Although story relates to an event in UK, it is a timely reminder about excessive use of extension leads and taking short cuts around electrical safety.

Pub where boy, 7, was fatally electrocuted ‘had extension leads plugged into extension leads’

Electrics at a pub where a seven-year-old died after being shocked by a garden light consisted of “extension leads plugged into extension leads”, a court has heard.

Harvey Tyrrell was playing with a friend when he sat on the light and suffered an electric shock on 11 September, 2018, Snaresbrook Crown Court has heard.

He collapsed when he touched a metal railing at the King Harold pub in Romford, east London, causing electricity to flow through his body, a prosecutor said.

Electrician Colin Naylor, 74, is accused of manslaughter by gross negligence, which he denies.

Jurors have been told the lights had “significant defects”, including inadequate protection from water infiltration.

An inspection after Tyrrell’s death found the pub was “very dangerous”, identifying 12 defects that presented a risk of injury and 32 potentially dangerous defects.

Owner David Bearman, Naylor’s brother-in-law, was warned about defects in 2009 and a follow-up found they were not rectified, the court heard. He previously pleaded guilty to Tyrrell’s manslaughter.

On Monday, jurors heard one of the pub’s managers, Kirsty Beard, describe the electrics as “extension leads plugged into extension leads”.

“Behind the bar there was an area where you could just pull it out and there were loads of extension leads,” she said.

“If anything, I thought there might be more of a chance of a fire.”

Beard said Bearman was responsible for the electrics and when an extension lead melted, he “just got us a new extension lead”

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Source:   Yahoo News

FOOTNOTE: A better option would have been to use powerboards with inbuilt overload protection devices.  Best option would have been to install extra permanent power outlets.