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Re: Why “pull the plug” ?
Truely sobering…and maybe something that should be made a ‘sticky’ at the top of all the public forums Dave?
Re: Why “pull the plug” ?
I did think about posting it as a news article on the front page but I’m not sure that someone else’s misfortune should be used to get the message across especially as the guy is named, his family may well come across it.
Dave.
Re: Why “pull the plug” ?
you dont get many chances working live !
plus many of these kitchen now have walls coverd in spurs and sockets and trying to find what to turn off is tricky at times.
i have been caught off gaurd once swapping a washing machine and turned off what i thought was spur for washing machine. opps :zap:
but i had good shoes on and a friend with me to turn off correct spurRe: Why “pull the plug” ?
With wires disappearing under and into cupboards its easy to disconnect the wrong appliance-so its better to double check.I was a victim 10 years ago,the sensation of 240volts across my chest and flesh burning will never leave me.Luckily there was someone in the room to switch the mains off,I dread to think what would have happened if he had not been there.I’d unplugged the fridge by mistake in a maze of wires and extensions,but I could have checked if the washer I was working on switched on and off.So double check.
Re: Why “pull the plug” ?
Gents and all
Personaly knowing Ricky for a short period of time, he was a very experienced engineer whom possibly made one fatal Accident/mistake,
touching an electic component whilst live , The company he worked for British Gas – Electrical Servicing Division provides every single method of protection for there employes from volt alert, to mulimeters to alphatec eli meters to personal rcd , no expense spared, again I would ask any one of us involved in this trade is there anyone honestly whom has never had contact with electricity, personally advising someone how to diagnose a fault is dangerous in public forums.Re: Why “pull the plug” ?
People will try to repair themselves irrespective of what we say and irrespective of any dangers that we tell them of. All we can do is advise people to be safe when they do attempt it themselves.
I’d rather they made an a**e of it safely than trying to repair with the power on.
K.
Re: Why “pull the plug” ?
Just a thought , would it be best advice also to advise when power of prove the appliance is dead, if they reply back saying what do you mean this would indicate that they dont know what they are doing and could put some work to uk whitegoods trade members
Re: Why “pull the plug” ?
If it’s unplugged it cannot bite you thats my modus operandi, however it is real easy to get sidetracked with testing and holding a conversation with a inquizative customer and mistakes can an do happen to all of us from time to time. Personally I use a voltstick to test any appliance where the termination of the plug cannot been SEEN as DISCONECTED before I go diving in. Sometimes live testing is required and concentration is required and I have asked many a customer to not hold a conversation with me when I am working as it does not take very long to expose yourself to shock risks which are associated with our profession.
On busy days when we are rushing about thinking about that last job or the next one, the traffic, the time, remebering personal items etc’ et’c it is easy to make such a mistake and as we all know that mistake could be fatal.
Be Careful out there ➡ :eeek:
In the end you can only go so far. We tell people again and again and again to be safe, pull the plug, power off etc. etc. It’s plastered all over UKW on virtually every single thread. The simple fact is that if people don’t pay attention then they don’t do it and there’s very little to be done about it.
Same thing if you wander out on to the road and don’t look both ways. Do we ban people from crossing the road or make them prove a competence to do so? It’s all about a reasonable and measured response.
We’ve all done it, forgotten to pull the plug or forgotten to check that there actually was no power. We’re busy, we get cocky, lazy or whatever and accidents happen, we’ll never be able to totally eliminate them and they will always occur. I do think that we do a damn good job at warning and reminding both the trade and public alike.
But let me ask you this…
Who else provides such safe advice to the public when it comes to appliances?
K.
Re: Why “pull the plug” ?
The guy that was electrocuted was in fact (I suspect?) doing exactly what most of us do day in day out. We all have 9 lives (or we would like to think we have!) but occasionally, very occasionally the very best of us are caught ‘off guard’. That spur of the moment, under pressure, once in a blue moon event that can and does catch us all out. 😕
I am testiment to that and can say without fear of conscience that I on at least one occasion did something stupid but lived to tell the tale! 🙄
For those of you that recall the Hoover 3236 will know that in order to adjust the motor (tacho) speed. It was best done whilst it was tumbling, just tip it back a tad, stick a small screwdriver in the tacho coil hole, twist it left or right a bit to gain optimum speed…easy!
In my case I tipped it a little to far and the machine began to fall forward, so I grabbed it securely to stop that happening. But in doing so (I had the lid off by the way) I accidentally grabbed the mains terminal block 🙁
My other hand was holding the base of the machine! The combined effect of 240 volts and both hands firmly grabbing the appliance meant that I simply couldn’t let go! :zap:
Only sheer luck, a love for life and the living somehow gave me the strength to force myself backwards releasing my grip, dropping the machine on its front in so doing and smashing a hole in the customers sappele kitchen door with the force of my actions! 😳
I learnt more that day than any other day before or since 8)
Re: Why “pull the plug” ?
Having had around a dozen electric shocks while working on appliances, reading about this puzzles me as to why some shocks kill and others do not. I even remember being sat cross legged, behind a Hoover washer dryer and reaching inside to unplug the motor. I got a nasty shock, but all my shocks have just been jolts lasting no more than a second.
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