Voltage drop across the neutral side can and does happen. Also, loose connections often happen on the neutral side supplying the plug. This could give you the full voltage across your chassis.
"Voltage drop across the neutral side can and does happen."
This is true. Even though the neutral conductor is grounded at the panel box, loading elsewhere in the circuit can cause the neutral conductor to have a potential above ground.
That is, there is a small resistance of the copper wire as it goes from the electrical outlet back to the panel box. If something in the circuit is drawing significant current, this small resistance can cause a voltage to appear in the grounded ("neutral") conductor.
If your home uses "shared neutral" wiring (two opposite-phase 120V hot lines sharing a single neutral wire for the return), then even throwing the circuit breaker on a given circuit can leave a potential in the neutral wire. This is because the paired hot conductor can be carrying current, causing the shared neutral wire to have potential.
This is true. Even though the neutral conductor is grounded at the panel box, loading elsewhere in the circuit can cause the neutral conductor to have a potential above ground.
That is, there is a small resistance of the copper wire as it goes from the electrical outlet back to the panel box. If something in the circuit is drawing significant current, this small resistance can cause a voltage to appear in the grounded ("neutral") conductor.
If your home uses "shared neutral" wiring (two opposite-phase 120V hot lines sharing a single neutral wire for the return), then even throwing the circuit breaker on a given circuit can leave a potential in the neutral wire. This is because the paired hot conductor can be carrying current, causing the shared neutral wire to have potential.
This can be surprising.