WA network operator slapped with $220K fine

The Western Australian Government’s network services provider, Western Power, has been fined $220,000 for actions that caused two people to receive electric shocks and left an entire neighbourhood at risk, according to a magistrate.

In November 2022, two Western Power workers attended a property in Wundowie, north-east of Perth, where a private electrical contractor had installed a new consumer power pole. One Western Power worker noticed the newly installed meter had incorrect wiring — with the active and neutral conductors transposed — but did not take any action.

This transposed wiring enabled the electric current to bypass safety devices, putting the homeowners and neighbours at risk of electric shock if they touched metallic water pipes or earthed electrical appliances.

Two residents of a nearby home subsequently received electric shocks in their shower, but fortunately were not seriously injured.

At Perth Magistrates Court on 7 March 2025, the network operator pleaded guilty to two offences under WA’s electricity regulations following prosecution by the state’s safety regulator, Building and Energy.

The $220K penalty is the largest fine against Western Power under laws that prohibit a network operator from supplying electricity to a premises without ensuring it is safe to do so. It follows seven prior convictions against Western Power for the same type of offence.

The court also heard that Western Power failed to follow a procedure that requires the electrical contractor to complete a temporary disconnection tag or notice of completion, which declares the electrical work has been checked and tested for safety and compliance.

Such a tag or notice must be provided to the network operator before it can connect the electricity supply, but this did not happen at the Wundowie property. Although Western Power developed the procedure for using tags, on this occasion it did not comply with its own process.

In addition to the fine, Magistrate Catherine Crawford ordered Western Power to pay costs of $700, noting it was “only a matter of chance” that no serious injury or death resulted given the “extremely high” risk of harm and “the entire neighbourhood was at risk”.

While Crawford noted the network operator’s “relevant prior history for breaches of the same regulation”, she acknowledged the utility’s early guilty plea and its updated procedures and processes since the incident.

WA’s Director of Energy Safety, Saj Abdoolakhan, said it was “beyond belief” that the network operator had connected the electricity supply when there was an obvious hazard and no compliance notice.

“Someone could have paid the ultimate price for this serious breach, which clearly shows why electrical safety laws and requirements are in place,” he said. “This situation was easily avoidable by following legislation and, in fact, Western Power’s own processes.

“This penalty should send a clear message to network operators about their community safety responsibilities.”

Image credit: iStock.com/MicroStockHub