Bathroom renovator fined for risky, amateur electrical work

A WA bathroom renovator has received a fine for carrying out illegal electrical work that could have caused a fatality.

Jack Alexander Lusty, the sole director of Great Southern Home Improvements Pty Ltd, was fined $6500 in Albany Magistrates Court following prosecution by WA safety regulator Building and Energy.

The Albany renovator had previously entered a guilty plea to breaching the Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991, but did not attend court for sentencing on 28 November.

The court heard that while renovating an Orana home, Lusty connected a combined heating, fan and light unit to the 240 V mains power supply in the bathroom wall and ceiling. Under the regulations, only a licensed electrical worker can carry out this electrical installing work. Lusty has never held such a licence.

Up to a month after the unit’s installation, the homeowner pulled on a wire dangling in a gap between the bathroom doorframe and the wall.

A licensed electrician then attended the property and found the exposed wire was live and came from the unit installed by Lusty. The unit’s electrical terminals were also left uncovered in the roof space and the switch wiring was incorrect.

WA’s Director of Energy Safety, Saj Abdoolakhan, said the case served as a reminder of why licensing requirements are in place for electrical work.

“It is no exaggeration that this substandard and illegal electrical work could have caused a fatality, especially because the exposed live components were accessible near the doorframe and in the roof space,” Abdoolakhan said.

“To ensure safety and compliance, at least four years of training and experience are required to become a licensed electrician. Their work also requires certification and is subject to inspection,” he continued.

“There is no place for amateur electrical work when the consequences can be lethal.”

Magistrate Erin O’Donnell ordered Lusty to pay costs of $600 and said it was lucky that no one had received an electric shock from the work, which was clearly not carried out to the correct standard.

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