Unsupervised trainee electrician cuts live mains cable, fined $10,000

Unsupervised trainee electrician Bradley Carl Payne has been fined $10,000 by the New Plymouth District Court for unauthorised electrical work and leaving exposed live wire that could have caused a fatality.

In March 2022, Mr Payne entered into an agreement to deliver a shipping container to a residential property in south Taranaki and provide a Certificate of Compliance after completing electrical work on the container. The electrical work on the container involved installing and connecting conductors and fittings to power supply, all of which are prescribed electrical work under the Electricity Act 1992 and Electricity Safety (Regulations) 2010.

Mr Payne carried out the work unsupervised, which was a breach of the Electricity Act 1992.

Judge T Greig found Mr Payne guilty of two charges of doing unauthorised prescribed electrical work and one charge of negligently doing work in a manner dangerous to life. Besides the penalty, Mr Payne has been ordered to pay solicitor and court costs. The judge ordered 90 percent of the penalty to be paid to the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB).

One of the main functions of the Board is to register electrical workers and ensure competency of those workers to support safe and compliant prescribed electrical work.

The property owner received an electric shock from live wire that were left exposed on a kitchen bench inside the shipping container.

This type of negligent work just goes to show that carrying out prescribed electrical work needs expertise, training, and qualification without which it can be even fatal.

All complaints about unauthorised and poor or dangerous work are taken seriously and investigated by the EWRB, who will not hesitate to prosecute those undertaking illegal prescribed electrical work.

A public register of all licensed electrical workers is available for anyone to check the person they hire is legitimately licensed.