Faulty work on Perth property lands electrician with $15k fine

Western Australia’s Building and Energy brought the prosecution, after the fault was discovered during routine inspection.

When conducting checks on the Mount Lawley property, inspectors discovered that a metal enclosure associated with the switchboard, known as a din kit, had not been correctly earthed. The result could lead circuit protection devices to fail, presenting the risk that exposed metal parts of the switchboard could become live with life-threatening voltages.

Gregory Craig Jason Briffa, who owns BMI Technologies alongside Claire Briffa, pleaded guilty to two offences under Western Australia’s electricity licensing regulations, receiving a $12,500 fine for the noncompliant work, and $2,500 fine for filing an inaccurate notice of completion. He was also ordered to pay $405.30 in costs.

Magistrate Richard Huston noted during the hearing that Briffa had shown remorse, entered an early guilty plea and undertaken additional training since the incident. He noted, however, that the fine was needed to emphasise the seriousness of the incident. Huston said that the community rightly had an expectation that electricians work to the highest standards because fatalities could occur.

After Briffa’s fine had been handed down, Western Australia’s director of energy safety, Saj Abdoolakhan, said he hoped the case would serve as a reminder to electricians of their responsibilities while carrying out work.

“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,” Abdoolakhan noted.

He said that professionals in all stages of their careers should take steps to ensure they have the proper precautions in place to prevent dangerous accidents.

“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.