20 November 2018
Unlicensed electrical worker Dmitri Fedoulov has been fined in the Wellington District Court for undertaking prescribed
electrical work (PEW) on his own property.
Mr Fedoulov has been ordered to pay $1900 plus costs for carrying out the electrical installation of his residential
garage while he did not hold a licence from the Electrical Workers Registration Board and was not a registered
electrician.
“The work, which included installing electrical equipment and fittings, is considered PEW and must be undertaken by a
licensed and registered electrical worker,” says Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Investigation’s Team
Leader Simon Thomas.
It also requires a Certificate of Compliance and Electrical Safety Certificate in order to make sure the work is safe
and compliant.
“Mr Fedoulov made a serious breach in judgement carrying out this work himself which potentially could have resulted in
serious harm to the property and people,” says Mr Thomas.
“Mr Fedoulov used unsafe cabling which was buried too shallow beneath the surface, there was no cover placed over the
garage distribution board protecting the circuit breakers and cables. Also, no residual-current device was installed –
which is designed to automatically switch off electrically if there is a fault.”
The electrical work Mr Fedoulov carried out is outside an exemption for domestic electrical wiring due to the nature of
the work and that it was not carried out in a competent or safe manner.
“It is incredibly important when undertaking any home repairs or upgrades that all prescribed electrical work is carried
out by a licensed and registered electrician,” says Mr Thomas.
“Licensed electrical workers are professionals who are trained to do the job safely and correctly. Incorrectly installed
electrical work can result in fire and serious harm, which is why it can only be carried out by a licensed electrical
worker.
“Where prescribed electrical work isn’t being carried out by a licensed electrical worker, the Electrical Workers
Registration Board will investigate, ensuring the safety of New Zealanders and their homes.”
See the WorkSafe website for guidelines on carrying out electrical work in your home.
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