The recent prosecution of an electrician in New Zealand highlights the importance of carrying out proper testing for electrical tasks to prevent accidents.
The electrician has been sentenced to eight months of home detention and ordered to pay reparations after a building contractor died in an electric shock caused the electricians’ incomplete work.
He was hired to replace a kitchen extraction fan and install a new power point for a range hood. but failed to test the wiring properly nor identify that the old wiring was installed using an outdated method. This caused the range hood's metal parts to become electrified.
About 20 days later, when a building contractor touched the range hood's metal parts during minor work, he suffered a fatal electric shock.
WorkSafe New Zealand emphasise proper testing and verification of electrical work would have identified the issues with the cabling and prevented the tragedy.
Source: OHS Alert, 30 April
