Just learned about this story. A child's death was blamed on a "faulty ground wire", more details here.

A related video here with some details here. (The last link fails for me.)

Please excuse the pun, but it's shocking to me that these events can happen in this day and age. I guess it answers the debate about the toaster in the bathtub effectiveness. That you can be electrocuted in a pool by a fault in the lighting tells me that the "safe distance" is more than a few feet.

 

Tragic.

While police are still investigating the cause of the electrocution, the family suspects a malfunctioning pool light may have been to blame. A contractor was hired to fix the light after it stopped turning on about nine months ago, according to the boy's father, and electricians told the boy's uncle that a problem with the light switch suggested the power was going directly to the pool instead of being diverted from it. ..The steel surrounding the light is now rusted and burned, according to the paper.

Multiple failures have to occur for this to happen. Code requires a GFCI on the light power and grounding on the fixture and pool. Pool grounding includes a large, bare copper wire connected to the pool structure, all pumps, blowers and other fixtures grounded at the box and in our case, a dedicated ground rod at the wall.

My pool light recently started causing the GFCI to trip, presumably due to water leakage into the fixture, not uncommon. Until I can fix it, the cord is disconnected at the switch. That's the way its supposed to work.

Sad.

 

Surely using 12V lights in a pool would make more sense??? At least then if all safety/seals fail, no harm can occur....

 

There are so many solutions. I guess that's why it's news when this happens - it's thankfully a rare thing.