A registered builder has been fined $22,000 (and ordered to pay $900 in costs) after an apprentice fell six metres from trestle scaffolding and was seriously injured last year. Stephen John Gregson – trading as Gregson Constructions – pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment and was fined in the Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday. In August 2017, Mr Gregson and...

Building and Energy urges electricians working on power transformers to exercise caution after a recent incident where electrical workers were exposed to hazardous asbsestos-containing material (ACM). In January 2018, electrical workers undertaking repairs to a high voltage (HV) power transformer which had failed, disconnected the transformer by unbolting and removing a gland plate from the base...

A Perth plumber has been fined $1,000 by the Plumbers Licensing Board for failing to comply with a rectification notice about drainage and infrastructure issues at a Belmont development. Joshua Andrew O’Neill (PL7643) was subcontracted to provide plumbing and gas services during construction of the seven-unit complex in 2016 and 2017. Occupants later discovered that the property’s main drain had...

A Joondanna tradesman who falsely claimed to be a registered painter has been fined $5,000 at Perth Magistrates Court for several offences under WA’s building laws. Alex Mazloomi , trading as Arios Painting and Decorating , did not appear in court on 5 October when he was found guilty of six charges brought by the Building Commissioner. The court heard that Mr Mazloomi was not a registered...

A Duncraig-based pest control company and its director have been fined a total of $3,000 at Perth Magistrates Court for not providing officially requested information about a termite treatment. Mantis Pest Control and its sole director and secretary, Jefferson Ashley Hetherington, did not attend court on 14 September 2018 when they were found guilty of failing to comply with a written direction...

On 1 May 2018, the Building and Energy Division of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (Building and Energy) released a Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (CRIS) to seek public comment on the final round of reforms arising from the 2013/14 review of plumbing regulation in Western Australia. The CRIS contained 21 proposals, including: The introduction of a new funding...

With a new season underway, the State’s energy safety regulator is urging home and business owners to do a simple check of their residual current devices (RCDs) – the compulsory life-saving switches that protect against electrocution. RCDs instantly stop the electricity supply when they detect a fault, such as when a person receives an electric shock. The rapid response is designed to protect...

Local governments are working to clear a backlog of inspections of private pool safety barriers in the wake of an Ombudsman Western Australia report on children drowning. The law requires that WA local councils inspect private pools in their jurisdiction at least once every four years to ensure they have complying fences or other safety barriers. In last year’s investigation report on ways to...

This information has been updated to reflect our new postal address. Building and Energy wishes to remind you that you must use the correct postal address for all correspondence. Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety Building and Energy Division Locked Bag 100 EAST PERTH WA 6892

Mandurah Homes Pty Ltd (BC11088) and the company’s co-director and nominated supervisor, Todd Andrew Green (BP101468) , have each been fined $5,000 by the Building Services Board for failing to manage and supervise a building service. The findings relate to a two-storey Halls Head property, built by Mandurah Homes between 2015 and 2016. On a windy night in July 2017, a section of the home’s tin...

Lesmurdie-registered builder Brad Ross Homes Pty Ltd (BC12915) and its director and nominated supervisor Bradley William Ross (BP12915) have each been fined $3,000 by the Building Services Board for negligent conduct. The findings relate to building services carried out at a property in Cottesloe. The Board found the company had been negligent by: failing to ensure that soil excavation on the...

From 30 June 2018 , DC isolating switches used in solar PV installations must comply with a Level 3 certification under the national Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS). This means DC isolating switches must have a valid Certificate of Conformity confirming the product complies with Australian Standard AS 60947.3:2018. The brand and all relevant models must be registered to the responsible...