to remind everyone that socket covers are dangerous!

[insertrandomnamehere]

Did a search and couldn't find a post on this topic for a couple of years so in case people still don't realise...

If you use Child safety socket covers, get rid of them! They are dangerous and they actually make sockets more dangerous not less.

Socket covers are completely unnecessary and could potentially cause a fatal accident. UK plug sockets are designed with shutters to prevent anything except a UK plug being inserted into the socket. It is extremely unlikely that a young child would be able to open these shutters, as the child would have to insert something of exactly the right size into the earth pin. This is not possible with real plugs. But socket covers hold these shutters open and introduce a range of new dangers.

Unlike real plugs, the various design faults of socket covers allow a curious child to insert them (upside down) into the earth pin only. On many sockets this opens the safety shutters and allows children access to the live contacts!

If you have these at home, please take a few minutes to read the national campaign calling for the banning of socket covers: www.fatallyflawed.org.uk

Yes I do want to reanimate it.

What if you don't have shutters on the plug? None of ours do and our house isn't particularly old at all.

Everyone with standard square 3 pin plug sockets does, they are just inside the live and neutral pins.

Sashhh look closely at your sockets. All UK sockets from when the 3 pin design was made have a cover that drops down on the inside. Some of these are red easy to see some are black so it still looks like a hole. You should not be able to poke anything any more than about 3mm into the bottom two holes.

I bought covers because I thought I should. DH an electrician questioned the logic. Then we found a website slating covers and binned ours. A 3 month old babies fingers are too big to fit in the holes, so by the time a baby is mobile it will not be able to fit fingers in the holes.

Thank u for making me aware of this. Have removed them immediately.

pigletjohn I did the same with home bargains and got the same kind of reply. Numbskull is a perfect description.

I am startled that it is legal to sell a product that is actively dangerous and isn't a cigarette.

If you have been using the covers it's possible you have damaged your socket as well.

My fiance is a engineer, when I was pregnant with my first I suggested we get the covers and he followed that suggestion up with a half an hour speech about all this lol.

We used to use socket covers. Now one of our sockets is totally unusable as the internal covers have been pushed permanently open. I have completely covered the socket until we get round to replacing the whole thing.
I don't use socket covers any where else now.

time for a reminder

A note from the Department for Education on the use of electrical plug socket covers/inserts in early years provision in England

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In June, the Department of Health published an estate and facilities alert on the dangers of socket safety covers, which states that 13A electrical socket inserts should not be used in health or social care premises, nor supplied for use in a home or residence. Childcare providers have a duty to keep children safe. Although it is not illegal to use electrical safety socket covers, the Department for Education recommends that providers should take into account the advice included in this alert when carrying out their own risk assessment.

And the NHS one

Originator: DH Estates and Facilities

Issue date: 30-Jun-2016 10:01:08

Action by recipients: •Care Trusts
•Mental Health Trusts
•Specialists Trusts
•NHS Regional Offices
•Learning Disabilities Trusts
•Mental Health & Social Care Trusts
•Ambulance Trusts
•Mental Health & Learning Disabilities
•Acute Trusts
•Community Trusts

Information to recipients: •Social Care Providers (registered with CAS)
•Ofsted recipients
•Other contacts
•Independent Healthcare Providers (registered with CAS)
•Clinical Commissioning Groups
•Special Health Authorities

Action category: Action

Title: 13A Electrical socket inserts (socket covers or protectors)

Broadcast content:

This Alert is issued to highlight how, in certain circumstances, the use of plastic 13A (13 amp) electrical socket inserts (sold as safety accessories) can overcome the safety features designed into socket outlets.

13A electrical socket inserts should not be used in health or social care premises, nor supplied for use in a home or residence. Any socket inserts currently in use should be withdrawn from use and responsibly disposed of.

Additional information: NHS England regional offices please cascade to GPs and Dentists

Alert reference: EFA/2016/002

Action underway deadline: 18-Jul-2016

Action complete deadline: 01-Dec-2016

Attachments: •EFA 2016 002 Final.pdf

Cascade to:

•Dentists
•GPs

www.cas.dh.gov.uk/ViewandAcknowledgment/ViewAlert.aspx?AlertID=102494

The Department for Education one is

<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161014091458/www.foundationyears.org.uk/2016/10/dfe-note-on-the-use-of-electrical-plug-socket-coversinserts-in-early-years-provision-in-england/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20161014091458/www.foundationyears.org.uk/2016/10/dfe-note-on-the-use-of-electrical-plug-socket-coversinserts-in-early-years-provision-in-england/

(England)