Perth electrician fined $15K

A Perth electrician has been fined $15,000 after an inspection by WA’s safety regulator revealed he had left switchboard components at a Mt Lawley home unprotected, putting users at risk of serious injury or electrocution.

The electrician, who traded under the business name BMI Technologies, pleaded guilty at Perth Magistrates Court to two offences under WA’s electricity licensing regulations.

The court was told the defendant had failed to earth a metal enclosure, known as a DIN kit, in the consumer’s switchboard. If a DIN kit isn’t earthed, circuit protection devices may not operate under fault conditions, presenting a risk of exposed metal parts of the switchboard becoming live with potentially fatal voltages.

WA’s Director of Energy Safety, Saj Abdoolakhan, said the case should remind all electrical workers and contractors about their obligations, regardless of their level of experience.

“No matter how many years you have worked in the industry, there is no place for complacency and no excuse for not checking and testing your work,” he said.

“It is incredibly lucky that this installation was selected for an inspection under our risk-based compliance inspection system, allowing a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation to be rectified.”

While Magistrate Richard Huston noted the electrician’s early guilty plea, remorse and additional training since the incident, he emphasised the community’s rightful expectation that electricians work to the highest standards, because otherwise, fatalities could occur.

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