Outlets in bathrooms

Perhaps we have a colder climate than you have, so that people might/would take electric fires into their bathrooms - and then drop them in the bath water.

this might be why:

NT

Seems to me it's to stop those with wet hair drying it with a non-earthed, non-double insulated hair drier while sitting in the bath.

And, of course, an rcd knows when it's connected to a socket in the bathroom and will refuse to trip under those circumstances, thus ensuring electrocution for anyone silly enough to use such a socket. It's sooooo much safer to run an extension lead into the bathroom (unless the trip involved with that is catching your foot on it and falling down the stairs).

No but in both countries they do take tellies and radios in and drop them in baths. Maybe they are more educated on health and safety over there? Brian

Hmm, I wouldn't use American electrics as an examplar of anything much. Aluminium ("aluminum") wire, 110V (so twice the current), wire nuts, wooden houses and volunteer fire brigades ...

It would seem to be significantly worse in fact. From :

Quick Facts 09?10 financial year

"28 electrical deaths were recorded in Australia and New Zealand in

Should have added - we also had 28 deaths recorded for 2010 - but in a significantly larger population.

Interesting, thanks. But I was shocked to see that 46% (13) of the 28 deaths in ANZ were "workplace accidents". That's a much higher proportion than here - 6 "work related".

Could it be that a much higher proportion of the workforce in ANZ works on farms (or similar), which are much more dangerous than an office?

And perhaps a typical UK house is more 'compact' than most built in the developed world, hence much smaller bathrooms and so much in reach of a filled bath.

Or could it be that they were pissed up?