If you isolate the entire installation at the consumer, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit, turn off a switch and unplug the appliance you can still be electrocuted working within the appliance. 

https://www.walb.com/story/19823265/update-deadly-microwave-was-not-plugged-in/

Neither unplugging an appliance or using double pole switch to isolate it is a guarantee of safety when undertaking mechanical or electrical repairs within an appliance, in fact not even isolating the entire circuit or installation is.

I know that doesn’t answer the original question, I fitted double pole switches over the worktop for the washing machine and dishwasher in my own kitchen, but the freestanding fridge freezer just has a plug and socket behind it, however it has an on/off switch inside it as part of the temperature control.

If you isolate the entire installation at the consumer, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit, turn off a switch and unplug the appliance you can still be electrocuted working within the appliance. 

https://www.walb.com/story/19823265/update-deadly-microwave-was-not-plugged-in/

Neither unplugging an appliance or using double pole switch to isolate it is a guarantee of safety when undertaking mechanical or electrical repairs within an appliance, in fact not even isolating the entire circuit or installation is.

I know that doesn’t answer the original question, I fitted double pole switches over the worktop for the washing machine and dishwasher in my own kitchen, but the freestanding fridge freezer just has a plug and socket behind it, however it has an on/off switch inside it as part of the temperature control.

I remember hearing of many an engineer getting a belt of a CRT TV or monitor back in the day

Indeed - the charge is stored for ages - many hours on the CRT - the glass serves as a low value but very high voltage capacitor, and if the cathode heaters are off there is no bleed path for something like 20kV- until you touch  it...
I can certainly confirm (from personal experience) it packs a significant punch....

Mike

Sparkingchip said:

If you isolate the entire installation at the consumer, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit, turn off a switch and unplug the appliance you can still be electrocuted working within the appliance. 

https://www.walb.com/story/19823265/update-deadly-microwave-was-not-plugged-in/

I find that conclusion very odd. "Roddy managed to walk into his sister's room and tell her what happened before he collapsed. He later died at the hospital." A shock puts you into ventricular fibrillation and you die on the spot unless somebody arrives promptly with a defibrillator. I wonder whether they bothered to do a post-mortem?

Folk dieing in the hour or so after a shock is not unknown, and for HV DC capacitor type shocks, as this would have been, is quite common - the current would not have been passing for long enough to induce ventricular fibrillation. (a typical microwave oven has 4 or 5uF and it was probably holding 2-3kV when he touched it. *)

In any case, the mechanisms are more complex and relate to internal burns or muscle damage. And of course there may be some underlying weakness the victim is unaware of.

Agree totally that pretty much  all instant deaths are fibrillation, especially on AC or DC supplies where the current can flow for a long time compared to a heart period.

There is a good reason for the advice to get a medical check up as soon as possible after a bad electric shock.

There is a fair amount of evidence for some very delayed effects in terms of greater risk of other problems later on.

(*) And that is unlucky, any machine bearing a CE mark would have a discharge resistor, but they can fail, and also this was the USA were EU standard does not apply.

Mike.

There is a similar thing with drowning or more precisely near drowning.  If there is a near drowning (so the person survives a drowning event) then the person should always go to hospital to be checked over.  The reason is they could suffer from secondary drowning.