The Importance of Regular R.C.D. Testing.

Not necessarily. The 30mA trip curve was designed to save 95% of the population under normal conditions - a balance between saving lives and being “trip happy”. In a situation like a shower, the percentage saved would be significantly lower. 

Regards,

Alan. 

Yep 11 12mA can be hazardous in the wrong conditions and in a shower etc has more risks than normal dry conditions. Like Alan says 95% average save rate still might leave 5% unsaved over all even for an in spec RCD in an in spec installation

That's rather old “news” and seems not to describe the whole picture. Even if the grill of an extractor fan had become live, why was the victim touching it whilst showering?

(There is a class II fan just above my right ear when I take a shower.)

Let's not forget that an RCD does not limit the current, just it's duration.

Those houses are not modern and I doubt that the wiring was either. Any RCD was probably sockets only.

Actually the nice thing about an RCD, at least when it is working,  is that it is current operated, not requiring a specific voltage on the CPC, so the state of damp of the victim is less important than safety systems that are relying on keeping a touch voltage to a specific level - a voltage that is safe to touch when dry may be far less safe to the wet hand.

However this seems to combine a non-tripping RCD and a loose live wire in the loft, the latter would be getting more of a mention if it was me.

In any case a tragic event, probably avoidable with the right sort of inspection and test, but you'd still have to test a lot of properties very carefully to save one life, I suspect many inspections would still miss things like this.

Mike.

Could the unfortunate death have been caused by a situation similar to where a phone charger falls into the unearthed bath tub with fatal results to the  bather? Phone charger deaths have been reported internationally.

Z.

Chris Pearson: 
 

That's rather old “news” and seems not to describe the whole picture. 

Reported just a few months ago Chris.

Z.

Alan Capon: 
 

Not necessarily. The 30mA trip curve was designed to save 95% of the population under normal conditions - a balance between saving lives and being “trip happy”. In a situation like a shower, the percentage saved would be significantly lower. 

Regards,

Alan. 

The trip curve is also based on dry conditions … 

Overall, there is insufficient information in the article to come to any real conclusion about the case.

There is a little more info in this article: 

… but still nothing to give us a clue about the particular circumstances.

There are a number of similar cases, for example a plumber who was sadly killed when he came into contact with water from a leak, which was also in contact with the metal frame of a stud wall which was in contact with a live conductor due to the cable being caught by a self-drilling screw.