The incident in the article had a number of factors, either of which if not present, would likely have prevented an electrocution. The pressure washer had a puncture in the insulation on the neutral then came in contact with the frame. The ground prong on the cord was cut off, but it was also a non-polarized plug, either safety feature individually could have prevented her from inserting it into the receptacle backwards. Finally, she plugged it into an indoor receptacle which was not GFCI protected. Hard to believe this sequence of events played out the way it did.
Proper polarity is indeed a critical safety, if not functional, consideration.
[This message has been edited by Redsy (edited 01-12-2002).]
