As many businesses prepare to reopen, WA’s plumbing regulator is urging owners and managers of recently unoccupied buildings to ensure that hot and cold water services are thoroughly flushed before use to clear potentially hazardous stagnation. Building and Energy is supporting an advisory note issued by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB), which warns that water quality could change if it...
A Perth tradesman has pleaded guilty to carrying out work that requires builder registration when he undertook a $40,000 roof and patio project, which also resulted in workmanship issues and months of delays. At Midland Magistrates Court on 11 May 2020, Ross Zedric Newbold of Alfresco Living WA was fined $5,000 and ordered to pay costs of $953.50 for breaching WA’s building registration laws...
Heating appliances will soon be emerging from hibernation as cooler weather sets in, particularly with many of us working from home this winter. If you are using a gas heater, our colleagues at Building and Energy have issued a timely warning about the dangers of exposure to carbon monoxide, which can leak from faulty, poorly maintained or misused gas appliances. Carbon monoxide is known as the ‘...
Water Corporation, in consultation with Building and Energy, made changes to their water meter relocation process as of 29 April 2020. The changes are designed to better align processes with water services legislation and plumbing regulations, as well as to improve safety when working on or near Water Corporation assets. Key changes to the water meter relocation process: The customer will need to...
A Palmyra electrician has been fined $20,000 for a potentially deadly wiring error that caused objects at a Connolly home to become live with dangerous levels of electricity, resulting in $3,700 damage to appliances. Licensed electrical worker Dryden Peter Adams (EW150729) was sentenced on 28 April 2020 at Joondalup Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to breaching WA’s electricity licensing...
WA’s energy safety regulator is sharing vital electrical and gas safety tips for people working from home and starting to prepare for cooler weather. Building and Energy is encouraging householders to check that their electrical and gas equipment is safe, in good working order and compliant with Australian standards. “People are using electrical appliances in home offices and for projects around...
WA’s gas safety regulator is urging people to avoid potentially lethal exposure to carbon monoxide by ensuring their gas appliances are well maintained, used correctly and not subject to product safety alerts. Building and Energy’s warning comes as Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week (27 April to 3 May) gets underway and households prepare for cooler weather. Director of Energy Safety Saj Abdoolakhan...
Building and Energy is urging parents of young children to be extra vigilant about potential hazards as youngsters spend more time at home due to COVID-19 coronavirus. “Parents and carers keeping their children out of schools and day-care facilities has meant they are often looking after children all day while juggling working from home and other commitments,” Building and Energy Executive...
Western Australia’s plumbing regulator is warning homeowners about the health risks of DIY installation of toilet hygiene spray hoses, which should only be fitted by a licensed plumber. The alert from Building and Energy follows a rise in sales of the flexible douche hoses in the wake of toilet paper shortages and a focus on cleanliness due to COVID-19 coronavirus. Hygiene spray hoses for toilets...
Joint statement – Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (Building and Energy) and Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australians are being asked to take simple steps to protect themselves against home fires as more people stay home to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of home fires started by lithium-ion batteries continues to rise with 11 fires this...
A Sorrento electrician has been fined $15,000 for incorrect wiring that caused parts of a Duncraig home to become live with dangerous levels of electricity for 17 days. Rex Percy Hickman (EW162783) did not attend Joondalup Magistrates Court on 6 March 2020 when he was convicted of breaching WA’s electricity licensing regulations and also ordered to pay costs of $766. The court was told that an...
**PLEASE NOTE THAT MANY OF THESE EVENTS HAVE NOW BEEN CANCELLED** Plumbers and other building industry participants are invited to free metropolitan and regional information sessions presented by the State Government’s Building and Energy team this month. One series of seminars will outline new requirements for plumbing at survey strata lot developments. “Plumbers, builders and developers will...
A co-director of a former building company who was its registered nominated building supervisor has been fined for failing to properly manage and supervise a residential building project in Wellard. George Barclay Allingame (BP9919 - registration surrendered) , now retired, was fined $5,000 by the Building Services Board for disciplinary matters arising from his failure to manage and supervise a...
Regional electricity provider Horizon Power was fined $40,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court on 4 February 2020 for incorrect work in Kununurra that caused a fire and the telecommunications equipment at various properties to become potentially unsafe. Horizon Power was also ordered to pay $1,516.40 in costs, after earlier pleading guilty to breaching the Electricity Regulations 1947. The court...
A new public safety campaign is urging Western Australians to take potentially life-saving action by immediately reporting any electric shocks or tingles to their electrical network operator. The three-month campaign, launched today, is a collaboration between the State Government’s Building and Energy team and network operators Western Power and Horizon Power. “The key message is to contact your...
A 25-year-old Cloverdale man has been fined $3,000 and had his painting registrations cancelled because they were granted based on incorrect or misleading information, including falsified references. Building and Energy commenced disciplinary proceedings against Anwar Hussaini under WA’s building registration laws. The matter concluded at the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) in December 2019...
An Osborne Park building company has been fined for failing to manage and supervise excavation work that caused part of a neighbour’s garage to collapse in Leederville. Danmar Homes Pty Ltd (BC9032) and the company’s nominated supervisor, Robert George Williams (BP7911), were each fined $5,000 by the Building Services Board. Danmar Homes started work on the $2 million apartment development in...
As WA settles in for a season of Christmas lights, barbecues, new outdoor equipment and DIY projects, Building and Energy is sharing its top tips for a safe summer when using gas, electricity, roof spaces and items attached to building structures. Festive lights Building and Energy A/Executive Director Saj Abdoolakhan is encouraging people to ensure their interior and exterior festive lights are...
Message from Building and Energy A/Executive Director, Saj Abdoolakhan *Please note that due to the current Covid-19 pandemic the date for responding to the CRIS has been extended to 30 June 2020 Building and Energy is inviting Western Australians to share their views on ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the commercial building approval...
Building and Energy intends to carry out a General Inspection to assess how well building standards are being applied in relation to the resistance of moisture penetration from wind driven rain during a storm event. This follows an analysis of complaints, audit statistics and information gathered from external parties that indicate wind driven rain penetrating homes is problematic. Inspection...
A former building company director has been fined $40,000 in the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) for hiring a group of men to threaten and intimidate five clients in Perth’s western suburbs. Talbot James Le Page was also ordered to pay $2,000 in costs and declared ineligible to be an officer of a building contractor for the maximum period of three years. The SAT also ordered cancellation of...
Electrical safety inspectors from Building and Energy are investigating an electric shock incident that resulted in the tragic death of a 50-year-old man last night. Emergency services and Western Power also responded to the incident, which occurred at the man’s home in The Vines at approximately 6.30pm yesterday (Monday 9 December 2019) . The man was found unresponsive near an outdoor spa pool...
The Building Services Board has fined a Mount Pleasant building practitioner and his company $6,000 in total for starting construction of a two-storey house in Doubleview without the required home indemnity insurance (HII) or building permit. Compass Building Pty Ltd (BC33514, expired) was fined $3,500 for negligence under WA’s building registration laws. The company’s director and nominated...
A Wangara cabinetmaker has been fined $3,300 and ordered to pay more than $500 in costs after taking a deposit that was six times the maximum allowed. At Joondalup Magistrates Court earlier this month, Micheal Clinton Cockburn (who is also known by the spelling Michael) pleaded guilty to a breach of WA’s home building contract legislation following a prosecution by Building and Energy. The court...
A national product recall has been issued for Suburban Recreational Vehicle water heaters fitted to Australian made caravans and motorhomes. The affected models are SW6DEA, SW4DEA, SW4DECA, SW6DECA, SW6DA, SW4DA and SW6PA and were available for sale by Coast RV PTY Ltd between 4 April 2018 and 25 September 2019. If the unit is powered by gas and is operated in an enclosed area, such as a caravan...
