Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) has stripped electrician Stuart Royce Macdonald of his electrical contractor registration following multiple unsafe and fraudulent works across metropolitan Melbourne.
ESV has cancelled Mr Macdonald’s registered electrical contractor status after he failed to issue Certificates of Electrical Safety, failed to arrange inspections and carried out non-compliant electrical work between 2018 and 2022.
ESV is responsible for the licensing of electrical workers, registration of electrical contractors and the overall management of Certificates of Electrical Safety, which are issued by licensed workers to assure recipients that the installation meets all safety regulations.
The disciplinary action will impact any application Mr Macdonald makes to re-register as an electrical contractor over the next five years.
ESV requires all electrical contractors to be registered and have the appropriate technical knowledge as well as the skills to undertake electrical installation work. Mr Macdonald has also let his licence to undertake electrical work lapse in recent months.
ESV has the power to take disciplinary action under the Electricity Safety Act 1998, when licensed electricians and registered electrical contractors fail to comply with energy safety legislation, have been negligent and incompetent in carrying out electrical work, or have engaged in fraudulent conduct.
Mr Macdonald operated his business, trading as both Bright Electrical Contractors and Good Connections Electrical Contracting, carrying out work across metropolitan Melbourne with complaints coming from customers in Balwyn, Lower Templestowe, Clifton Hill, Brunswick and Carlton.
ESV found that Mr Macdonald did not complete Certificates of Electrical Safety, carried out unsafe switchboard works, left work unfinished and unsafe and was also paid for works he never completed over the four-year period.
In one instance, a Brunswick resident complained to ESV after employing Mr Macdonald to replace a main switchboard and a sub-switchboard at their property. The complaint alleged that Mr Macdonald did not have his work reviewed by a licensed electrical inspector and did not provide the resident with a Certificate of Electrical Safety, both of which are required for all complex electrical installations.
An ESV investigation found the works were non-compliant as the sub-switchboard was installed in a restricted location. ESV then issued two fines worth $1,156 as well as a rectification notice, directing him to address the non-compliant electrical work.
ESV Commissioner and Chairperson Marnie Williams
“ESV will pursue enforcement action against electricians and gasfitters who do not meet safety requirements.” “Mr Macdonald has been stripped of his status to be a registered electrical contractor because he overlooked and ignored the very important safety obligations associated with this status.”
Media contact: Adrian Bernecich 0437 729 194 | adrian.bernecich@energysafe.vic.gov.au View this release as a
Reviewed 24 January 2023