FCU's and power sockets

[JohnW2]

I thought of another reason the other day while repeatedly saying "No" to grandsprog who's now reached the stage of being able to reach all those interesting buttons and switches

Are you suggesting that as a reason for having, or not having, local 'isolator' switches?

I've certainly often heard that as a reason why people want such switches - when the little ones get big enough to play with the controls at the front of a cooker or other appliance but are not (yet!) tall enough (without 'climbing aids'!) to get at switches on the wall behind the worktop!

Kind Regards, John

 

[SimonH2]

I've certainly often heard that as a reason why people want such switches - when the little ones get big enough to play with the controls at the front of a cooker or other appliance but are not (yet!) tall enough (without 'climbing aids'!) to get at switches on the wall behind the worktop!

Yup, that's exactly it.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Plan B - recognise that children should never, ever, EVER be allowed access to kitchens so uncontrolled that they can get anywhere near the controls for anything.

Just never.

Under any circumstances whatsoever.

 

[echoes]

Plan C: get them trained up as early as possible in the proper use of the washing machine and dishwasher. Then they can wash their own clothes after the chimney sweeping.

 

[JohnW2]

Plan B - recognise that children should never, ever, EVER be allowed access to kitchens so uncontrolled that they can get anywhere near the controls for anything.

I presume that means that if/when you are 'controlling children' in a kitchen, you never allow your eyes to go off them for even a few seconds?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Diver Fred]

Another reason is that many recent appliances are permanently powered internally with the 'On-Off' or selector switches operating at low voltage not mains. That means the appliance is constantly consuming current - similar to leaving a TV on 'standby'.

 

[JohnW2]

Another reason is that many recent appliances are permanently powered internally with the 'On-Off' or selector switches operating at low voltage not mains. That means the appliance is constantly consuming current - similar to leaving a TV on 'standby'.

True, but a lot of those also have clocks, without any battery/capacitor backup, so if one keeps switching them off, one has to keep resetting the wretched clock!

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I presume that means that if/when you are 'controlling children' in a kitchen, you never allow your eyes to go off them for even a few seconds?

Absolutely.

If you cannot guarantee to do that then you exclude them from the kitchen.

How many stories of children receiving fatal, or even "just" life-changing injuries in a kitchen when it was "I only took my eyes off her for a second" do you have to read before you will accept that fundamental truth?

 

[JohnW2]

How many stories of children receiving fatal, or even "just" life-changing injuries in a kitchen when it was "I only took my eyes off her for a second" do you have to read before you will accept that fundamental truth?

I have unfortunately heard, first hand, countless such stories in relation to a very wide range of environments, not just kitchens.

Of course one tries to keep them out of particularly hazardous environments, and tries 'never to take one's eyes off them', but it's an imperfect world, so to have the cooker (or hair drier, or fan heater, or bedside light or mower or whatever) 'disabled' just in case you do, heaven forbid, 'take your eyes off them for a few seconds' seems an eminently sensible way to try to reduce even further the chances of one's child becoming the subject of one of those stories, doesn't it?

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It does.

And so does the even better option of excluding them from the kitchen.

 

[JohnW2]

It does. And so does the even better option of excluding them from the kitchen.

That's utopian, but it's often not practical. If, say, a mother is alone in the house with the children, it could well, on balance, be safer to have them in the kitchen when she is necessarily there (and obviously doing her best 'not to take her eyes off them') than to allow them to be in some other room (presumably with shut doors between them, so they could not sneek into the kitchen), getting up to goodness-knows-what.

Furthermore, as I tried to illustrate with my examples, there are lots of rooms other than kitchens which they would probably also have to be excluded from. Where are they to be allowed - in some padded cell, with several guards looking over them?

As I said, 'disabling' potentially damaging things (cookers, hair driers, mowers etc. etc.) is just a sensible added level of 'precaution' to add to all the other things done in an attempt to keep children (or the elderly/frail etc.) out of harm.

Kind Regards, John

 

[davelx]

It does.

And so does the even better option of excluding them from the kitchen.

Indeed - but with modern open plan house design, the whole ground floor is often a single space. I don't like that, but it seems to be considered as "modern living"!

 

[sparkwright]

I don't know what age group (if any) the children are, but to 'exclude' them from the kitchen may not be the answer.

It's hard enough to get them INTO the kitchen, what usually being in front of some electronic device in a bedroom.

The kitchen is a great learning place, and parents or guardians should take the trouble to teach - not only safety - but all the other things like preparing meals and cleaning and washing up and all the other things children don't get taught or shown now.