'Real risk of electrocution'

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Electrical work is required to be carried out by licensed workers.
Photo: 123RF

Consumers are being warned to stay away from unlicensed sparkies and not attempt to DIY their own electrical work.

There have been six prosecutions against unregulated electricians so far this year.

While there is no specific data on fires caused by unlicensed sparkies, figures up to last month from Fire and Emergency show there have been more than 900 fires caused by electrics in homes, garages and sheds.

Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment Manager of Investigations Kathryn Young told Checkpoint they are noticing a rise in would-be sparkies.

“I’ve got some stats for the last couple of years and we’ve had 51 complaints in the the 2022-2023 year and 65 in the 2023-2024 year.”

Young said they had a lot of complaints about unlicensed work, sometimes by handymen who exceed their brief.

“We’ve had one recent prosecution where this happened and the homeowners were left with an unfinished job with live wires which can create the risk of electric shock and house fire.”

The numbers were going up consistently, Young said.

How do you find a tradie? When was the last time you used an electrician – did you know if they were licensed or not? Text us 2101 and emails checkpoint@rnz.co.nz

“The scale is, it can be from just replacing a plug or it can be doing rewiring a house. Of course, the more we hear about these instances the more we can investigate them.”

One case involved a plumber replacing a hot water heater who went on to do electrical work for that job, while another involved a handyman who left live cables around.

“That was a real risk of electrocution or house fire.”

The six people who have been prosecuted come after investigations showed the worker did not have a proper license.

“We have the evidence, then we will take that through to the district court.”

Sometimes the sparkies included home owners.

“Homeowners do carry out their own electrical work without having an electrical worker looking at the work.”

In many cases the work was done to try and save money or get it done quickly, she said.

It was also important for homeowners to check credentials of anyone hired to do work.

“The Electrical Workers Registration Board have a public register where homeowners can have a look to see if the person they are engaging is registered.”

The Healthy Homes Legislation coming into effect also involved some rise in complaints about work, she said.