Electron Issue 127
Keeping you up to date with the latest regulatory changes, exam reports, technical issues, consultation results and other issues affecting electrical workers – published 16 December 2024
Registrar update
Kia ora,
Welcome to the final Electron newsletter for 2024.
I want to acknowledge the work of the team that supports the EWRB scheme. This has been another busy year.
The statutory non-working days for us are between 24 December 2024 and 16 January 2025. If you apply during this time, we will treat it as being received on 16 January 2025 and get back to you as soon as we can.
In this edition we have some important information about the transitional provisions for the recently published Gazette Notices. This information is particularly important for Electrical Inspectors and Electrical Engineers. Get in touch with us directly if you have any questions.
I hope you enjoy this edition of the newsletter and wish you and your whānau a safe and happy summer.
Duncan Connor
Registrar Electrical Workers
Presiding Member's update
Kia ora,
Welcome to the December 2024 issue of Electron.
We have had another busy year, with our new Stepped Licencing system and board member changes being the highlights. We also introduced Digital licence cards in September. These will make it quicker and easier to show endorsed classes.
Farewell to 3 board members
Erin Mogford resigned in February 2024 due to changes in circumstances. We thank Erin for her input to the board and wish Erin well for the future.
Ashley Yan resigned in September 2024 again due to a change in circumstances. Ashley joined the board with me in 2019 and it has been a pleasure serving with her. She has always been a bright and positive personality whose technical input will be sorely missed. We wish Ashley all the best for her future.
Mel Orange completed his term in October 2024. Mel has been with the board for over 10 years and was influential in modernising the Board over his time. We wish Mel all the best for a deserved break from the EWRB and all the best for the future.
Welcome to new members
With those resignations/retirements we recruited two new members to the Board and are currently filling the last vacancy.
Lucy Wright joined the Board in September 2024 with a background in law. Lucy has already been a great asset to the Board providing sound legal context to our matters. Welcome Lucy.
Truc Tran joined the Board in October 2024 and has a background in law. Again, Truc has proved to be an asset to the board over the last couple of meetings. Welcome Truc.
With Mel Orange’s departure from the board, it left the Deputy Presiding Member position vacant. I would like to congratulate Thomas Wiseman being elected to Deputy Presiding Member and look forward to working closely with Thomas.
You can read the bios of all the current Board Members here:
I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the board, to thank MBIE and our board officers for their hard work throughout 2024 and to wish all electrical workers a safe and Merry Christmas.
Ngā mihi
Russell Keys
Presiding Member
Update on Effect of 2023 Gazette Notice on Prescribed Electrical Work
The EWRB are continuing to work on concerns that have been raised around commencement dates for new endorsed registration classes. These classes are associated with the Electrical Inspector and Electrical Engineer registration classes in the Electricity (Prescribed Classes of Registration for Electrical Workers) Notice 2023 (“the 2023 Notice”).
You can read more about this matter here:
If you do not work in one of the new endorsed areas (hazardous areas, medical cardiac protected areas, or mains parallel generation systems) this does not impact you and the work you do. We will process your licence renewal as usual.
If you have not applied to renew your licence after 1 September 2024 (when the 2023 Notice commenced) this also does not impact you, and the work you currently do. This is because you move to the new limits of work and registration requirements under the 2023 Notice only at the point when you renew your licence. If you have not yet applied to renew your licence, you retain the rights granted under a previous notice (e.g. the 2019 Notice).
If you do work in the new endorsed areas and you have applied to renew your licence after 1 September 2024, the following considerations apply:
- Your renewal application will be placed on hold until we have a remedy to any issues with the 2023 Notice.
- Until we provide a decision on your application, you can continue carrying out work you were authorised to carry out under the 2019 Notice.
- This is in line with section 105(3) of the Electricity Act, which states that if an application for the renewal of a practising licence is made before the licence’s date of expiry but the licence has not been renewed before that date, the licence continues in force until the application is determined.
- We will provide a decision on your application as soon as possible once a solution is in place. If a consumer, employer, or insurer asks questions about the status of your current licence, you can direct them to view your profile on the public register. The public register will continue to show your active licence whilst this is on hold.
If you apply to renew your licence after 1 September 2024, you will be contacted directly by EWRB staff to discuss your available options.
If you have any questions or want to discuss the above, please get in touch with us at 0800 661 000.
Flow chart explaining the impact and outcomes of the 2023 Gazette notice on Prescribed Electrical Work for Electrical Inspectors and Engineers.
Standard of the Month - NZS 7901:2008 – Electricity and Gas Industries – Safety Management Systems for Public Safety
Electricity generators and electricity distributors that own or operate an electricity supply system must implement and maintain safety management systems under the Electricity Act 1992. Every safety management system must be compliant with either NZS 7901, or regulations 49 and 50 of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010.
NZS 7901was developed by the New Zealand electricity and gas supply industries, and applies to all electricity transmission, distribution, and generation assets with a capacity equal to or greater than 10MVA or 10MW. It provides guidance on the design, implementation, and operation of safety management systems that aim to prevent serious harm to any member of the public or significant damage to property.
Electrical Safety for Low Voltage Electrical Installations in Imported Buildings
Buildings imported into New Zealand often have wiring and fittings such as power points and lights (known as an ‘electrical installation’) already built in. Wiring and electrical fittings installed overseas may not be electrically safe or meet the New Zealand safety standards. Unsafe wiring and fittings can lead to an increased risk of electric shock or fire.
Buildings imported into New Zealand with a pre-installed electrical installation must be electrically safe and comply with the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 (the Regulations) and the Electricity Act 1992 (the Act)
This guide produced by WorkSafe provides information on what must be done to make sure imported buildings are electrically safe before they are connected to an electricity supply in New Zealand. This guide should be used alongside the Regulations and the Act. It does not remove any obligation to comply with the Regulations, the Act, and any other New Zealand legislation.
Disciplinary hearings – December 2024
Case 1
The Respondent carried out prescribed electrical work in a manner that was contrary to an enactment and provided a false and misleading return. He was fined $500 and ordered to pay costs of $250. A record of the disciplinary offending will be recorded on the public register for a period of 3 years.
Case 2
The Respondent carried out prescribed electrical work in a manner that was contrary to an enactment and provided a false and misleading return. He was censured and ordered to pay costs of $250. A record of the disciplinary offending will be recorded on the public register for a period of 3 years.
Case 3
The Respondent negligently carried out prescribed electrical work and provided a false and misleading return. He was fined $1,000 and ordered to pay costs of $250. A record of the disciplinary offending will be recorded on the public register for a period of 3 years.
Case 4
The Respondent was charged with carrying out Prescribed Electrical Work (PEW) at a time when he was not authorised and with employing, directing, or permitting an unauthorised person to carry out PEW. The allegations were based on licensing records showing that at the time the PEW was completed, the Respondent did not hold a current practising licence. The Respondent accepted that he had committed the disciplinary offences as charged. The Respondent was censured and ordered to pay costs of $250. A record of the disciplinary offending will be recorded on the public Register for a period of 3 years.
Case 5
The Respondent carried out prescribed electrical work on an installation. After he had completed and certified the work, a complaint was made. The Investigator appointed an expert who attended the site and noted that there were gaps in the switchboard, which had a lid, that allowed for direct access to live parts. On that basis, the Board found that the Respondent had carried out prescribed electrical work in a manner that was contrary to an enactment and that he had provided false or misleading certification with respect to it. The Respondent was censured and ordered to pay costs of $1,125. A record of the disciplinary offending will be recorded on the public record for a period of 3 years.
Troy Gillsepie
Troy Gillsepie installed an outdoor pump. He connected the pump conductors to the conductors from the power supply in a junction box. The issue for the Board was whether the junction box would have prevented the penetration of moisture. The Board decided that neither the junction box nor the way it had been installed would have prevented moisture from penetrating and that Troy GIllsepie had, therefore, carried out prescribed electrical work in a manner that was contrary to an enactment. The Board also decided that Troy Gillsepie had provided false or misleading certification with respect to his prescribed electrical work. The Board censured Troy Gillsepie and ordered that he pay costs of $1,575. The Board also ordered that the matter be published in Electron and that a record of the offending be recorded on the public register for a period of 3 years.
EWRB suspends electrician’s licence for 2 years after handyman’s death.
- Stephen Burton’s licence has been suspended for 2 years or until he completes several competency-based assessments of the Electrical Workers Registration Board.
- Mr Burton was ordered to pay the Board’s costs of $675.
The Electrical Workers Registration Board has suspended electrician Stephen Burton’s licence for “grossly negligent” work at a Nelson property. The work resulted in the electrocution and death of a handyman.
The Board’s decision comes after Mr Burton was found guilty by Judge D C Ruth at the Nelson District Court of criminal charges filed by WorkSafe NZ. On 20 February 2024, he was sentenced to 8 months home detention and ordered to pay $150,000 towards emotional harm and consequential loss factors.
In 2020, a Nelson property owner engaged Mr Burton to replace a rangehood. The work included disconnecting and reconnecting conductors to the power supply. The Board found that Mr Burton failed to adequately test the installation to confirm that the work was electrically safe to use and issued a false and misleading Certificate of Compliance.
A handyman, who was later engaged by the property owner to install a sheet of material around the rangehood for aesthetic purposes, was electrocuted and died.
Mr Burton made the major mistake of not correctly testing his installation. This negligent prescribed electrical work by a licensed electrician caused the unfortunate death of an unsuspecting tradesman.
EWRB v Jing Jing Wang
On 17 June 2024, Jing Jing Wang was sentenced on a charge of performing unauthorized prescribed electrical work. In August 2022, Mr Wang completed prescribed electrical work when he connected a Portacom building to electricity at a commercial building site in Auckland. Mr Wang was not a registered electrical worker at the time.
Mr Wang was fined $3,250 and must also pay solicitor and Court costs. 90% of the fines will be paid to the Board.
On a second charge, Mr Wang applied for, and was granted, a discharge without conviction by the Court.
EWRB v Graeme Leo Paul Kyle
On 21 June 2024, Graeme Kyle was sentenced on one charge of negligently doing work on an electrical installation in a manner dangerous to life, and one charge of doing prescribed electrical work. He was also sentenced on a further charge laid by the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board.
Between September 2022 and March 2023, Mr Kyle carried out renovation work at a domestic property in Dannevirke. Mr Kyle did not hold registration as an electrical worker at the time.
Mr Kyle was fined $6,000 on the 2 charges laid by the Board. He must also pay solicitor’s costs. 90% of the fines will be paid to the Board.
EWRB v Rupesh Kumar
On 12 July 2024, Rupesh Kumar was sentenced on one charge of negligently doing work on an electrical installation in a manner dangerous to life. A second charge of doing prescribed electrical work had been withdrawn earlier.
On 10 June 2021, Mr Kumar installed a hot water cylinder at a residential property. On 26 January 2022, the owner of the property smelt burning inside the property. The New Zealand Fire Service prevented an imminent fire, and it was concluded that the most likely cause of the smell was a loose connection on the switch in the hot water cupboard.
Mr Kumar was fined $3,500, and must also pay solicitor and Court costs. 90% of the fine will be paid to the Board.