$5,000 in fines handed down for unauthorised electrical work

$5,000 in fines handed down for unauthorised electrical work

Two fines were handed down to an Auckland company and an Ashhurst man for breaching the Electricity Act 1992.

Tiscoski Renovation Ltd of Mt Albert in Auckland was fined a total of $2,500, and ordered to repay court and solicitor costs. The company was charged with knowingly paying a person to do unauthorised prescribed electrical work and employing a person to do unauthorised prescribed electrical work.

The company was engaged to carry out renovation work at a Mt Albert property in 2015. As part of that work, they hired an overseas backpacker to carry out electrical work at the property. The electrical work was later found to be unsafe by a registered electrician.

David Johnson, of Ashhurst near Palmerston North, was also fined $2,500, and ordered to repay court and solicitor costs. He was charged with doing unauthorized prescribed electrical work.

Mr Johnson undertook preliminary wiring and electrical work for the installation of solar panels on the roof of a building on a rural New Plymouth property. An inspector was later called in and identified that the installation was not compliant with the applicable standards in a number of respects, and reported Mr Johnson to the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB).

Registrar of the EWRB John Sickels says these two cases, combined with the recent prosecution of a New Plymouth man, should leave no doubt that the Board will continue to prosecute people who operate outside the law.

“We will continue to be vigilant in relation to unregistered and unlicensed workers and will prosecute wherever necessary,” Mr Sickels says.

“It’s important to think carefully who you’re engaging to carry out electrical work. Always use a licensed electrical worker; ask to see their photo ID; and ask them to certify their completed work,” he says.

Consumers can find a list of licensed electrical workers by searching the Public Register on the EWRB website.

The EWRB was established in 1992 and is responsible for the ongoing competency of over 30,000 registered electrical and electronic workers in New Zealand. Part of the function of the Board is to exercise disciplinary powers and bring prosecutions where necessary under the Electricity Act 1992.

ENDS

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