Quote Originally Posted by mccwho View Post
I can't count how many times have seen bad wiring jobs result in something like this. Even a simple testing tool at the time of wiring could have possibly prevented this. That is of course assuming the appliance does not have something wrong inside it. Which is entirely possible as well. Those electric heaters are notoriously famous for bad wiring and incorrect internal insulation/isolation.
one of the times I was belted was when I was trying to fix a "repaired" appliance which wasn't working - I had it open to see what the issue was and was doing live testing to find the issue when it moved on the bench and my reflex to stop it falling meant my hand contacted it. - ouch

another time was doing plumbing and the house had a faulty pressure pump to run the water supply, and the earth connection was broken for the entire house - the householder turned the water on, and the water stream was "live" and I was under the house doing waste piping and copped a stream of electrified water. I saw stars, and the burn on my chest took some time to clear - and it was only a minor burn since it went "around me" rather than through me.

one thing I have noticed, when I was younger it didn't hurt as much (and quicker recovery) than when I was older. I haven't been hit now for over 25 years, and do everything in my power to avoid being hit again.