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I think this subject may have been covered on here before. Basically the sockets fitted in British homes have a an interlock mechanism which shutters the live and neutral terminals of the socket. The only way these shutters can be opened is by inserting the earth pin from a standard plug into the socket, and thereby inserting the complete plug or in some cases by inserting live and neutral pins simultaneously. The risk with so called safety covers is that they can be easy to remove, they can be inserted upside down and the plastic earth pin can be (relatively) easily broken, running the risk of exposed live and neutral; this of course defeats the safety features of the socket.
Using safety covers is-at best-a waste of money and at worst can increase the hazard to a child rather than reduce it, because the inherently strong safety features designed into the socket can be defeated by the use of these flimsy devices.
Using safety covers is-at best-a waste of money and at worst can increase the hazard to a child rather than reduce it, because the inherently strong safety features designed into the socket can be defeated by the use of these flimsy devices.
to be fair though.. if the kid is clever enough to figure out that turning the safety cover upside down lets him poke bits of metal into the socket, then it should be bright enough to know or at least be told that electricity kills..
the pin holes aren't big enough for even a baby to stick it's little fingers in and the covers usually so fiddly to get out that you need decent nails or sone form of tool to get it out ( knife, screwdriver etc.. ), or at least the ones that mom and dad used to use were.. maybe they have done the stupid thing and made them easier to remove... which defeats the whole object.
as sarcastically pointed out in another post, if they want to defeat the safety mechanism, then there are easier ways such as matchsticks and biro pen tops etc to puch into the earth pin..
the pin holes aren't big enough for even a baby to stick it's little fingers in and the covers usually so fiddly to get out that you need decent nails or sone form of tool to get it out ( knife, screwdriver etc.. ), or at least the ones that mom and dad used to use were.. maybe they have done the stupid thing and made them easier to remove... which defeats the whole object.
as sarcastically pointed out in another post, if they want to defeat the safety mechanism, then there are easier ways such as matchsticks and biro pen tops etc to puch into the earth pin..
in my experiance most pen tops are either too thin or solid enough to open the shutters. Maybe some of the hard plastic ones would do it if you broke the clip off but generally not an easy way to do it. Some socket covers have very long earth pins and very short other pins making them ideal tools for shutter opening.
the pin holes aren't big enough to stick fingers in directly, but they are certainly big enough to stick say a paperclip down.
PS ColJack one thing I have noticed is that the modern socket covers are FAR FAR worse than the ones my parents used to use which had full length solid plastic pins and took quite a lot of force to get out of the socket.
the pin holes aren't big enough to stick fingers in directly, but they are certainly big enough to stick say a paperclip down.
PS ColJack one thing I have noticed is that the modern socket covers are FAR FAR worse than the ones my parents used to use which had full length solid plastic pins and took quite a lot of force to get out of the socket.
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I use socket covers but they are the older style and actually quite hard to remove!
I think one point missed it that they make the socket look less apealing as something to mess with in the first place, however if child sees mum or dad inserting the cover then it could look too similar to the shape sorting games you get...
I like the MK design would feel more comfortable with that.
Some of those covers do look awful though.
Difficult one really would be interesting to see any statistics...
I think one point missed it that they make the socket look less apealing as something to mess with in the first place, however if child sees mum or dad inserting the cover then it could look too similar to the shape sorting games you get...
I like the MK design would feel more comfortable with that.
Some of those covers do look awful though.
Difficult one really would be interesting to see any statistics...
I've seen this discussed in a number of places and have noticed that adults often comment that their small offspring can remove covers more easily than they can, this is probably because of the fact that covers seem to often push back out as soon as you push them in.
I also worry about modern extension cables, the old ones were always a lot wider than they are now, and these narrow ones allow you (or more likely your kid) to put a normal plug in upside down. that leaves the shutters wide open for further mischief. I wonder if the standard allows that?
I also worry about modern extension cables, the old ones were always a lot wider than they are now, and these narrow ones allow you (or more likely your kid) to put a normal plug in upside down. that leaves the shutters wide open for further mischief. I wonder if the standard allows that?
theres always these though
http://www.craftymomstore.com/?page_id=6&category=5
there was a spate a couple of years ago with decorative covers, I saw some that looked like ladybirds.
TBH, I don`t use them, the sockets in the kids bedrooms are behind furniture, and in good condition, downstairs in the living room and playroom, MK with the extra lock bit on it, safe enough for me.
http://www.craftymomstore.com/?page_id=6&category=5
there was a spate a couple of years ago with decorative covers, I saw some that looked like ladybirds.
TBH, I don`t use them, the sockets in the kids bedrooms are behind furniture, and in good condition, downstairs in the living room and playroom, MK with the extra lock bit on it, safe enough for me.
My parents' knew a couple who fitted them in every empty socket in the house, because they were afraid the sockets would leak and they would be electrocuted in the resultant puddle of electricity... 
I've just done a test with a slimline extension lead, and sure enough, I CAN put the plug in upside down
However, looking into the N and L holes, the shutters require a second action to open them. I decided that I wouldn't test the force required, as this extension lead is currently in use
Of course, almost every nation on earth manages to use unshuttered sockets without unbridled electrocution on a daily basis... and most of Europe is wired to a standard we would regard as "bodged".
I've just done a test with a slimline extension lead, and sure enough, I CAN put the plug in upside down
However, looking into the N and L holes, the shutters require a second action to open them. I decided that I wouldn't test the force required, as this extension lead is currently in use
Of course, almost every nation on earth manages to use unshuttered sockets without unbridled electrocution on a daily basis... and most of Europe is wired to a standard we would regard as "bodged".
I've just done a test with a slimline extension lead, and sure enough, I CAN put the plug in upside down
However, looking into the N and L holes, the shutters require a second action to open them. I decided that I wouldn't test the force required, as this extension lead is currently in use
That sounds interesting, i'd like some of those as the ones I have are all opened completely (Masterplug from B&Q). can you tell me where you got it and what brand?
Many thanks.
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