Consumer units in inaccessible locations

[Adam W]

'I was like batwoman': The pensioner who was left hanging upside down for 27 hours after falling from cellar

An 86-year-old woman was left hanging upside-down in a dark cellar for 27 hours after falling and trapping her leg in a ladder. Joan Eaborn fell as she tried to climb into her cellar through a trapdoor to reach the electricity fuse box after the power was cut to her home in Ipswich, Suffolk.
A friend found Ms Eaborn last Wednesday and she was cut free by firefighters.

'I was just hanging there like a bat,' she said last night. 'I was like a batwoman!'
'I quickly realised that there wasn’t much I could do but to keep positive and try to spread the weight off my trapped leg.

'I wasn’t scared. Worse things have happened in life. I was prepared to hold on for a few more hours at least.'

The pensioner was treated by paramedics and rushed to Ipswich Hospital.
She is now recovering in hospital from a leg injury and hypothermia.
'I am a strong believer that with a bit of positive thinking and with enough willpower you can keep going and get through these things,' she added.

Source

It seems to me this could have been avoided if the cu had been put in a more accessible location - the last thing you want when all the power goes off is to be crawling around in the cellar in the dark. Likewise balancing on chairs to reach a cu above the door, or having to get everything out of a cupboard.
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[pennywise]

I would have mine in pride of place in the front room if I could

 

[mcs.serv]

Sorry didn't see this post untill after i'd posted "domestic emergency lights?"

A bit of light on the subject may have prevented the fall, Or at least may have made the first 3 hours a bit less scary.

Bless her!

 

[baldsparkies]

Could be a new reg in the making. All domestic consumer units must be provided with an E/M lighting bulkhead in the event of power failure to the lighting circuits local to it. Or something like that (But you need an NVQ3 to install it lol)

 

[IQ Electrical]

Let's all raise a toast to Part M, we've eventually justified a building regulation!

 

[roukel01]

We've been saying that for years, especially now RCD's are common place. I can see some kind of emergency lighting required at top and bottom of stairs. Not a bad thing I suppose in a standard house..... not sure about some larger properties though.

 

[Adam W]

I can see the benefits of having an EM fitting near the CU, particularly if it's hidden away under the stairs.
A wider range including more versatile and more elegant fittings might need to be produced before it is made a reg though.