Electric Shock From Lamp And/or Mains Wall Sockets

[Blue Duck]

Trading standards it is then...

If you didn't have an RCD then it could have been a lot worse

I work hackney but am not back until the 4th Jan but from the pictures we can see numerous issues.

 

[ProDave]

As already stated that lamp wiring looks as rough as a rough thing.

Personally I would get an electrician to rewire it with a 3 core flex and make sure the earth is firmly connected to the metal base of the lamp.

Another question, is it a screw in lamp (ES) or bayonet (BC) lamp?

 

[semblance]

Yes I do feel inclined to follow up with trading standards - there are 100's of other lamps being sold by the same shop which are presumably similar.

The lamp takes screw-in SES / E14 bulbs.

 

[kerching]

I would DO nothing until Trading Standards have been contacted...seriously.

This has many implications, such as

Materials not fit for purpose

Possibility of selling goods without a CE mark ( not too sure on this, sidey is your man)

 

[OnOff]

My brother moves in those circles (Trading Standards) UK wide. I'll ask if he has a contact there in Hackney or knows one of the TSOs.

 

[semblance]

OK - although presumably I need to contact Trading Standards in Camden (where the lamp was bought) rather than Hackney (where we live).

And I will of course report back regarding the outcome.

Thanks again for all the helpful contributions!

 

[ProDave]

Yes I do feel inclined to follow up with trading standards - there are 100's of other lamps being sold by the same shop which are presumably similar.

The lamp takes screw-in SES / E14 bulbs.

A common fault with screw in lamp holders is people wiring them the wrong way round so the outer screw in part of the lamp is connected to live (instead of neutral) thus increasing the risk of a shock.

 

[OnOff]

Did you / can you take a pic of the pin side of the 13A plug. I know it's all marked up with a BS sticker etc on the cover but that doesn't sadly mean a lot now. Again, interested to see if the pins are part insulated.

 

[semblance]

Pin-side of the 13A plug:

Looks like the pins are part-insulated - and anyway, the plug was fully in the socket.

 

[Andy™]

is it possible to get the base of the lamp holder open without damaging anything? if so, a pic of the wiring inside there could be interesting....

 

[Evans Electric]

Just returned to this thread , I see that insulating tape is causing some interest , specially if the base of the lamp is metal , no way can that be a Class 2  .

As said above , what is hiding under the tape .   ?   

That shock could have been much worse so if there is a problem with the lamp, Trading Standards need to know .

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Also I should add that the lamp was NOT bought second hand from a market stall.

It was bought NEW from a shop premises in Camden market that sells turkish lamps and has literally 100's of them on display.

a few other points to consider...

Was this "NEW" item in a box appropriately marked with manufactures name, contact details, and all the correct safety standards signage etc...

Just because there are 100's of something does not make it safe or legally compliant with UK trading laws...

Most dodgy salesmen selling pirate and counterfeit goods have 100's of them..

On the face of it from the pictures the lamp looks like a DIY construction, or DIY refurb job that has not been done very well or very professionally.

:shakehead

 

[kerching]

I think that whoever the lucky person is who gets the job of putting it right may have a challenge...look at the connection twixt stand and shade. It is connected by what appears to be a bit of old sink plug chain.

I would have thought that the base AND the lampholder would need an earth connection, if the only earth is at the lampholder end then the base could still become live

But what do I know, see wife for details

 

[semblance]

Was this "NEW" item in a box appropriately marked with manufactures name, contact details, and all the correct safety standards signage etc...

 
As far as I remember there was none of that...
 
 

is it possible to get the base of the lamp holder open without damaging anything? if so, a pic of the wiring inside there could be interesting....

what is hiding under the tape .   ?   

That shock could have been much worse so if there is a problem with the lamp, Trading Standards need to know .

Yes, I will contact Trading Standards ASAP.

In the meantime I don't feel inclined to tamper with the "evidence"... at least until I've spoken to them.

But one way or another I'll find out what's been going on  :well-confused:

As everyone keeps saying, it could have been MUCH worse, and the RCD could have saved her life. My wife said the jolt was like being hit in the back of the head. It's horrifying...

 

[kerching]

Whatever you do DONT make it look like younhave been having a fiddle/look yourself, otherwise they will say YOU did it. Also DO not let them have the lamp back until TS have had a look or you will be Oscar Pistorious'd

.....just a thought....did you pay by Credit Card?...if you did then you can complain to the Card Company as in effect you "bought the lamp" from them, who in turn bought it from the vendor

 

[ProDave]

I think we will all be interested to se what TS say, to see if they have any dangly bits or not.

Personally I would like to let an electrician have a look at it first, on the instruction he is to look, photograph, and test, but not to dismantle or otherwise actually alter it until TS have seen it.  His report of his findings would help your case.

It would probably be a good idea to get him to properly test and inspect that socket as well just to be 100% sure.

 

[Doc Hudson]

I think we will all be interested to se what TS say, to see if they have any dangly bits or not.

Personally I would like to let an electrician have a look at it first, on the instruction he is to look, photograph, and test, but not to dismantle or otherwise actually alter it until TS have seen it.  His report of his findings would help your case.

It would probably be a good idea to get him to properly test and inspect that socket as well just to be 100% sure.

I would agree with ProDave, Any suitably qualified electrician with a calibrated meter able to do a 'Portable Appliance Test' (PAT) on the lamp, would easily identify any continuity between live and the metal parts, without any need to dismantle the lamp. Less than 30mins work and give you a written report of their findings probably cost £20 or £30 dependent upon travel time. It does sound as though someone has had a nasty shock. Remember it can take less than half a second for electricity to kill a healthy adult. Elderly and children are at greater risk. 

Doc H.   

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

I work in your area but am up in Edinburgh till the 3rd of Jan. A simple test would indeed prove if the light is faulty, whether it is or not its rough anyhow. I dont think its the light, but several things combined. I did a similar inspection a few years back except it was a cooker hood and the fault was not with the unit.

Although I dont agree with the 'ethics' of most double insulated items, your light does appear to have the correct cable restraints fitted. I would guess, if anything, the lamp holder has been twisted when manufactured or when changing the light bulb and this may have caused the live to touch the casing, the fault path would be based on the position of the hook holding the 2 parts together and even the neutral chaffed to the case under the base, or another unrelated fault at the wall socket or circuit.

It would be interesting to know if the light is working now, plugged into the same socket but without touching it, but thats not a good idea unless you really, really know what you are doing.

 

[Andy™]

its hard to tell from the photo, but the cable in the base wrapped in tape looks a bit small - it almost looks as though the outer insulation is removed and just the singles running through the fitting?

semblance - can you feel if the tape in the base is covering the entire cable & sheath, or just the 2 inner cores?

 

[OnOff]

My brother came back to me ref whether he knows the Camden TSO with:

"Hi, yes, but no point as all reporting must be done through Citizens Advice. The number given for Camden TSD goes to CA. Just the way it is these days"

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer_protection_for_the_consumer_e/protection_trading_standards_e/reporting_a_problem_to_trading_standards.htm

I must admit a while back I tried taking an issue up with the TSO myself - I'd bought something and the sellers advertising was such that it "hid" future costs from the manufacturer (it was a well know satnav brand) which had I known I wouldn't have bought. Spoke to my brother and he even confirmed which "law" they (the seller publishing the advertising) were breaking etc I wrote to the seller and got a bland corporate reply suggesting I go direct to the makers reply. I copied in the local TSO and again got a reply on the lines of "....due to the volume of...every case assessed on it's merits...". Never heard back. Spoke to my brother and he basically said that with the volume of unregulated foreign stuff being sold in the UK they are pretty much overwhelmed and work on numbers before they will commit resources. I would hope that yours being a safety issue it might trigger the required response. All these civil servants are very conscious of personal "come back" - I wonder if you raised the issue of the shop possibly contravening the Electricity at Work Regulations (EWR) 1989 on the basis that the shop employees, being at work, could be exposed to dangerous equipment etc?

Quoting statute DOES get results. My brother, as a barrister (with my assistance) forced a DNO to upgrade an old and problematic incoming supply to a block of flats by throwing the ESQCR at them. Until the DNO saw that in the correspondence the local authority (my brother was working for them) were getting the brush off.