RADIO The Safest Of All Electrical Appliances

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 24, 24 December 1931, Page 9

RADIO The Safest Of All Electrical

Appliances

The attention of the public was recently drawn to the dangers of interfering with the electrical supply mains ‘by the wegretiable fatality which occurred when a young man in Brooklyn was electrocuted while listening on a crystal set attached to the power mains. Below appears a swmmary of the evidence brought forward at the ‘Coroner’s inquest, and also the opinionsiof two of the leading electrical and radio authorities on the question of radio installation and the resulting electrical hazard.

, u 66 A CRYSTAL set is a perfectly safe instrument for anyone to use, but if the user, under the mistaken idea that he is improving the working of the set, connects it to the source of electric power in the house, an action which is absolutely unnecessary, he is creating an extremely dangerous condition and running a very grave risk of being electrocuted." r

aese remarks were made by Mr. Ll. B. McNeil, S.M., coroner at the inquest on Leigh Holdsworth Auton, the young man who was electrocuted when listening-in recently in a bath at his boardinghouse in Brooklyn, Wellington. It appears that the deceased had taken a crystal set into the bathroom with him. He had connected the aerial terminal of his set to the . mains by running a length of bell wire attached to the "phase" or live terminal of the hot-point switch in his own room through the door, down the passage, and into the bathroom. For an earth he twisted a length of wire around a tap. In adjusting the set a short circuit through his body direct to earth was in some way establishe‘, and he was instantly killed. Apparently deceased was using the mains as an aerial. It appears that he had been in the habit of doing this in his bedroom, where he used the wire mattress of his bed as an earth. That the practise was a very dangerous and a foolish one was stressed by the Coroner: "Although one doesn’t like to say it because this young man has lost his life, it is 4 most foolish act and one almost certain to lead to fatal results. It is to be hoped that owners of sets will take ‘warning

from this very tragic occurrence. "My endeavour," he said, "is to draw the attention of the public to the fact that these electrical contrivances when properly used are perfectly harmless. It is when they are misused that they become dangerous." * * * When interviewed in

connection with the tragedy, and on the question of misuse of electrical apparatus generally, Mr. G. LaucHlan, Assistant General Manager of the Wellington City Council’s Electricity Department and chairman of a special committee set up some time ago to investigate the question of radio-set installation, revealed many interesting facts. The Brooklyn tragedy is of a type fortunately uncommon, and the lesson was so severe that none who read of it will be likely to repeat the folly of connecting a crystal set with the supply mains. Unfortunately, however, there are many instances of electric radio sets being wrongly connected to the power supply. Over the last few months an increasing number of complaints concerning the blowing out of house-lighting fuses has been received by the Electricity Department. In one month over 20 cases were recorded of people who had reported that their houses, or a portion of them, were in darkness. On investigation, it was found that defective radio sets were at the foot of the trouble. These had been wrongly installed or had been interfered with after installation by people who knew nothing of electrical hazards. In one case an amateur had connected his set, which he had built himself, to a wall-socket by means of several lengths of flex, joined by adaptors. The lead, which passed through two doors, was affixed to the wall by bent-over nails. As would be expected, the house fuse burnt out. His installation was contrary to at least three major regulations.

Tr another case, ordinary bell-wire was used to connect the set to the mains-a practice so ridiculous that were it not so dangerous it would be laughable. To an electrician, makeshifts such as these are horrifying-as they would be to the persons themselves .if they only knew a little more-and it is this obvious. ignorance which makes the few accidents which do occur so pitiful. The operation of all electric radios from lamp-sockets is in certain circumstances dangerous, and should be discouraged. It is legal only for demonstration purposes, and then only if there is no earthed object, other than the set earth, nearby. This prohibition is necessary because lamp-socket adaptors may be inserted in two ways-a right and a wrong (Concluded on page 10.)

Radio the Safest Electrical Apparatus (Continued from page 9.)

under certain conditions the wrong way is dangerous. The wall switch is, or should be, always in the "phase" or live wire, and so should the switch on the set. But with the two alternative ways of inserting the adaptor the chances are equal that the latter switch will be in the "neutral" or earth lead, and hence will be incorrectly phased. If this is so, even though the set switch is in the "off position, the @hassis will still be "live," and anyone contacting it and an earth would receive a possibly fatal shock. Where are two precautions which would eliminate this danger, and they should always be observed. Jirstly, never take the earth off an a.c_ sel when it is operating... The ideal earth ig short, direct, insulated and inacessible, and should make adequate contaet with the ground. Secondly, always turn the set on and off with the wall switch. It has also been discovered that many people are in the habit of fitting new or different type plugs to flexes and of making their own repairs when the flex leads come adrift, They should not do so, however, be- cause, as mentioned before, there is only one correct and safe way. In the matter of installing the sets in accordance with the regulations, the radio trade has in general accorded the

electrical supply authorities the fullest support. Recently a conference was held be‘tween representatives of the electrical authorities and the radio trade, and a joint committee set up has brought down draft regulations, which at present are in the hands of the Crown Law Office, and which require legislative backing before they can he enforced. The Radio Servicemen’s Hxamination, which has been instituted to place radio installation and servicing in the hands of qualified men only, is a step in the right direction and will do much to eliminate the element; of danger. R AL Py During an interview the New Zealand manager of one of the largest radio organisations in Australia and New Zealand, and a member of the committee set up to inquire into the question of radio installations, expressed the opinion that all-electric sets, correctly installed, are absolutely harmless, and are the least dangerous of all electrical applicances. This is so because any defect in an electric set is almost always immediately revealed in its operation, while the majority of other appliances, even though perhaps in a dangerously defective condition, will usually continue to function. To his knowledge there has not been one fatal accident in New Zealand caused by shock received from an all-electric set. When one considers the thousands of these in use, day and night, it is evident that the element of danger, if present at all, is very slight.

The few accidents due to electrical shock, he remarked, that do oceur can be traced in nearly every case to misuse of apparatus or mains. Not a few are caused through the use of electrical appliances outside, where direct contact with earth obtains and risk of shock consequently great. Often people take vacuum cleaners outside to clean carpets, etc., in the open air, while others are in the habir of using portable lamps, fitted with flex extensions, to do odd jobs at night round the house or garage. Both prac. tices are extremely dangerous, and, Gs remarked before, are responsible for a large proportion of the accidents then oceur,