Earth question - Shaver socket

[FrodoOne]

As I always acknowledge, I'm sure that must be the case. At the least, a few lives may have been saved by RCDs clearing faults before anyone had a chance to get a shock.

As for what many/most people seem to think of ('direct protection', with an RCD limiting the duration of a shock when it happens), I'm far less convinced. You will be aware that, for years, I have been trying to get anecdotal reports of people who have survived an electric shock which 'caused' an RCD to operate, and I've only ever received a couple of such reports, neither of which are totally 'clear cut'. I can't see that we will ever really know the answer to this, for several reasons - probably the most important being that, even if it happens, they may well have survived even if there had been no RCD!

You may be interested in the results of the following "Google Search" - although the "results" obtained from the reference below differ slightly from those obtained originally, which are quoted underneath.

https://www.google.com/search?q=deaths+thermal+insulation+installation+rcd&rlz=1C2GCEU_en___AU1161&sca_esv=f5ebe8c14457f75d&sxsrf=AE3TifOp9HnRWFT1y_UfJowc8R60KO4asA:1760250157498&ei=LUnraKiZHs2j1e8PtOHwwAY&ved=0ahUKEwjo4-nqgp6QAxXNUfUHHbQwHGgQ4dUDCBE&uact=5&oq=deaths+thermal+insulation+installation+rcd&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKmRlYXRocyB0aGVybWFsIGluc3VsYXRpb24gaW5zdGFsbGF0aW9uIHJjZDIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAFIuRdQ_QZYqRJwAXgAkAEAmAGFAqABowiqAQUwLjIuM7gBA8gBAPgBAZgCBaACqAfCAg4QABiABBiwAxiGAxiKBcICCxAAGLADGKIEGIkFwgIIEAAYsAMY7wXCAgsQABiABBiwAxiiBMICBRAhGJ8FwgIEECEYFZgDAIgGAZAGBZIHBTEuMS4zoAerHrIHBTAuMS4zuAejB8IHAzItNcgHFw&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

"Four installers died in Australia's 2009-2010 Home Insulation Program due to a combination of factors, including poor training, rushed rollouts, and insufficient safety measures. Three were electrocuted while working with metal fasteners on foil or fiberglass insulation, a risk that would likely have been prevented with the installation of Residual Current Devices (RCDs). The fourth died of hyperthermia while working in a hot ceiling space. "

• RCDs:
  The Royal Commission highlighted that RCDs, which cut power in the event of an electric shock, would have likely saved the lives of the three electrocuted workers. Many homes in the scheme were not protected by RCDs, and it was not mandatory to fit them retrospectively.