Quote:Where did you get the fatality stats from, TT?
Try here: ">
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/http://www.hse.gov.uk/statisti...ables/kind1.htmLooking at Public documents like this one:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si20...ksiem_20090639_en.pdf"4. RATIONALE FOR GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
4.1 Safety
Typically there are 3 to 4 fatalities each year in the UK (2) associated with electrical installations in buildings.
These are generally associated with householders making contact with live parts either as a result of DIY repairs or picking up severed flexible cables.
This would suggest that within electrical installations in buildings the UK is operating from a very safe base and care has to be taken to maintain this."
or this:
"Nearly 2000 fires in 1991 were caused by faulty leads to appliances"
HSE HSG107 Maintaining portable and transportable electrical equipment
Rospa:
http://www.rospa.com/factsheet...ical_accidents2007.pdf There is no mention that the number of 'accidents' rose after the introduction of Part P to the Building Regulations, and that could have been the reason that the data suddenly stopped being available, or maybe they stopped recording them separately (can't think why?).
The last published data showed an upwards trend between 2004 and 2007 - then data stopped, or was it only 6.41% accurate and not good enough for the National Audit Office?
Then there's the good ole' propaganda from the NIC, though I wish they'd make up their minds as to the numbers -
Here's a copy of a email I received last year - the original sender never did an an answer from them

"Sirs,
With reference to figures published at certain times by yourselves -
http://www.niceic.org.uk/partp/newsitemjan052.html says: Amazingly, electricians have never been regulated despite faulty electrics causing an average of 12,500 house fires, 750 serious injuries and 10 deaths each year
But
http://www.niceic.org.uk/press/prnov044.html. says: Amazingly, electricians have never been regulated despite faulty electrics causing an average of 19 deaths and 2000 injuries every year.
And
http://www.niceic.org.uk/press/prdec043.html Says:
Amazingly, electricians have never been regulated despite faulty electrics causing an average of 2336 house fires, 750 serious injuries and 10 deaths each year.
and
http://www.niceic.org.uk/press/prspt0704.html Say:
Despite the fact that faulty electrics result in 19 deaths and over 2000 non-fatal electric shock accidents each year
and
http://www.niceic.org.uk/press/prdec03.html says:
According to government statistics, fixed electrical installations in homes in England and Wales cause around 5 fatalities and over 500 non-fatal injuries every year. And 12500 fires in homes across the country are reported as having an electrical source of ignition causing about 25 deaths and 590 non-fatal injuries each year
and
http://www.niceic.org.uk/consumers/moving.html says:
According to government figures, around 10% of domestic fires are electrical, and of these a third are directly due to old or bad wiring. This equates to over 2000 electric shock accidents and 9300 electrical fires in homes every year.
I'm sure if I looked further I'd see more. So what is it then?
5,10,19, or 30 deaths a year?
2336, 9300, or 12500 house fires?
750, 1090, or 2000 injuries
Or is it just that these people make the figures up on the spot to try to prove a point?
Government statistics did show an increase in deaths since the introduction of part P.
The biggest risk now is cost saving by householders who make do with extension leads, where once they would have had extra sockets installed or other new work carried out.
I have been involved in an after the fire report where the fire officer blamed an electrical storage heater. I found the outside of the heater severely burnt, but no damage whatsoever inside the case.
My conclusion? The heater had been IN a fire but had not been ON fire and had not been the cause.
Now as Government stats would be based on fire officer reports, how many more of these blunders went into their compilation?"