Electrical contractor fined $40K

An electrical contractor in Perth has been found guilty of various offences relating to installations that left parts of a Koondoola property unprotected from potentially lethal voltages.

At Perth Magistrates Court on 19 July 2024, Reztech Electrical Services Pty Ltd was convicted for submitting inaccurate compliance paperwork and failing to provide documents to WA’s electrical safety regulator, Building and Energy. The company, which was not represented in court, was fined $40,000 and ordered to pay $700 in costs.

The court heard that the owners of the subdivided property engaged Reztech to carry out electrical work including installing the site main switchboard, switchboard enclosures for each lot and related protective components.

Afterwards, Reztech submitted a notice of completion to the network operator, Western Power, declaring the electrical work was complete, compliant with applicable legislation, and safe based on compulsory checks and tests.

However, an inspection by Western Power revealed two crucial safety elements had not been installed — the multiple earthed neutral in the site main switchboard and an earth bond to a metal switchboard enclosure. Without these components, users could be at risk of electric shock because protective devices may not operate if an electrical fault occurs.

Delivering a notice of completion to a network operator for electrical work that does not comply with the Wiring Rules is an offence under WA’s Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991. By failing to comply with Building and Energy’s requests for documents and records related to the project, Reztech also breached the Energy Coordination Act 1994.

“It is unacceptable for this company to falsely declare its work was checked, tested and complied with the regulations. It obviously did not and people’s lives were at risk,” said WA’s Director of Energy Safety, Saj Abdoolakhan.

“This significant penalty should send a strong message to the electrical industry about ensuring your work is done right every time and producing documents when you are ordered to.”

Magistrate Sarah Oliver described the company’s conduct as a “very serious offence”, noting the importance of ensuring work is completed appropriately with proper compliance notices.

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