Electrician fined for letting an unlicensed trainee carry out work

August 9, 2019

A business owner has been fined $10,800 plus costs after he knowingly let an unlicensed trainee carry out electrical work on customer's property.

The Minister of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said today in a statement that Dhiraj Gogna, director of LEDRUS Holdings trading as LED R US, pleaded guilty at Wellington District Court over the 2017 incident.

On the day of one of the offences, Mr Gogna arrived at a work site to "scope out" the work and then left his trainee and an apprentice to do it.

A trainee electrician is only permitted to carry out Prescribed Electrical Work (PEW) when they are directly supervised by a fully licensed electrician.

Two complainants - the owners of the home they were working in - raised the alarm after checking the qualifications of the trainee online and finding they only held a trainee limited certificate.

The homeowners had purchased a coupon from New Zealand deal site Groupon for "eight hours of labour by a qualified electrician".

Registrar of Electrical Workers Duncan Connor called the act "highly irresponsible".

"Licensed electrical workers are qualified professionals who have the knowledge to do the job safely and correctly. Incorrectly installed electrical work can result in serious harm and risk the safety of New Zealanders," Mr Connor said.

"When hiring an electrician, you can check that they are licensed by checking the Register online or asking to view their licence ID card."

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