Risky electrical installation leads to $4K fine

A Western Australian electrician has received a $4000 fine after he failed to install an essential safety feature at a house that was under construction.

At Perth Magistrates Court on 25 March 2025, following prosecution by WA safety regulator Building and Energy, the electrical worker pleaded guilty to breaching the Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991.

In November 2021, the worker had attended the building site in Dalkeith to remove a temporary power point used by workers, and to install the wiring and control components for the property’s permanent electricity supply. He energised the electrical installation and used power and lights during testing. As the installation was connected to the electricity supply, it was required to comply with the Australian Wiring Rules.

When the electrician left the site, the installation remained connected to the electricity supply, but it did not comply with the wiring rules because a key part of the earthing system, the multiple earthed neutral (MEN) link, was missing from the interior switchboard.

Without a MEN, protective devices such as circuit breakers and fuses may not operate quickly to shut off power if an electrical fault occurs.

In an attempt to prevent people using the installation in that state, the worker had switched off the power and attached an “out of service” tag on the main exterior switchboard, with a written warning not to turn on the power. Two days later, a Western Power inspector discovered the home’s electrical installation was energised and the MEN link was missing. The inspector removed fuses from the meter to make the installation safe.

The court was told that the measures taken by the electrician did not ensure the non-compliant installation was safe and unable to be used. To prevent inadvertent energisation, the power supply to the house should have been isolated by mechanical means — for example, by disconnecting supply cables or using a locking device on a main switch or circuit breaker.

Magistrate Catherine Crawford noted the MEN was “a significant part of the safety system” that “had to be in place or the site had to be mechanically isolated so there could not be power on the site”. Without either of these actions, Crawford said there was a risk to tradespeople on site who might use power.

WA’s Director of Energy Safety, Saj Abdoolakhan, said he hoped the case sent a strong message to electricians about the importance of effective isolations for hazardous or incomplete work.

“Without proper lock-out measures in place, this electrical installation could still be used while a key part of the earthing system was missing,” Abdoolakhan said.

“With no MEN installed, anyone on site would be at risk of serious injury or even death from an electric shock if a fault occurred. I urge all electrical workers and electrical contractors to reflect on the serious consequences and prioritise safety every time.”

Image credit: iStock.com/artisteer