- Published:
- Thursday, 5 June 2025 at 11:37 am
An appeal by an electrical business supervisor who falsified more than 40 Certificates of Electrical Safety has been rejected by the County Court.
Electrical workers licensed by Energy Safe Victoria (Energy Safe) must complete Certificates of Electrical Safety (COES) whenever they carry out electrical work. The COES is a legal document that makes the electrician accountable for the work they have completed.
Luke Warren was found guilty of 44 offences under the Electricity Safety Act 1998 for providing false information when he lodged a number of COES using the accreditation details of an electrician who did not carry out or supervise the listed electrical works.
He was convicted and ordered to pay $8,000 in fines and an additional $5,000 in legal costs after the guilty verdict was upheld on appeal in the County Court last week.
In sentencing on Friday 30 May, Presiding Judge Dalziel said she suspected the man had not considered the potential harm to customers and noted that his conduct was likely to be a cost-cutting exercise.
Energy Safe investigated after receiving a complaint from a former company employee who found his name and licence number had been used to certify electrical installation work conducted after he had resigned.
Investigations revealed that Mr Warren, who was also the company’s sole director at the time of offending, had illegally lodged 44 false Certificates with Energy Safe between June 2019 and March 2020.
Electricians issue Certificates of Electrical Safety to their customers to record the details of their work and to certify it has passed all the required tests and complies with the Electricity Safety Act 1998 and Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019. Certificates must also be lodged with Energy Safe.
“Certificates hold electricians accountable, but they are also a guarantee that work meets safety regulations,” Energy Safe CEO Leanne Hughson said.
“To falsify them is illegal and can have serious consequences.
“Energy Safe is committed to investigating and prosecuting any fraudulent behaviour in the electrical industry to help keep Victorian people and property safe.”
This conviction comes after Mr Warren appealed a guilty finding made on 20 March 2024 at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.
In a related matter, the registered electrical contractor where Mr Warren worked, Pro Install Electrical, was found guilty and fined $12,000 for offences related to the fraudulent lodgement of COES in March 2023.
More information about Certificates of Electrical Safety and industry responsibilities is available on the Energy Safe Victoria website: www.energysafe.vic.gov.au/certificates-electrical-safety
Energy Safe. Always.
Media contact: April Dudgeon | 0498 188 117 | media@energysafe.vic.gov.au
Reviewed