[Article] Child killed by stove

[123]

2 year child killed by stove...

Why would the municipality bypass an E/L? Something is fishy here..

[Dave A]

Something is fishy here..

About sums it up.

My heart goes out to the family.

I trust in due course the tragedy will be properly investigated and the actual cause identified so that we can all learn from this.

[Sparks]

Neither the municipality, nor anyone else, is allowed to by-pass an ELCB other than to do tests where-after the bridges must immediately be removed. This will be tricky in court as the law only requires plugs to have earth fault protection. However, I have come across a stove where the manufacturer speciffically states that the stove MUST have ELCB protection. Then again it is the responsibillity of the "user" to ensure that the installation is safe. Had the "user" been in the posession on a COC and the municipallity then altered the installation, I would think that they should be held accountable for culpable homicide. Finding the person who did it "negligent" is not good enough. Only qualified personel are "supposed" to be working on the installation.

[AndyD]

I have come across a stove where the manufacturer speciffically states that the stove MUST have ELCB protection.

It is an interesting case. As you point out the stove wouldn't necessarily require RCD protection under 0142 regs. The local regs will always take precedence over manufacturers recommendations. Most manufacturers will also state this in their installation manuals.

RCD protection aside, to give someone a shock there must be two different faults simultaneously. Firstly the chassis of the appliance is not earthed and secondly there is an insulation fault causing a voltage on the chassis and a fault current to flow through the victim.

Whatever happened it resulted in a death which is heartbreaking.

[Sparks]

That is the problem, a poor child died because of negligence. Or was it stupidity? A stupid supervisor who sent unqualified/incompetent staff. As Dave said, hopefully the actual cause will be found out and publicised.