Dangerous furniture
My wife brought this home for me around 12 months ago from her work thinking I might find a use for it.
Well I didn't so I thought I would pull it apart for bits and pieces.
What I discovered surprised me.
It's a corporate multi media stand for like TV, VCR, DVD etc.
There is a steel box welded to the underside of the steel shelf to accommodate a standard double power point and with a 3 core flex running out to plug into the wall. The cord had already been cut off when I got it. That all sounds fine until when I removed the power point and find there is no earth strap to the frame.
This shouldn't be but could easily be missed by a test and tag guy.
Pretty bad situation if the wrong wire comes loose behind that power point.
Last edited by loopyloo; 04-01-14 at 08:15 PM.
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I agree with you about the potential for electrocution "loopyloo". However, I believe that the test gadget that 'test & tag' sparkys use would have shown up that fault, and that's probably why the cord was cut. An example of why even a menial job such as test & tag should be done properly.
My guess is that if loopyloo's wife got it from her workplace, to make it 'surplus to requirements' the cord was cut off without ever knowing the potential danger the unit posed by having no proper earth connection.
From what I have seen electrical junked in the local tip with the cords cut off makes me think that this is done not because the item is unsafe but by removing the cord, if someone reconnects it and it 'blows up', who ever junked it cant be held responsible as whoever reconnects it have ignored the possibility its unsafe.
Just imagine the hullabaloo of one did fail and electrocute someone at work, what sort of compensation would that have raised against the employer?
This would be a warning for any employer when buying anything that has any electrical component to ensure it complies with whatever the ASA requirements are.
Better to cost a few dollars getting things tested if their not sure rather than having someones death on your hands and the cost of any compensation resulting from a problem.
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say, I just dont ever remember saying it !!
Friend runs a second hand shop and informs me that public liability if she sell something to some one and they are electrocuted is downright scary. The cost of test and tag, which, she tells me is a requirement, is sometimes more than an item is worth. Typically, she doesn't sell any electrical stuff.
Very few of the Charity stores handle electrical items now for that very reason.
Why would you pay someone as little as $10 to test an appliance that is at best worth no more than $10 to begin with?
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say
Appliances dangerous for a different reason.
For most of my life, I lived a delusion
tristen (26-01-14)
What would you class it as -an appliance, an extension or an EPOD?
i could see a lot of T&T's not check for earth continuity.
I nearly fried my surround sound system due to exposed wires. The level of electricity in the wires is not normally sufficient to kill a human being, but it would still hurt. Is your product still under warranty?
The problem is that you can do a short course and be qualified to test & tag. Although the test and tag procedure is not complicated it is very important to understand the tests being performed and the class of equipment that you are testing. It is often made more confusing by the poor or lack of labelling on some equipment.
Unfortunately most people rely solely on the automatic tester and don't fully understand the tests being performed. This can result in expensive equipment being scrapped due to a simple fault like the OP has identified or faulty equipment being left in service because it has not been tested correctly. For example testing a class I device as class II and not identifying the lack of an earth.
Don't worry, it only seems kinky the first time.
That thing could be pretty dangerous. You better be careful when you hook everything up, especially with all the wiring back there. It does look pretty nice though, I wouldn't mind owning one. You can save a lot of space with it. Can you sell us how much she paid for it?
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