Photo credit: Pragya V
A Wanneroo electrician has been fined $7500 after mistakenly wiring a window shutter power cord, causing another tradesman to receive an electric shock at a Trigg property.
Best Bet Electrics electrician Angelo Betti was found guilty this week in the Perth Magistrate Court for breaching Western Australia’s Electricity (Network Safety) Licensing Regulations by carrying out faulty and unsafe work.
The court heart that in July 2020, Mr Betti was working at a home in Trigg installing an electrical component to a newly fitted window shutter.
The work included connecting a wall switch to a flexible power cord and linking a shutter control to a backup uninterruptable power supply. Rather than connecting the cord to the shutter control, Mr Betti mistakenly wired it to another socket outlet.
The court was told when a tradesman arrived at the property a week later, he received an electric shock after touching the metal pins on the shutter power cable plug.
“It is a small mistake that could have cost a life, and I am just glad nobody was injured,” Mr Betti said.
The Magistrate Court has ordered Mr Betti to pay $7500 and noted that his poor quality of work could have cost severe injuries.
Magistrate Richard Huston said that the electrician should carry out mandatory checks and tests before leaving the property for the day.
This is not the first incident of this type in WA.
In April 2022, Western Power was fined up to $30,000 for a similar incident causing a man to receive an electric shock after electrical hazards to nearby residents were left exposed. Nobody was hurt in this incident but residents were alarmed that electrical hazards were left nearby.
“This should serve as a wake-up call to all electricians. Consumers trust the electricians to get the job done,” Western Power inspector Karl Pierce said.