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Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.

A point to remember is every switch has a hot wire connected to it even if the switch is turned off. Electricians almost never use a switch to isolate the power when working in a circuit. Go back to the electrical distribution panel and turn off the breaker, This will cut the voltage to the switch completely. In a second senerio you could have run into a three wire circuit where there is a common neutral and two hot wires to produce two 120 volt circuits. If you open the neutrals that are wire nutted in the back of the switch junction box one of them will have voltage on it from the other circuit. Touch it and any ground and you will get a shock. This is the main reason that all splices in junction boxes should have pig tails on them. Pig tailing splices allows a device to be changed out without opening the cluster of neutrals and hot wires. Remember to practice safety and shut off the breaker before starting the job.

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Has a light switch ever shocked you before?

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