On 11 Oct 2003 13:05:10 GMT, wrote:

In uk.d-i-y, Wanderer wrote:

I've had to attend a couple of inquests as expert witness, so yes, and
judging on some of the questions I've seen asked in this NG over the
three or four years I've been following it, again, yes! There may not be
many, but just one accident because someone doesn't understand what
they're doing is too many.

Oh piffle! "If it saves just one child"... What next: legislation against
gravity to stop people hurting themselves if they skip and fall, or fall
over a cliff? To tear up the road network because people die on it?
Accidents *happen*. Good sense, widespread information, enlightened
self-interest, product design standards all work to reduce risk. But
pretending that all risk can be *eliminated* risk, and looking for
someone with deep pockets to sue when a (genuine) accident happens, takes
us into a world where only lawyers are rich & happy (well, rich anyway ;-)

The UK already has a very *low* rate of deaths and accidents through
faulty electrical installations - and as Andy H has been tirelessly
pointing out, based on the IEE's and RoSPA's own figures, the bulk of
electricity-related injuries and deaths which do occur are casued by
faulty or misused *appliances*, not *fixed wiring*. Most of the
electrickery questions posed on this group are eminently reasonable,
and typically answered quickly and with a bias towards safety (and
"get in a sparky" if it seems the enquirer is significantly
deficient in the clue department). It must be hard to gain a balanced
perspective of overall practice if you're called to too many inquests,
I suppose, but it'd be worth making the intellectual effort to at least
try so to do...

Did you bother to read this thread? I suggest you read my message i.d.
, where I set out my views
about the subject in more detail.

I am concerned that a complete novice attampting to follow an idiot's
guide to wiring alterations 'parrot fashion' will not have any
understanding or concept of the dangers inherrent in not carrying out
the works in a safe Manner. It is fashionable these days to say 'So
what? If the idiot kills himself or his family, tough luck.' I happen to
think that such incidents can and should be avoided.

Taking your argument to its logical conclusion, I assume we can expect
to see you promoting do-it-yourself brain surgery! After all, if we
can't eliminate *all* risks, if we're prepared to adopt good sense, if
we're prepared to seek out all available information, if we're all
prepared to practice enlightened self-interest by performing surgery on
somebody else, if we're all prepared to use only the prescribed tools
and equipment for the job.......