Nearly $10,000 in fines for unauthorised electrical work

Media release

18 October 2016

Nearly $10,000 in fines handed down for unauthorised electrical work

Two recent prosecutions of individuals under the Electricity Act 1992 have highlighted the importance of consumers ensuring they always use a licensed electrical worker to perform prescribed electrical work.

In recent court cases an Auckland man and a Petone man were separately fined a total of $9,262, and ordered to repay court and solicitor costs.

In the first instance, Mr Jack Camplin of Massey performed prescribed electrical work on a 36 foot yacht in Auckland between September and December 2014. While Mr Camplin had indicated that he was qualified to do this marine electrical work, he was not a registered electrician and was not authorised to do this work. His work was found to be non-compliant and a number of safety issues were identified.

Mr Camplin pleaded guilty to one charge of performing unauthorised prescribed electrical work. Mr Camplin was fined $6,075 in total, and ordered to pay court costs of $130, and solicitor’s costs of $226.

In the second case, Mr Ronald Todd of Petone, was engaged to carry out prescribed electrical work on the existing flood and security light system at a school in Upper Hutt, although he was not licensed to perform prescribed electrical work. Concerns were later raised about Mr Todd’s work, and an inspector found that the unauthorised prescribed electrical work carried out by Mr Todd’s company was deficient and potentially dangerous. Remedial work has since been done to correct the deficiencies in the work carried out by Mr Todd.

Mr Todd pleaded guilty to one charge of performing unauthorised prescribed electrical work. He was fined $3,187.50, and ordered to pay solicitor’s costs of $226 and court costs of $132.89.

Registrar of the Electrical Workers Registration Board Richard Stubbings says these two prosecutions should leave no doubt that the Board will continue to be vigilant in regard to unregistered and unlicensed workers, and will prosecute people who operate outside the law.

“For safety reasons, only licensed electrical workers are allowed to perform prescribed electrical work,” he says.

“In both of these cases, the men involved implied that they were qualified to do the electrical work they were engaged to complete, however that was not the case. This misrepresentation of their qualifications resulted in dangerous and deficient work, which could have resulted in a serious incident.”

“This highlights the importance of always using a licensed electrical worker to do prescribed electrical work. To ensure the person is licensed, ask to see their photo ID before they begin the job, and ask them to certify their completed work,” Mr Stubbings 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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