A Perth electrician has been fined $15,000 after switchboard components at a Mount Lawley home were left unprotected, putting people at risk of serious injury, electrocution or even death.
Gregory Craig Jason Briffa, trading as BMI Technologies, pleaded guilty at Perth Magistrates Court to two offences following prosecution by Building and Energy.
Briffa failed to earth a metal enclosure, known as a din kit, in the consumer’s switchboard, presenting a risk of exposed metal parts of the switchboard becoming live with life-threatening voltages.
He was fined $12,500 for the non-compliant work and a further $2,500 for an inaccurate notice of completion.
Magistrate Richard Huston noted Briffa’s early guilty plea, remorse and additional training since the incident, but emphasised the community’s rightful expectation that electricians work to the highest standards because fatalities could occur.
WA’s Director of Energy Safety, Saj Abdoolakhan, said the case should remind all electrical workers and contractors about their obligations.
“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.”