"Track record? I think not ... 'freak accident' seems more appropriate.
There is a limit to "practical" safeguarding."
You are correct, insofar as there is a limit to 'practical' safeguarding. To me, it is very practical to require bonding a metal stud wall. What's it cost? 40 cents worth of wire? How long does it take? 30 seconds or less. What does it do? Protect against a one in a million fatality, of which one occurrence is documented. To me, that's reasonable regulation.
Here is what would be unreasonable regulation: suppose the drywall screw was the only element energized by the romex. Suppose a painter or drywall man touched it and got killed. That, to me, is a totally freak accident, and completely impossible to regulate against in any practical sense. That is a one in a billion accident.
Potentially energizing a metal stud wall is easy to prevent and a prudent regulatory measure, in my opinion. Besides, suppose you take the position that it isn't necessary to require that a metal stud wall be grounded, regardless of the death. Then, six months later, it happens again. What to you tell the victim's family?
Last edited by Bigplanz; 03/19/09 09:32 PM.
