Cornubia-based electrician Stuart Helmreich has joined government calls for people to be wary of bogus and unlicensed operators.
As part of Electrical Safety Week, the state government has stepped up a blitz on marketplaces such as AirTasker where some operators are illegally advertising offers to do home electrical tasks.
Mr Helmreich, who owns Icebolt Electrical, said he’d seen many jobs which had been finished with poor workmanship – exposed copper, bad wiring, and damaged cabling patched up with tape just a few of the recent examples.
“This type of workmanship is putting lives at risk,” he said.
Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said the Electrical Safety Office’s (ESO) crackdown on unlicensed services being advertised and illegal work being done has led to a raft of enforcement action.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are falsely advertising, performing unlicensed work or engaging unlicensed operators — it’s illegal and downright dangerous,” she said.
“In just over three months ESO inspectors have issued 75 statutory notices for offences such as non-compliant advertising by a licensed contractor and failure to hold an electrical contractor or electrical work licence.”
Mr Helmreich said people should ensure their electricians were licensed, and they should ask for a certified receipt.
“People sometimes go for a cheaper operator, but they regret it later,” he said.
“What some people don’t realise is that those electricians who are charging lower fees are often cutting corners with their costs, and that rarely leads to a quality job.”
Ms Grace said there are also a number of matters being investigated for potential prosecution.
“The ESO investigations team is finalising four briefs of evidence for referral to the state’s independent Work Health and Safety Prosecutor, with an additional seven investigations currently on hand with a view to submission for prosecution” she said.
“These matters relate to unlicensed electrical contracting and failure to comply with improvement notices.”
Earlier this year, a Queensland concreting business and its sole director were fined $42,500 for unsafe and unlicensed electrical practices.
In a separate matter, an individual was charged with nine offences relating to unlicensed electrical work and unlicensed electrical contracting and was fined $100,000.
Those caught doing electrical work without a licence in Queensland will always face on the spot fines and possible prosecution.
For more information on safe electrical work, visit electricalsafety.qld.gov.au
