On 19 September, the husband of a 43-year-old lady at Mangor Hill (Vasco) found her dead near the bathroom, holding a water heater in her hand. An autopsy confirmed electrocution as the cause of her death. This is puzzling because the heater was not connected to an electrical socket when she was noticed by her husband. Water heaters or immersion rods are of two types: a pocket-sized one that is used to heat small quantities of water for making tea, coffee, two-minute noodles, etc., and bigger rods that are used to heat water for a bath. Those who do not have a geyser at home prefer to use water heaters as they are cheaper and convenient to carry.
The danger lies when a live rod is immersed in a bucket of water for heating. Ignorantly, small kids may playfully dip their fingers, and adults may do so to check the heat. Since water is a good conductor of electricity, the result could be a severe shock and injury or death of a person. There have been several such cases in the past.
The government could ban the production of all types of immersion rods for home and personal use. Alternatively, manufacturers could come up with foolproof and shock-proof methods by using suitable insulators around the rods to protect users. Otherwise, there could be recurring incidents.
