogue.

A fortnight after the network operator’s inspection, the 88-year-old pedestrian tripped on a live overhead conductor, which had detached from the pole due to a poorly installed clamp.

“This case is a stark reminder that safety management systems only provide protection if they are applied correctly every time,” said WA Director of Energy Safety Dan Kearney.

“The pole-top defect should have been identified and rectified before ever becoming an electric shock hazard to the public.”

While Magistrate Gavin MacLean said he could not conclude beyond reasonable doubt that the conductor incident would not have occurred if Western Power had inspected the pole properly, it was an example of the risk that can arise in the electricity network.

MacLean said inspection regimes were in place to reduce risks, and the case highlighted “the importance of conducting inspections correctly” and the “potential for serious harm”, while noting Western Power had taken steps to change its processes.

In addition to the fine, Western Power was ordered to pay $1539 in costs.

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