Negligence on job put homeowners at risk, according to authorities
An unlicensed worker has been fined $9,000 for carrying out negligent electrical and plumbing work that put a property and its occupants at risk.
Graeme Paul Leo Kyle was sentenced on one charge of negligent work on an electrical installation in a manner dangerous to life, one charge of doing prescribed electrical work while unauthorised, and one charge of carrying out sanitary plumbing while unauthorised.
The charges came after Kyle left a client's home without finishing his work following a dispute with the owner, according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE).
His unfinished work caused a blackout at the house due to a subcircuit overload that caused burning to part of the switchboard.
Kyle also left live wires exposed that could have caused electrocution or a potential house fire, according to the MBIE.
Duncan Connor, Registrar of Electrical Workers Registration Board, said Kyle carried out work on an electrical installation in a "manner dangerous to life."
"Carrying out prescribed electrical work without the required expertise, training and qualification is highly dangerous for everyone involved," Connor said in a statement.
Faulty plumbing modification
Meanwhile, Kyle also made modifications to a certified plumber's work at the said home that made it uncompliant to standards.
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Aleyna Hall, chief executive of the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board, said Kyle's actions could have caused damage to the structure of the home over time.
"The faults with Mr. Kyle's work also meant that wastewater containing harmful bacteria and pathogens could have been leaking into the wall cavity and could have caused the building to become an insanitary building," Hall said in a statement.
In addition to the fine, Kyle was also ordered to pay reparations worth $700 to the property owner.