Western Australia’s state-owned electricity network operator Western Power has been fined for failing to follow inspection requirements for powerline equipment that later fell to the ground where an 88-year-old woman reported receiving an electric shock.
Western Power pleaded guilty in April to breaching the Electricity (Network Safety) Regulations 2015, which requires a network operator to reasonably ensure that each prescribed activity carried out on its network follows its safety management system.
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The court was told the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety’s Building and Energy division found Western Power’s inspection of a pole top on Grand Promenade in Dianella in June 2023 was inadequate and failed to identify defects with an overhead powerline connection.
Building and Energy’s investigation found the inspection did not follow Western Power’s own safety management system. It did not include clear photographs or proper use of binoculars, a pole-top camera and thermal imaging, and it failed to properly identify defects in accordance with a condition catalogue.
A fortnight after this inspection, the elderly woman tripped on a live overhead conductor, which had detached from the pole due to a poorly installed clamp, and reported receiving an electric shock.
Magistrate Gavin MacLean said he could not conclude beyond reasonable doubt that the conductor incident would not have occurred if Western Power had inspected the pole properly, but it was an example of the risk that can arise in the electricity network.
His Honour said inspection regimes were in place to reduce risks and the case highlighted “the importance of conducting inspections correctly” and the “potential for serious harm”, while noting Western Power had taken steps to change its processes.
In addition to a fine of $35,000, Western Power was ordered to pay $1,539 in costs.
WA Director of Energy Safety Dan Kearney said, “This case is a stark reminder that safety management systems only provide protection if they are applied correctly every time.
“The pole-top defect should have been identified and rectified before ever becoming an electric shock hazard to the public.
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“The public expects that electricity network operators will meet their statutory safety obligations and perform inspections to the requisite standard to reduce the risk of electric shock hazards. Western Power has not met that expectation in this case.”
