Defective Appliance Gives Fatal Shock

An appliance repairman was electrocuted when he was testing a defective washing machine.

He was running the machine to determine the problem before attempting repairs. He had one hand on the control dial and the other hand on a water faucet at a sink next to the machine. It appears the wiring in the washing machine had been damaged during an earlier attempt at repairs. This defect in the wiring caused the control dial to be energized. Touching the faucet provided a path to ground, electrocuting the repairman.

Never attempt electrical repairs of your own appliances. It is a job for the experts. But in this case, expertise did not save the person involved. Electrical testing tools should have been used to test for electrical leakage and the possibility of parts of the machinery being energized.