A WA bathroom renovator has received a fine for carrying out illegal electrical work that could have caused a fatality.

Jack Alexander Lusty, the sole director of Great Southern Home Improvements Pty Ltd, was fined $6,500 in Albany Magistrates Court following a prosecution by WA safety regulator Building and Energy.

The Albany renovator had previously entered a guilty plea to breaching the Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991 but did not attend court for sentencing on 28 November 2024.

The court heard that while renovating an Orana home, Lusty connected a combined heating, fan and light unit to the 240V mains power supply in the bathroom wall and ceiling. Under the regulations, only a licensed electrical worker can carry out this electrical installing work and the renovator did not have this certification.

Up to a month after the unit’s installation, the homeowner pulled on a wire dangling in a gap between the bathroom doorframe and the wall.

A licensed electrician then attended the property and found the exposed wire was live and came from the unit installed by the tradesperson. The unit’s electrical terminals were also left uncovered in the roof space and the switch wiring was incorrect.