Government of Western Australia | Western Power has been fined $220,000 for the unsafe supply of electricity to a house in Wundowie, north-east of Perth, where two nearby residents received electric shocks and “the entire neighbourhood was at risk,” according to a magistrate.
At Perth Magistrates Court, the network operator pleaded guilty to two offences under WA’s Electricity Regulations 1947 following prosecution by Building and Energy.
The penalty is the largest fine against Western Power under laws that prohibit a network operator from supplying electricity to a premises without ensuring it is safe to do so. It follows seven prior convictions against Western Power for the same type of offence.
The court was told that in November 2022, two Western Power workers attended the Wundowie property where a private electrical contractor had installed a new consumer power pole. One Western Power worker noticed the newly installed meter had incorrect wiring, with the active and neutral conductors transposed, but did not take any action.
The transposed wiring enabled the electric current to bypass safety devices, putting the homeowners and neighbours at risk of electric shock if they touched metallic water pipes or earthed electrical appliances.
Shortly after reconnection, two nearby residents received electric shocks in their shower. Fortunately, they were not seriously injured.
Evidence presented in court also showed Western Power failed to follow its own procedure requiring completion of a notice of completion before reconnection. Although the utility had developed the procedure, it did not comply with it.
In addition to the $220,000 fine, Magistrate Catherine Crawford ordered Western Power to pay costs of $700, noting it was “only a matter of chance” that no serious injury or death resulted given the “extremely high” risk of harm and “the entire neighbourhood was at risk.”
