Awareness and management of arc flash risks nationwide are set to improve, thanks to a new legally binding agreement between WorkSafe New Zealand and Citywide Electrical Limited.
This follows a February 2025 arc flash incident in which a worker suffered significant burn injuries while working on an energised main switchboard in Māngere.
An arc flash is a sudden, explosive release of energy caused when electricity jumps through the air between conductors. It creates extremely high temperatures (up to 20,000 degrees Celsius), bright light, and pressure that’s similar to a small explosion.
The electrician received third degree burns to his hands, arms, and face requiring multiple surgeries and a lengthy period of rehabilitation.
WorkSafe’s investigation found that Citywide Electrical had failed to identify and control arc flash risks, provide workers with adequate instruction and information, and ensure appropriate testing equipment was available and used.
Citywide Electrical’s enforceable undertaking forms a binding commitment to invest in a series of health and safety and community initiatives aimed at preventing similar incidents
across the electrical sector. It includes:
- Financial amends to the victim.
- Health and Safety Governance training for the company director.
- A worker consultation initiative to identify and implement health and safety improvements.
- Publication of an article on arc flash risk management in Safeguard Magazine to share lessons learned with the wider health and safety community.
- Delivery of training seminars for the electrical industry on best practice in arc flash risk management and electrical testing.
- Donation to the Burns Support Group to support recovery and prevention initiatives
WorkSafe’s Head of Regulatory Services, Tracey Conlon, says the commitment provides a clear pathway to better safety outcomes.
“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.”
This agreement is the first pre-charge enforceable undertaking that WorkSafe has accepted since its approach was updated late-2025. The changes give WorkSafe the opportunity to consider enforceable undertakings earlier in investigations, resulting in more timely decisions, including for the victim, and enabling collaborative solutions to improve health and safety outcomes.
“Enforceable undertakings are not a way for businesses to avoid accountability. They must deliver measurable benefits to workers, workplaces, and the wider industry or sector that go beyond what could be achieved through prosecution alone,” says Tracey Conlon.
What is an enforceable undertaking?
An enforceable undertaking is an agreement between WorkSafe and a duty holder made under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA). It is entered into voluntarily by the duty holder following a breach (including an alleged breach) of HSWA and, once in place, is legally binding. It is generally used as an alternative to prosecution.
An enforceable undertaking should not be viewed as an
easy option. The agreement details actions the duty holder
will undertake to respond to the breach. These actions are expected to:
- support higher standards of work health and safety for the benefit of the
– workers and/or work and/or workplace
– wider industry or sector
– community - remedy the harm caused to any victim(s)
- support us to meet our strategic priorities.
We do not impose an enforceable undertaking on a duty holder and will not offer it. However, we may notify a duty holder where we consider that an alternative to prosecution may be appropriate in the form of a pre-charge enforceable undertaking.
If a duty holder wishes to pursue an enforceable undertaking, they must formally register their interest with us.
Statement from Citywide Electrical Limited
We acknowledge the seriousness of the incident involving one of our employees and the impact this has had on them, their family, and our wider team. Our thoughts remain with them, and we are committed to supporting their ongoing recovery.
The safety of our workers is our highest priority. Following the incident, we undertook an immediate review of our health and safety practices and implemented a number of improvements to ensure the wellbeing of our team.
Through this enforceable undertaking, we have committed to a range of initiatives aimed at strengthening our internal health and safety systems while also contributing to improvements across the wider electrical industry including supporting the affected worker, increasing industry awareness of arc flash risks, delivering safety training seminars, investing in additional safety equipment and testing capability, enhancing supervisor and electrician training, and undertaking an independent health and safety audit.
We recognise the responsibility we have to our workers and to the industry. Our goal is not only to improve safety within our own organisation, but to contribute to safer practices across the electrical industry so that others can learn from this experience.
