20-Year-Old Briton Electrocuted To Death On Bangla Road, Phuket

[sirchai]

So are they going to fix it!?! Or mai bpen rai?

What a tragic end for the tourist victim.

A masseuse who works in the Ocean Plaza forecourt said today that she had heard about the incident, but was not aware that the man had died.

What body parts is she massaging? :jap: RIP>>>

[atyclb]

Also that doesnt sound like AC current? Its usually high vold DC current that makes you drop or cant release something when shocked it contracts the muscles. AC was introduced because it makes you jump i you get a shock, jump away and release the wire/plug etc

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/770179-overview#a0104

High-voltage DC often causes a large single muscle contraction that throws the victim away from the source; thus, usually only brief duration of contact occurs with the source flow. In contrast, AC of the same voltage is considered to be approximately 3 times more dangerous than DC, because the cyclic flow of electrons causes muscle tetany that tends to prolong victims' exposure to the source. Muscle tetany occurs when fibers are stimulated at 40-110 Hz; thus, the standard 60 Hz of household current is within that range. If the source contact point is the hand, when tetanic muscle contraction occurs the extremity flexors contract, causing the victim to grasp the current and bring it closer to the body causing prolonged contact with the source.

Table 1. Physiologic Effects of Different Electrical Currents (Open Table in a new window)

EffectCurrent (milliamps)Tingling sensation/perception1-4Let-go current – Children3-4Let-go current - Women6-8Let-go current – Men7-9Skeletal muscle tetany16-20Respiratory muscle paralysis20-50Ventricular fibrillation50-120

Direct current (DC) injury: These injuries typically cause a single muscle contraction that throws the victim away from the source. They are rarely associated with loss of consciousness unless there is severe head trauma, and victims can often provide their own history.

http://emedicine.med...770179-clinical

Edited August 26, 2011 by atyclb

[chiang mai]

"and view myself as a grateful guest'....I would at least expect not to get killed by an act of negligent wiring in one of Thailand's major tourist holiday resorts.

It would be very naive to think that the wiring in Phuket is any better or worse than anywhere else in Thailand, some places in Bangkok may be the exception. A visitor only has to walk down almost any street and look upwards to see the masses of wires that form the electrical distribution system to understand that the situation is far from perfect - one of the first things I learned when I came to Thailand in the 1990's was never to touch anything metal when it rains or when near water, that still holds true today.

[scooke]

How did his hand come to accidentally touch a ground-mounted socket? It must have been some story!

RIP

[fxe1200]

Police report on the death of the young Briton.

The suspected reason that caused his death is most likely to be a faulty socket and it is probable that it might have been dangerous to touch. However, the exact reason could not be identified because the quantity of electricity samples from the case was insufficient.

Despite the best efforts of the Thai authorities and their international partners in undertaking an exhaustive investigation, the electricity that caused the death in this event could not be identified and it can not be determined exactly how the young man might have been exposed to it, or if he even attempted suicide.

[freedom4life]

Poor fellow. They could of saved him, if they knew one thing. Do not touch/grab the fellow to pull him away; simply run and ram him as hard as you could. It may of knocked him right out off of it, depending on what position he was in. The electricity was passing through him and grounding him to the plate. Sorry, I was not there.

[Boater]

Police report on the death of the young Briton.

The suspected reason that caused his death is most likely to be a faulty socket and it is probable that it might have been dangerous to touch. However, the exact reason could not be identified because the quantity of electricity samples from the case was insufficient.

Despite the best efforts of the Thai authorities and their international partners in undertaking an exhaustive investigation, the electricity that caused the death in this event could not be identified and it can not be determined exactly how the young man might have been exposed to it, or if he even attempted suicide.

where is this report from? , and are they having a f%$cking laugh to even mention it might be Sucide ! , Amazing Thailand

[fxe1200]

Police report on the death of the young Briton.

The suspected reason that caused his death is most likely to be a faulty socket and it is probable that it might have been dangerous to touch. However, the exact reason could not be identified because the quantity of electricity samples from the case was insufficient.

Despite the best efforts of the Thai authorities and their international partners in undertaking an exhaustive investigation, the electricity that caused the death in this event could not be identified and it can not be determined exactly how the young man might have been exposed to it, or if he even attempted suicide.

where is this report from? , and are they having a f%$cking laugh to even mention it might be Sucide ! , Amazing Thailand

You may call it satire, and you can find similarities to another real police report.

[Lammbock]

Is this a scene from the new movie Final Destination 5? Sounds like one...

[spectrumisgreen]

'A masseuse who works in the Ocean Plaza forecourt said today that she had heard about the incident, but was not aware that the man had died.

“We knew about the power socket, but we didn’t know that it could be so dangerous. Some of us used to walk barefoot around here, but now we all wear rubber soles all the time,” she said.'

Complete <deleted>.. happens right next to where you work, you KNOW exactly what happened.. you don't hear a bit of the story.. not that it would have changed the tragic outcome of such an incident but what is it with the culture of simply lying about everything, here, like its ok somehow if it makes you sound less in the know about sh*t that happens .. even when there's no need as it's not your neck on the block anyway???!!!!!!!

[Kananga]

Well, if he would not have been there at 6 am the accident would have never happened = it is his own fault. Welcome to the biggest congregations of clowns; I keep proclaiming = too many clowns, not enough circuses. Do you seriously thing, assume, hope or expect anything to change in this country? Try to imagine what would happen, if a Thai would get electrocuted in London. Good luck this is hypothetical as it will never happen and hence Thais are never at fault!

Ahh, so electricity stops becoming lethal at 9am does it? Of course its his own fault because of the time of day, we all forgot that electricity is so tempramental to what time of day it is.

[travelmann]

The Thais and his friend who tried to help clearly had no knowledge of what to do to free him, the last thing you do is try and pull them off with your bare hands.

Thailand is an electrical death trap, however nothing will change.

Edited August 26, 2011 by travelmann

[travelmann]

“We knew about the power socket, but we didn’t know that it could be so dangerous. Some of us used to walk barefoot around here, but now we all wear rubber soles all the time,” she said.

HA ha ha typical Thai solution!!!

[swerver]

I mean how could an electricity socket covered in water be so dangerous?

Freaking idiots.

To answer your question.

Very simple. They had a problem with the fuse blowing every time the power outlet got wet.. It was installed horizontal, instead of vertical so water would not collect inside the socket. These are all those little stupid farang ideas Thais do not need to bother with.

And it is not only Thais who do foolish things, I see many farang in Thailand who fit right in with the Thais. At one of the golf courses they have a German - Khoa San Rd backpacker - who gives himself out as an German Ingeneur. One day driving out the main gate they were digging three holes, I thought they were going to set three flag poles. How wrong I was. The German Ingeneur installed three floodlights, one in each hole. I told the Thai technician that will not work, you will have electrical shorts every time birds fly over and piss on the floodlight. He said, I know. And so it was. The floodlights constantly were shorting out and have disappeared and the holes are filled in and cemented over. Need money to replace the water pump for the complex or swimming pool, what for you still have one more pump which is the backup pump so now they operate on the backup pumps. This German guy reminds me of all those Germans after WW II coming into California as immigrants. Every one and his brother was a VW Ingeneur and their fathers und uncles were Porsche Ingeneurs. In my off days from flying I made some good money, fixing up their ####ps.

So the electrical engineer of the complex fixed it, it just so happen he was down to his last cigarette in its package so he took the foil of the cigarette package and wrapped it around the fuse and screwed the fuse back in its socket. Problem fixed.

Oh, the screw in fuses, never seen them in your country, then you are not old enough, after WW II in the developed world they disappeared and were replaced with automatic breakers of different Amperage. The screw in type are still available in Thailand VERY CHEAP - lot less expensive than automatic breakers and when they blow just take some foil and wrap it around the fuse probable then it will handle one hundred Amps, maybe more. LOL in LOS.

Edited August 27, 2011 by metisdead
Font, use default forum font when posting.

[travelmann]

First off, my condolences to this guy's friends and family members.

But I want to know why this young man was sitting on the floor in the first place. I would NEVER sit on the floor of ANY outdoor urban area. Great way to expose yourself close up to all manner of filth. Yuck.

Also, all this talk about how Thailand lacks electric safety and the Thais being "uneducated animals". Whatever happened to common sense? Stay away from electrical ANYTHING when it's raining or it's rained. Don't touch dangling wires. Don't touch electrical devices with wet hands, especially ATMs and other things like that outside.

Here in the USA we have a lot of "cowboys" doing their own electric - and I've gotten "bitten" by ATMs where the current has been leaking to the metal frame of the machine. It's not just Thailand. It's not just Asia. It's EVERYWHERE. I'm sure it happens a lot in lily-perfect Europe also, even with all your grounding and over-designed plugs and what-not.

I know this was an accident and this guy probably slapped his hand on the floor (yuck) without seeing what was there first. This time it was a light socket. It could just as well have been a dog turd or a spent heroin needle or anything. It was just his time to go.

Lesson in life is, don't sit on the outside floor and always be vigilant of where you put your hands down.

What tosh, I have never had an electric shock from a UK cash machine yet you say its "everywhere"

[geovalin]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs inform the Thai population that, fortunately and thanks to its efficiency, NO THAI NATIONAL had been harmed in the 6 am - Phuket incident. By the way, the casualties etc.

Edited August 26, 2011 by geovalin

[Suradit]

So are they going to fix it!?! Or mai bpen rai?

Fix it? C'mon, it's there *by design!*

Yeah, we're not in Kansas, any more...

Copper thief dies after electric shock

Kansas City Post

Monday 15th August, 2011

(Source: News Channel 5)

- A 30-year-old Metro East man died Saturday more than two months after being shocked while attempting to steal copper from substation just outside Alton, the Madison County Sheriff's Department said.

[WarpSpeed]

No offense but... if the outlet was on the floor... how'd he touch it? The details aren't very clear...

Yeah I noticed that too, a bit confusing that, saying he was gesturing with his hands while speaking and contacting it? on the floor ??

[WarpSpeed]

If you get the tingling shock of your computer or another appliance, what you should do is take the plug out of the wall and turn it upside down and plug it in again - reversed polarity

You will then not get the shock again

Sorry, but that is completely wrong! You are only changing the polarity by reversing the plug - reverse polarity is not the problem. Many appliances in Thailand are not double insulated and " leak" live voltage into the framework which should be grounded/earthed - computer power supplies are notorious for such "leakage".

You might perhaps reduce the voltage of the " leak" if reversed polarity is a problem, but you do not eliminate it . The only safe solution is properly grounded/earthed circuits.

Edit for typos

Reverse polarity is the problem, and a very common issue here.. It goes right to the wiring in a given breaker panel and building as someone has cross wired the hot lead to the neutral ground bar in any outlet or other appliance and energized the entire electrical system. Without grounds here this does not blow the circuit as it would if there was a ground installed.. On occasion turning the plug over does solve the problem..

I.E. When you shut off a light via a wall switch for example it should cut the 'power' side of the current to the appliance and not the neutral side as most here do.

Therefore there is still power to the light and sometimes when it's dark you may still see the light glowing, that's because it is still energized as the switch did not cut off the power, it cut off the neutral instead.. In essence wired backwards.

If you have a problem like this a qualified electrician can track it down but the entire box needs to be rewired all mains checked and neutrals checked in the sense that the current side needs to be properly isolated and all wires in all wall outlets and switches need to be checked individually for proper wiring, quite a potentially large job that.

You need only 1 improperly wired appliance (including how it's plugged in if polarity is reversed), light or outlet to energize the entire house unless your house is properly grounded in which case it will blow breakers indicating the problem wiring.

JFYI The appliances don't "leak" electricity the cases when metal are grounded for proper electrical installations and now that ground is serving as a conduit due to the neutral wire being improperly installed in the building and transferring power to the case if not indirectly which is why it just shocks you slightly and not a full on shock..

Edited August 26, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[WarpSpeed]

"and view myself as a grateful guest'....I would at least expect not to get killed by an act of negligent wiring in one of Thailand's major tourist holiday resorts.

Yeah, that's not my idea of a nice holiday either..

[Chopperboy]

The entire Thai attitude to electricity facilities and conduits is disgusting.

It seems that they just don't understand the imminent dangers they put all people in when they allow all of the low hanging and poorly wired infrasctructures.

Even their power plugs and adapters are death traps,... a complete joke but freely sold in any store.

Recently whilst on a trip to Ubon I happened to walk across a walk-over pedestrian bridge across the main city road. On the other side of the bridge was a staircase down that had a chrome steel railing and brushing up directly along side of that railing were power lines which you could have touched with your hand without any stretching!

No value placed on a life here,... and no existence of commonsense or accountability for anything. Makes me want to pewk!

A Shan lad I knew died working on a 7/11 when he tried to connect a welder up. Next day went to the temple - his friends were acting like it was a party. His body was on a plinth barely covered with a cloth, his right foot clearly burnt was hanging out - I was sickened. The twist in the story is that it was his brother who he had gone to work for!

[alibaba007]

Thai workers they can do every job, but NEWER 100% professional.

[tigermonkey]

If you get the tingling shock of your computer or another appliance, what you should do is take the plug out of the wall and turn it upside down and plug it in again - reversed polarity

You will then not get the shock again

Sorry, but that is completely wrong! You are only changing the polarity by reversing the plug - reverse polarity is not the problem. Many appliances in Thailand are not double insulated and " leak" live voltage into the framework which should be grounded/earthed - computer power supplies are notorious for such "leakage".

You might perhaps reduce the voltage of the " leak" if reversed polarity is a problem, but you do not eliminate it . The only safe solution is properly grounded/earthed circuits.

Edit for typos

Reverse polarity is the problem, and a very common issue here.. It goes right to the wiring in a given breaker panel and building as someone has cross wired the hot lead to the neutral ground bar in any outlet or other appliance and energized the entire electrical system. Without grounds here this does not blow the circuit as it would if there was a ground installed.. On occasion turning the plug over does solve the problem..

I.E. When you shut off a light via a wall switch for example it should cut the 'power' side of the current to the appliance and not the neutral side as most here do.

Therefore there is still power to the light and sometimes when it's dark you may still see the light glowing, that's because it is still energized as the switch did not cut off the power, it cut off the neutral instead.. In essence wired backwards.

If you have a problem like this a qualified electrician can track it down but the entire box needs to be rewired all mains checked and neutrals checked in the sense that the current side needs to be properly isolated and all wires in all wall outlets and switches need to be checked individually for proper wiring, quite a potentially large job that.

You need only 1 improperly wired appliance (including how it's plugged in if polarity is reversed), light or outlet to energize the entire house unless your house is properly grounded in which case it will blow breakers indicating the problem wiring.

JFYI The appliances don't "leak" electricity the cases when metal are grounded for proper electrical installations and now that ground is serving as a conduit due to the neutral wire being improperly installed in the building and transferring power to the case if not indirectly which is why it just shocks you slightly and not a full on shock..

Reverse polarity is a large problem in Thailand, which has come from both lack of knowledge and "couldn't care less" installers. However, reverse polarity will not cause electrocution unless the appliance or outlet has a malfunction -- failed insulation ( wear, water or negligence ) is the usual cause of electrocution, in the absence of grounding/ earthing. Without a path for the current to leave, the current will travel through the person being electrocuted.

You can correct reverse polarity untill the cows come home, but you can stll be electrocuted, especially if neutral is not bonded to ground/earth at the panel and susceptible outlets are grounded. Breakers will not blow "indicating the wiring problem" unless a device is installed to trip when current leakage to ground is detected.

I can not understand the point that you are trying to make in your last two paragraphs -- but I agree about a "qualified electrician", only not Thai . There are quite a few expats in Thailand who can help in this regard.

Edited August 26, 2011 by tigermonkey

[crazydrummerpauly]

No offense but... if the outlet was on the floor... how'd he touch it? The details aren't very clear...

Yeah I noticed that too, a bit confusing that, saying he was gesturing with his hands while speaking and contacting it? on the floor ??

Me too - 'waving his hands about' ?...at (wet) floor level ?

[Beetlejuice]

So who is responsible?

The Mall owners or the local authority?

Of course no one will have any idea who installed the socket, or who is responsible for health and safety within the Mall.

The idiots that are running the show will still be continuing on as if nothing had happened, I doubt if anyone or company will be brought to book over this.

The Thai mentality is; why worry it hasn't happened yet, and when it does, just look the other way in the hope that it will go away.

In the meantime the poor guy will be going home in a wooden box with the minimum amount of fuss or disruption to business at the Mall.

If an incident like this happened in the States, the Mall owners would be sued for millions of dollars and those that are responsible for maintaining safety standards would be up on a manslaughter charge, as should be the case here.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Beetlejuice

[mkeebler]

Anyone who has walked the streets of Bangkok have probably noticed power lines that often hang down so low that you could smack your head into them if you were not careful. Not to mention the fact that ' grounding ' and other basic electrical safety knowledge is unknown or overlooked all together in Thailand. I mean, who is going to put an electrical outlet right out in the open where it could be covered with water and where tourists could step right on it? Thailand, that's where. You must keep alert about everything there, and I mean everything!

[Oliver Reed]

In the UK, all outdoor sockets are required by law to be IP rated (in a weatherproof enclosure) and protected by an RCD integral devive which basically trips the power to the socket in the event of the smallest leakage of power to earth..The cost of such a socket is approx 10 times the cost of a standard socket, but inexpensive put against the cost of a human life...sadly this is Thailand, and electrical installations have little regulation, and its electricians relatively no theoretical training..No comfort to the family of the poor young fella involved...This is Thailand, and it wont change...RIP

[WarpSpeed]

If you get the tingling shock of your computer or another appliance, what you should do is take the plug out of the wall and turn it upside down and plug it in again - reversed polarity

You will then not get the shock again

Sorry, but that is completely wrong! You are only changing the polarity by reversing the plug - reverse polarity is not the problem. Many appliances in Thailand are not double insulated and " leak" live voltage into the framework which should be grounded/earthed - computer power supplies are notorious for such "leakage".

You might perhaps reduce the voltage of the " leak" if reversed polarity is a problem, but you do not eliminate it . The only safe solution is properly grounded/earthed circuits.

Edit for typos

Reverse polarity is the problem, and a very common issue here.. It goes right to the wiring in a given breaker panel and building as someone has cross wired the hot lead to the neutral ground bar in any outlet or other appliance and energized the entire electrical system. Without grounds here this does not blow the circuit as it would if there was a ground installed.. On occasion turning the plug over does solve the problem..

I.E. When you shut off a light via a wall switch for example it should cut the 'power' side of the current to the appliance and not the neutral side as most here do.

Therefore there is still power to the light and sometimes when it's dark you may still see the light glowing, that's because it is still energized as the switch did not cut off the power, it cut off the neutral instead.. In essence wired backwards.

If you have a problem like this a qualified electrician can track it down but the entire box needs to be rewired all mains checked and neutrals checked in the sense that the current side needs to be properly isolated and all wires in all wall outlets and switches need to be checked individually for proper wiring, quite a potentially large job that.

You need only 1 improperly wired appliance (including how it's plugged in if polarity is reversed), light or outlet to energize the entire house unless your house is properly grounded in which case it will blow breakers indicating the problem wiring.

JFYI The appliances don't "leak" electricity the cases when metal are grounded for proper electrical installations and now that ground is serving as a conduit due to the neutral wire being improperly installed in the building and transferring power to the case if not indirectly which is why it just shocks you slightly and not a full on shock..

Reverse polarity is a large problem in Thailand, which has come from both lack of knowledge and "couldn't care less" installers. However, reverse polarity will not cause electrocution unless the appliance or outlet has a malfunction -- failed insulation ( wear, water or negligence ) is the usual cause of electrocution, in the absence of grounding/ earthing. Without a path for the current to leave, the current will travel through the person being electrocuted.

You can correct reverse polarity untill the cows come home, but you can stll be electrocuted, especially if neutral is not bonded to ground/earth at the panel and susceptible outlets are grounded. Breakers will not blow "indicating the wiring problem" unless a device is installed to trip when current leakage to ground is detected.

I can not understand the point that you are trying to make in your last two paragraphs -- but I agree about a "qualified electrician", only not Thai . There are quite a few expats in Thailand who can help in this regard.

He wasn't talking about electrocution, he was, as was I, talking about shocking which can lead to electrocution in the wrong instance....

The last 2 paragraphs are related to the first, if the box or any outlets or switches are wired similarly and even one wire is cross wired it will energize the entire neutral bar which in turn is wired to every outlet, switch etc. in the entire building and without proper grounding the neutral bar is now "HOT" and no longer neutral so it can and will shock you through most appliances as the metal cases are designed to be grounded in modern day appliances to prevent electrocution. But in a case where there are no grounds used such as most installs here and neutral wires are crossed with "HOT" wires it then energizes the appliance casing but the voltage is low as the appliance is also using the electricity like a light bulb does and it is not a direct contact to the casing..

I'm sure you've seen or have the grounding type of tester that uses a light bulb in a screw driver looking unit these are very important here since no conventional ground is required for them to work but they work on the same principle as the bulb is between you and the circuit and using you to complete the circuit which is why it lights but doesn't shock you..

I've noticed to that you've got ground and neutral confused as well, the neutral bar is not a ground it is a neutral... Back in the states for example we have 1-120v line and neutral which can also be considered a ground in some instances on older installs or 2-120v lines on the common electrical set up and no neutral only a ground but here one side is 240v and the other is neutral and seldom a ground and the neutral can not be used as a ground it is a neutral that completes the circuit..

It doesn't short out however though because there is only one 240v circuit and it matters not which direction the current comes from as it is not 2 separate circuits like it is back home in which case you'd have an immediate short if the current was coming from 2 directions on 2 different lines..

Edited August 26, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[stephanienyc]

What tosh, I have never had an electric shock from a UK cash machine yet you say its "everywhere"

Ahhh. The UK. A country that didn't figure out how to make factory molded-on mains plugs until the late 90s. Before that, every fool that bought a table lamp or a toaster had to buy a plug and screw it on. You people weren't even able to settle on a definite standard until the 1960s!!

I've bought plenty of antique radios from your country for my collection. I've seen the screw-ups your people have made wiring a simple BS-1363 plug on two-conductor lamp cord. Reversed polarity, cord grip not secured, terminal screws not tight enough, 13 amp fuses when a 3 amp should have been used....

Heck.....plugs with CARDBOARD cord grips. Now what is THAT all about??? :D

Let's face it. This poor fool was SITTING ON A WET FLOOR, waving his hands around without paying attention to where he put them. Simple obliviousness can be your death.

Edited August 26, 2011 by stephanienyc

[whorouly]

My attitude is this: I elected to live here, and view myself as a grateful guest. I know there are dangers, things that run against my "common sense." I hope I never reach the bitter, condescending 'superior attitude" I see on this forum. Many here have overstayed their welcome, and now are prisoners who lack the ways and means to go back to perfect little merry old England...(The part not burning in riots)

Yes, i agree with his point that the way wires are strung is pretty amazing / crazy making...It is the attitude I am addressing.

Thank you Richard you have restored my faith momentarily.

There is at least one farang living in Thailand who doesn't whinge, whine, criticise and complain about everything.