Sparkie shocked due to unsafe work
An electrician was shocked after another sparkie carried out an incorrect installation.
In July 2020, Mr Betti attended a home to install the electrical components of a fitted window shutter. This work included connecting the wall switch to a power cord to link the shutter controls to a back-up uninterruptable power supply.
A week later another electrician attended the house on an unrelated job. He received an electric shock after touching the metal pins on the shutter power cord plug.
Rather than connecting the cord just to the shutter controls, Mr Betti had incorrectly also wired it into a nearby socket outlet. The plug’s metal pins were continuously live with 240 volts of electricity while mains power was supplied to the house.
Mr Betti was fined $7500 and ordered to pay $573.50 in costs.
The court noted that the work could have resulted in a death and would have been prevented had tests and checks been carried out to detect any errors like this.
If you need assistance with safety or technical issues, Master Electricians have unlimited access to the MEA Safety and Technical hotlines. Phone 1300 889 198 to speak direct to the experts.
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