A Perth electrician has been fined $15,000 after an inspection by WA’s safety regulator revealed he had left switchboard components unprotected, putting users at risk of serious injury or electrocution.

The electrician, who traded under the business name BMI Technologies, pleaded guilty at Perth Magistrates Court to two offences at a Mt Lawley home, under WA’s electricity licensing regulations.

WA’s energy safety director Saj Abdoolakhan says the case should remind all electrical workers and contractors about their obligations, regardless of their experience level.

“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 says.

“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.”

The court was told the defendant had failed to earth a metal enclosure, known as a DIN kit, in the consumer’s switchboard. If a DIN kit isn’t earthed, circuit protection devices may not operate under fault conditions, presenting a risk of exposed metal parts of the switchboard becoming live with potentially fatal voltages.