An electrician previously sentenced to home detention has had his licence suspended for two years after his “grossly negligent” work led to a handyman’s electrocution and death.
Stephen Burton was found to have failed to adequately test a rangehood installation in 2020, leading to the death of a handyman who was later working on the same unit, according to the Electrical Workers Registration Board.
The board’s decision comes after the electrician was sentenced to eight months of home detention and ordered to pay $150,000 towards emotional harm and consequential loss factors in the Nelson District Court on February 20.
Electrical Workers Registration Board registrar Duncan Connor said the worker had made a “cardinal mistake” in his work. The board made its final decision in October.
“In failing to correctly test his installation, Mr Burton made a cardinal mistake that resulted in the unfortunate death of an unsuspecting tradesman,” he said.
“Carrying out prescribed electrical work requires expertise, training and can be highly dangerous for everyone involved if not done properly.
“The aim of regulating electrical workers is to ensure that those performing prescribed electrical work are properly trained to avoid electrical hazards and to protect the safety of consumers.”
The electrician’s licence was “suspended for two years or until he completes several competency-based assessments of the Electrical Workers Registration Board”.
He was also ordered to pay the board’s costs of $675.
In 2020, a Nelson property owner engaged Burton to replace a rangehood, according to a spokesperson for the Electrical Workers Registration Board.
“The work included disconnecting and reconnecting conductors to the power supply.
“The board found that Mr Burton failed to adequately test the installation to confirm that the work was electrically safe to use and issued a false and misleading Certificate of Compliance.
“A handyman, who was later engaged by the property owner to install a sheet of material around the rangehood for aesthetic purposes, was electrocuted and died.”
