Local isolation is a common concept in the UK electrical industry, where we add a switch so socket's can be isolated without the need to remove heavy appliances. A prime example would be a socket to power a washing machine, this is a rather heavy appliance so you would typically run power to an isolation switch that is accessible above a worktop to isolate the supply to this socket in case of an emergency.
Rather than having to drag the heavy item out of the way to isolate power to it, in an emergency, you can simply turn off a switch located in a convenient location to isolate the socket. This is a great idea but (having been to a recent call out due to a socket not working and this being the cause) it appears it is not shared in other countries.
You will mostly find this in your kitchen so be sure to check that all switches above the counter are switched on before you call out an electrician at your own cost.
