Hall of infamy

The reason brand new equipment should be tested before placed in service. This lead with the original moulded plugs still intact, had Phase and Neutral wires swapped at one end.

When having electricians wire up leads for you, make sure they are fully qualified. My best guess was an apprentice did this and then gave it a pass - spot what's wrong with it. (hint - 2 male plugs)

Old cables become perished over time, especially when exposed to UV and/or heat

Still in use, jammed in a container door cam, and connected to a port-a-com external power supply (That had not popped the RCD fuse). More than one issue going on here....

Tucked in the back of a cupboard, I found this plug. As you can see, it had been arcing, and there is also evidence of black smoke on the switch beside it. Fortunately for this company, they are very proactive in safety and have all the checks done they need to do. This ended in a good story, but could easily have ended up differently.

A forklift charger had been Test and Tagged at least 3 previous times, and passed by inexperienced testers. From new, it was never connected to earth for safety because the body connecting the earth pin was powder coated and had no connection and should have failed each time. This is why you need to make sure the person testing knows what they are doing.

Wound up and unwound virtually every day, irons and hair driers are very susceptible to damage.

Heaters draw a lot of power. If over used, the cables become either soft or dry and fragile

Found under a pile of papers in a school office, this heater was still plugged in, turned on and left unattended. Danger is never intended, however inattentiveness to hazards are a disaster waiting to happen

Multiplugs are great, usefull things that allow us to add multiple appliances on a limited number of outlets. HOWEVER, they are also prone to abuse of time. When the opening is damaged like this, it allows easier access for foriegn objects to enter, creating a hazard when paper or dust fall in, which in turn has the potential to catch fire.

This plug was not only damaged, it also shows sign of burning or overheating. - Probably from the heater that was plugged in to it.

Insulation tape might work as a temporary fix, but it is not a compliant method for a permanent fix. It's easy to replace a lead, not so easy to replace you if you get an electrical shock.

Builders and construction workers need to ensure their tools are tested every 3 months. Since they are in an hostile environment and the nature of their use, testing is required to ensure leads are kept in a safe and serviceable condition.

Found this EIC cable for a computer monitor pinched under a desk leg. Clearly seen are the bared copper wires. It was lucky the table foot was plastic and not of the metal kind.

In use, and previously given a Test and Tag pass, this table saw failed to pass the Earth test. On closer inspection I found that it had been installed incorrectly and never wired up with an earth connection. Yet another case where an inexperienced PAT tester failed to do a complete test and missed one of the most important safety features of a class 1 appliance.

Failed extension leads are very common. Especially in the construction and commercial cleaning environments. This one of the more obvious fails yet was still being used by it's owner.