I needed help getting the metal screw part of a broken lightbulb out of our kitchen fixture. I would have thought it needed shutting off the power to the kitchen, but he just got pliers and fixed it.
It's a good idea to flip the breaker off, but if you're 101% sure the light switch is off you can do it without getting shocked. Although in your H's case, I think I would have poured some water on the floor, given him a metal step stool and then turned the switch on while he was working.
