Arc flash risks are well known in the electrical industry.
In February 2025, an Auckland electrician working on a live switchboard was engulfed by an arc flash reaching 20,000 degrees Celsius, leaving him with third-degree burns to his hands, arms, and face. The incident exposed systemic failures at Citywide Electrical — absent risk assessments, inadequate worker instruction, and missing safety equipment — failures that are neither rare nor inevitable in the electrical trade. WorkSafe responded not with prosecution alone, but with a legally-binding undertaking that asks the industry to carry the weight of one man's suffering forward as collective knowledge.
- An arc flash lasting fractions of a second unleashed the heat of the sun's surface, and a worker's body absorbed what proper protocols should have prevented.
- WorkSafe's investigation revealed a company that had not identified the hazard, had not equipped its workers to recognise it, and had not ensured the right tools were even present on site.
- Rather than a courtroom verdict, regulators pursued an enforceable undertaking — a binding commitment to fund industry seminars, expert safety guidance, and direct support for the injured worker.
- The agreement marks the first accepted under WorkSafe's updated regulatory approach, setting a precedent that accountability must produce sector-wide change, not just a single penalty.
- Citywide Electrical has publicly committed to reform both internally and across the wider electrical industry, though the human cost — surgeries, rehabilitation, and an uncertain recovery — cannot be undone by any agreement.
In February 2025, an electrician working on a live switchboard at a commercial site in Māngere, Auckland, was struck by an arc flash — a violent burst of electrical energy that reached 20,000 degrees Celsius. He suffered third-degree burns across his hands, arms, and face. Multiple surgeries followed, and the road of rehabilitation stretched ahead with no certain end.
Arc flashes are a known hazard. WorkSafe's investigation found that Citywide Electrical had failed on multiple fronts: the company had not identified arc flash risks at the site, had not given workers adequate information or instruction, and had not ensured the proper testing equipment was available and used. The injury was preventable.
Rather than pursue a traditional prosecution, WorkSafe negotiated a legally-binding enforceable undertaking with Citywide Electrical — the first accepted under the regulator's updated approach. The agreement requires the company to fund industry seminars on arc flash risk assessment and protective equipment, support the creation of expert-reviewed safety guidance for the wider electrical sector, provide financial compensation to the injured worker, and contribute to the Burn Support Group.
WorkSafe's head of regulatory services, Tracey Conlon, described the undertaking as a pathway to prevention — one that must deliver benefits to workers and workplaces beyond what prosecution alone could achieve. Citywide Electrical acknowledged the gravity of the incident and committed to improving safety both within its own operations and across the industry.
Beneath the formal language of the agreement lies the reality of what one electrician endured. The undertaking exists because of his injury. The industry now has the chance to absorb that lesson before someone else is forced to learn it the same way.
In February 2025, an electrician working on a live switchboard at a commercial site in Māngere, Auckland, was caught in an arc flash—a sudden, violent release of electrical energy that jumps through the air between conductors. The heat reached 20,000 degrees Celsius. The light was blinding. The pressure was like a small explosion. He suffered third-degree burns across his hands, arms, and face. Multiple surgeries followed. Then came the long, uncertain road of rehabilitation.
Arc flashes are a known hazard in electrical work. They are not new. They are not mysterious. Yet this man's injury was preventable, and WorkSafe found clear reasons why it happened. Citywide Electrical, the company he worked for, had failed to identify and control the arc flash risks at the site. The company had not given workers adequate information about the danger or instruction on how to manage it. The testing equipment that might have caught the problem—equipment that should have been available and used—was not in place.
Instead of pursuing a traditional prosecution, WorkSafe negotiated a legally-binding enforceable undertaking with Citywide Electrical. It was the first such agreement the regulator had accepted under its updated approach, introduced in late 2025. The undertaking is not a way out of accountability. It is a commitment to measurable change.
Under the agreement, Citywide Electrical will fund industry seminars focused on arc flash risk assessment, testing protocols, and the correct use of personal protective equipment. The company will support the creation of an arc flash risk management safety article, reviewed and written by experts, that can be distributed across the electrical sector. It will provide financial compensation to the injured worker and support for the Burn Support Group. It will also fund improvements to worker engagement and health and safety practices within its own operations.
Tracey Conlon, WorkSafe's head of regulatory services, framed the agreement as a pathway to prevention. Arc flash risks are well known in the electrical industry, she said. This agreement ensures that the lessons from this incident will drive real, meaningful improvements—not only within one company, but across the wider sector. Enforceable undertakings, she emphasized, must deliver benefits to workers and workplaces that go beyond what prosecution alone could achieve.
Citywide Electrical acknowledged the seriousness of what happened. The company said it had undertaken an immediate review of its health and safety practices. In a statement, the company expressed its thoughts for the injured worker and his family, and committed to supporting his ongoing recovery. The company also stated that its goal was not only to improve safety within its own organization, but to contribute to safer practices across the electrical industry so that others could learn from this experience.
What remains unspoken in the formal language of agreements and undertakings is the weight of what the electrician endured—the surgeries, the pain, the uncertainty about whether his hands and face would ever feel normal again. That weight is real. It is also the reason the agreement exists. The electrical industry now has a chance to absorb the lessons from his injury before someone else has to learn them the same way.
Citas Notables
Arc flash risks are well known in the electrical industry. This agreement ensures that the lessons from this incident will drive real meaningful improvements—not only within Citywide Electrical, but across the wider sector.— Tracey Conlon, WorkSafe head of regulatory services
Our thoughts remain with them, and we are committed to supporting their ongoing recovery. Our goal is not only to improve safety within our own organisation, but to contribute to safer practices across the electrical industry.— Citywide Electrical Limited
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did WorkSafe choose an enforceable undertaking instead of taking Citywide Electrical to court?
Because prosecution alone wouldn't necessarily make the industry safer. A fine or conviction doesn't teach other electricians how to avoid arc flashes. This agreement forces the company to fund seminars, write guidance, and spread knowledge across the sector. It's accountability with a purpose.
But doesn't it let the company off easy?
Not really. It's legally binding. If they don't follow through, WorkSafe can still pursue prosecution. And the company has to fund improvements that benefit the entire industry—not just themselves. That's harder than paying a fine and moving on.
What makes an arc flash so dangerous that it causes third-degree burns?
The temperature. Twenty thousand degrees Celsius. That's hotter than the surface of the sun. It's not just heat, either—there's explosive pressure, blinding light, and the electricity itself can cause internal burns. A worker can be badly hurt in a fraction of a second.
Did the company know about arc flash risks before this happened?
Yes. Arc flashes are a well-known hazard in electrical work. That's what makes this preventable. The company didn't identify the risk at that particular site, didn't train the worker properly, and didn't have the right testing equipment in place. Those are failures of attention and process, not ignorance.
What happens to the electrician now?
He gets compensation from the company. He has access to support through the Burn Support Group. But the real question is whether he can work again, whether his hands and face will heal enough for him to do what he did before. That's the part the agreement can't fix.