Preventable ground wire accidents and fires

When wiring a home or business for single phase operation, it is well known that using a 3-wire system is safer than a 2-wire system, where the 3rd wire is a direct connection to earth ground. We cite several recent investigations where failure to adhere to this simple safety protocol has resulted in damage to humans and property: (1) A bond wire used as if it were an earth ground failed to provide protection during a low current short circuit in a power tap; this resulted in a massive house fire. (2) A homeowner had paid to have a 3-wire electrical hookup in his house, but only 2-wires of the 3 were ever installed - hot (120 VAC RMS) and neutral (nominally at zero volts). An overload in the home computer and/or computer appliance resulted in a massive fire since the neutral was NOT strong enough to sink the excess current safely. (3) Two workers testing HID lamps in a sports arena were electrocuted by a short in the bulb's metal frame; the arena had been built in the 1950's and even though town codes and product codes called for the installation of a ground wire, the electrical infrastructure was never upgraded. (4) A subway rider is pushed on to the 3rd rail. A switch is thrown to divert all of the electric currents to ground, but an improper hookup reduces the electric current that diverts to ground, and so the human lives, but he is severely injured.