Losing neutral in the utility system

[Guineafowl]

proper attention paid to the installation and the conditions of the cords or tools connected to them

Ha ha ha (hollow laugh).

You haven’t seen some of the things I’ve seen, man. You weren’t there, man.

1. Plug fuses bridged with foil, wire, or a segment of six-inch nail. (“It keeps blowing, so I made another one”).
2. Scuffed cables with live exposed. (“Watch that cable - it’s a bit dodgy”).
3. Twisted-together wires, wrapped with tape and lying on a wet lawn.
4. Above half-submerged in a small puddle.
5. Damaged plugs where the back comes away when you try to pull it out, exposing all connections.
6. Metal light fittings that “keep tripping the RCD”, so they remove the Earth wire, and allow the casing to float happliy.
7. A dishwasher I bought from a friend - “turn it off before you open it - the metalwork gives you a tingle” - leaky EMI cap across input. Actually it was blown almost to bits.

Etc.

There’s always a danger that too safe a system results in blunted danger perception.

 

[krater]

Ha ha ha (hollow laugh).

You haven’t seen some of the things I’ve seen, man. You weren’t there, man.

Oh come on now. All these sound pretty tame and don't involve conductors the size of your thumb or noises similar to a freight train happeningn inside equipment. Those of us who are intimate with the animal are by and large very aware of the risk. The remainder of the populace is almost totally oblivious to the hazard. Herein lies the approach of applying safety standards.

 

[Guineafowl]

Oh come on now. All these sound pretty tame and don't involve conductors the size of your thumb or noises similar to a freight train happeningn inside equipment. Those of us who are intimate with the animal are by and large very aware of the risk. The remainder of the populace is almost totally oblivious to the hazard. Herein lies the approach of applying safety standards.

I’d say the vast majority of people, at least in the UK, are indeed oblivious to the ins and outs of electricity. As such, they view it as a kind of dangerous black magic, and won’t dare to fiddle. Hence the many call-outs electricians get to simply reset someone’s MCB.

Farmers.

By and large, the salt of the earth. Problems:

1. They are used to doing things for themselves.
2. They need things done now, so they can get on.
3. They have piles of junk that can be used to cobble together solutions to problems.
4. They are used to working with clapped-out gear.
5. They are practical people with tools and a little knowledge.

You’ll always find the worst, excremental electrical setups on farms. If that’s not a testament to the 30mA threshold, I don’t know what is.