The Perils of <100% Socket Testing

[SW1970]

Sad news reported yesterday..

Plumber, 23, died in 'wiring blunder' | This is Bristol
I know it's gone through the media filter but I'm pretty certain my testing would have revealed reversed L and E on a socket.

 

[telectrix]

looks like the socket may have been hidden from sight when the testing was carried out, and missed . a simple socket&see would have shown the fault, but , as has been posted on various threads, a spur can easily be missed.e.g. when testing for an IR fault. just shows that it pays to be ultra thorough when testing.

 

[JamesBrownLive]

Surely if you are doing IV testing, you would have a plan/details of the work that had been undertaken and would be working to that.
i.e. You should blinking well know how many sockets had been installed.

 

[telectrix]

it is not clear from the report whether this was a new installation or not. the socket could have been like that for some time. perhaps hidden from view.

 

[JamesBrownLive]

it is not clear from the report whether this was a new installation or not. the socket could have been like that for some time. perhaps hidden from view.

I guess I just assumed when the news article stated 'being developed by' and then the name of the company, that this was a new install.

 

[Octopus]

How many homes/buildings have you been in, especially the older ones, where sockets have been added in unconventional ways in unconventional positions?

Its a very sad day and I hope that such a situation never happens to me.

 

[telectrix]

I guess I just assumed when the news article stated 'being developed by' and then the name of the company, that this was a new install.

might have been a kitchen refurb, and the socket was existing. hidden away behind the washing machine.

 

[drew35]

That is bad, but I wonder if its partly due to a company cracking the whip over time taken, the same company that will now wash its hands of that employee. He could well have tested that point and not picked up on the fault. As it was a spur, testing the ring wouldn't of shown it, neither would insulation resistance. I could see them connecting line and earth at the board and just doing an R1+R2 test at the socket, as it was reversed he got the same reading. No test of polarity, or visual check done, and no function test with a socket tester. I wonder what it said on the certificate in the box, "points served". I am sure that the person responsible is living in a world of poo!

 

[IQ Electrical]

That is bad, but I wonder if its partly due to a company cracking the whip over time taken, the same company that will now wash its hands of that employee. He could well have tested that point and not picked up on the fault. As it was a spur, testing the ring wouldn't of shown it, neither would insulation resistance. I could see them connecting line and earth at the board and just doing an R1+R2 test at the socket, as it was reversed he got the same reading. No test of polarity, or visual check done, and no function test with a socket tester. I wonder what it said on the certificate in the box, "points served". I am sure that the person responsible is living in a world of poo!

Assuming initial verification, how would testing the ring not have shown it when every 'outlet' must be tested-on the 'step 2' line-neutral interconnection test, what reading would you expect at that outlet if there was a L-E cross?

This has slipped through 2 checks-the visual by the guy that connected the outlet and the testing by the 'competent' inspector, pretty poor and very sad.

 

[johnboy6083]

IMO, the person installing that socket needs shooting. Its not an easy mistake to make, and you should double check everything you do.
I nearly crossed two phases on a big panel yesterday, as the DNO head, was in a different order to the ACB. Good job, i followed the tails by hand and checked it. Complacency kills people.

 

[oxocube]

This has slipped through 2 checks-the visual by the guy that connected the outlet and the testing by the 'competent' inspector, pretty poor and very sad.

That was my thought, two bits of careless workmanship and a young dad gets killed, appalling.

 

[telectrix]

which also brings to mind, why is it that if you get 3 different makes of socket, there's 3 different layouts of the terminals. why aren't they standardised. and secondly, why do you need a magnifying glass to read the terminal IDs.

 

[Engineer54]

which also brings to mind, why is it that if you get 3 different makes of socket, there's 3 different layouts of the terminals. why aren't they standardised. and secondly, why do you need a magnifying glass to read the terminal IDs.

Quite agree with you there Tel. If they standardised, say the L to always be positioned on the right and the N always on the left, it would soon become second nature to all electricians....

There is always those electricians though, that need those thick pebble lens glasses just to distinguish left from right, let alone be able to see the L, E, and the N designations for the terminals!! lol!!!

 

[PC Electrics]

It will be interesting to see what the inquest verdict will be.

 

[telectrix]

Quite agree with you there Tel. If they standardised, say the L to always be positioned on the right and the N always on the left, it would soon become second nature to all electricians....

There is always those electricians though, that need those thick pebble lens glasses just to distinguish left from right, let alone be able to see the L, E, and the N designations for the terminals!! lol!!!

my eyes get any worse, they'll have to etch them in braille.LOL.

 

[trypod]

The family of a plumber who was electrocuted while working at a flat in Bristol, have criticised the verdict at his inquest.
Danny Edwards was killed in 2008 while working at a flat in Clifton when he touched a badly wired washing machine.
A jury returned a narrative verdict at the inquest at Flax Bourton after it could not be decided who had wired it.
Mr Edwards' father, Paul, said it was "sick" that nobody had been blamed for the death of his son.
Speaking after the verdict, he said: "Somebody's to blame for it. They've proved that somebody put the wires in wrong, and that person knows who they are.
"It's just sick that they're walking away, getting away with it."
The inquest heard that Mr Edwards, who was 23, had been working at a flat in Percival Road in March of 2008.
He touched the metal casing at the back of the washing machine, which was plugged into an electrical socket in which the live and earth connections had been wrongly wired.
All four electricians who had been working at the site either denied having wired the socket or said they could not remember who had.
Jason Birakos, the former director of Birakos Enterprises Ltd, who employed Mr Edwards, said he regretted what had happened.
"Obviously it was a tragic occurrence, he was a trusted colleague, a dear friend and fun to work with.
"He was very professional and hard working, and was sadly missed by everyone in the company."
Birakos Enterprises Ltd went into receivership in 2010.

 

[Deleted member 19807]

Was there no RCD? how long ago did this happen?

 

[telectrix]

was 2008. there obviously should have been a RCD fitted. if there was, it proves that RCDs are not infallible.

 

[Rockingit]

As tragic as a death is, I think the even more tragic thing is that there is nothing 'new to learn', here. Makes it all completely pointless. He died a death by means and cause that we have proceedure and methods to prevent, and have done for a long time.

A couple of weeks ago I spent hours trying to find an outlet in a kitchen that couldn't be seen but I felt 'had to be there somewhere' due to having spotted a spur coming out of another socket, all hidden behind the tiles (of course). We've all been there; some of us clearly pay a bit more attention to detail than others. The only blood I want on my hands is my own from a good job done, thank you.