Going off on a tangent slightly from the overcurrent protection topic:
I have a book here published nearly 25 years ago which indicates that electrocutions at that time were averaging about 100 per year across the country (population approx. 55 million). I'm not sure what the current statistics are on this; I'll see if I can find out.
(By the way, the 100 figure doesn't include executions: We never used the chair here.)
I do know, however, that in the last few years there has been a significant rise in the number of house fires attributed to electrical wiring.
Apparently many of the fires are in NEWER houses, or those which have been refurbished in more recent times, which somewhat goes against the natural tendency to blame old wiring.
I have a possible theory {Enter soapbox mode....]
Most people here naturally believe that as time goes on the regulations become more stringent. However, the current IEE Regs. actually allow cables to run at higher currents and temperatures than in the past.
If grouping and ambient temperature derating factors are applied, then the figure come out more equal, but the basic rating for a single cable, open to air is higher now than ever before.
It's also in the last 15 to 20 years or so that energy efficiency and extra insulation has become a big thing here. The guy stuffing fiberglass around everything he can find in the attic doesn't know - much less care - about derating factors and just covers up everything in sight.
Couple all that with the sometimes attrocious DIY extensions and incorrect fusing, and I wouldn't mind betting that THAT is the reason for the big increase in fires. Just my opinion, of course.
OK, [Exit soapboax].
