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Sparkies face live work ban

Sparkies face live work ban

Electricians would be almost entirely banned from doing live electrical work under a proposed shake-up to avoid a repeat of deadly incidents.

Amid concerns that some electricians are endangering lives by cutting corners, the State's electricity safety watchdog has put forward sweeping changes aimed at making the industry safer.

The dangers faced by electricians have been thrown into the spotlight after the deaths of two workers at the Galleria shopping centre in Morley and the electrocution of a Bunbury teenager who had been working in a house's roof space.

In a discussion paper out today, EnergySafety said it was considering placing a "mandatory prohibition on electrical work on or near live electrical installations and equipment".

Exemptions would likely only be granted in circumstances where there was a greater danger to life if power supplies were switched off.

The proposal, which comes amid a broader review of WA's energy safety laws, looms as the biggest revamp of electrical workplace practices in years.

Under current arrangements, electrical contractors can freely work on live installations and appliances, although they are encouraged to isolate the relevant parts of them first.

However, EnergySafety noted the arrangements led some contractors to "cut corners" to save time and money and this heightened the risk of injury or death.

"There is a commercial incentive to complete the work in the least time possible," EnergySafety said.

"Most of the time this approach does not have a bad result but when contact with live conductors occurs, a considerable amount of time is consumed in dealing with the after-effects."

EnergySafety said a code it set up to allow industry members to regulate themselves had failed, with electricians being shocked or killed at the same rate since its inception.

As a result, the watchdog believed removing the option of working in live settings might be necessary to prevent similar incidents happening in future.

The suggestion comes after heightened scrutiny of the electrical industry after Jayden Zappelli, an 18-year-old trades assistant, died while working in the roof of a Bunbury home in 2013.

In a separate incident, two men were killed and two others were horrifically injured last month when the high-voltage switch they were working on exploded at Galleria.

"A comprehensive prohibition on working on live electrical conductors will level the playing field, thus removing the incentive to 'cut corners' and improve the overall safety performance of electrical workers," EnergySafety said.