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

[Waltonswatcher1]

Thank you op and everyone else .
I am on toddler number 3 and this is news to me . I have just removed mine .
I am going to ikea this week to play merry hell . This is shocking .
I am also going to print details off and distribute to our local groups .
Horrified am I .

[insertrandomnamehere]

Just looked at IKEA's 'safety' socket cover - "You can use the plugs in earthed as well as unearthed sockets"

Ie, you can use the plugs in earthed as well as illegal sockets!

I love IKEA, but I think I'll stick to MK for electrical supplies.

And you'll note of course that MK, Crabtree, Volex etc (ie proper electrics manufacturers) don't make socket covers. Funny that...

[insertrandomnamehere]

Ikea socket cover:

Pretty disgraceful really.

[insertrandomnamehere]

That's the live terminal by the way

[BrianTheMole]

Good post op. Hopefully you will reach more people with this information.

[insertrandomnamehere]

This has been connected by two paperclips pushed into the socket, because the ikea cover doesn't even cover up the live/neutral terminals. I'm actually shocked by this one, even worse than most. Seriously dangerous. Of course, without a socket cover it would be impossible to insert paperclips into the live/neutral terminals.

[insertrandomnamehere]

All from the Fatally Flawed website.

[BrianTheMole]

Its frightening. I used to have those socket covers. When I saw that website years ago I binned them. I don't know why they are allowed to be sold. So dangerous.

[insertrandomnamehere]

Apologies for the string of posts but Cannot believe that ikea picture, the sheer stupidity of the design. All you need is an paperclip in either hand and that's 240V through the heart.

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

I seem to reacll a conversation a while back with a childminding friend that the council/Ofsted (?someone official) requires these in places of childminding work.

Boggle.

[insertrandomnamehere]

I think Ofsted etc have seen the light somewhat now and no longer insist, but leave it to the individual school. Individual inspectors though, who knows..

[RawCoconutMacaroon]

I regularly tell people that uk plugs are far safer without safety covers, but mostly no one listens, not even my sister who has just fitted them all over her house :( even though she read up about it, her HV advised using them, and she's the expert...

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

That's a step in the right direction, though not perfect.

Good on you for starting the thread.

[insertrandomnamehere]

Show her that last picture with the light bulb, give her two paperclips and ask if she's feeling lucky? I'm still horrified by that!

[BumPotato]

I'm sure I got some free in a bounty bag. My kids are beyond the baby proofing stage but I still have a few kicking about. Job for tomorrow is to get rid.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

I'm very surprised that there are people about who still don't know this (not meaning new parents but people like health visitors and teachers)

I don't understand this, to be honest, please explain a bit further. I'm a teacher, and know that is is quite easy for a silly child, primary or secondary age, to give themselves a shock sticking something in a socket. Also to give a shock to the child next to them as well, if they are touching. It happens, I suppose I've been in the room with such an incident around three or four times. Once leading to serious injury.Why doesn't it make sense to cover the sockets in a home with a toddler in, they are surely much more vulnerable, both less sense and less physical resilience

Are you seriously trying to say that you have personally witnessed several children of any ages sticking one object into a earth and then another object into a live bit of a plug socket of a legal British plug socket? Because that's what would have to happen for a shock to be caused.

If the socket is switched on it is still not live until the earth pin is inserted so sticking a random object into the live would do nothing at all with out the earth shutter being open and they are also designed so fingers do not fit in

[MrsGSR]

Needs it happened when I was at school. Can't remember exactly but I think the boy held the top open with a pencil and put a paperclip between the other two. There was a massive bang and he burnt his finger but was otherwise ok. This was less than 10 years ago and he was about 13.

I didn't know this, DD isn't crawling yet but we got some in a safety pack from boots that I was going to use. Although a DH can't take them out I'm not sure a toddler will manage it, but it's not worth the risk.

[insertrandomnamehere]

MrsGSR - but that was a 13 year old, who really should have known better. If it had been two paperclips rather than one he would have killed himself. I'm sure I could devise a way to override the shutters on a socket using a pencil or similar implement but I have strength and dexterity that a baby/toddler does not.

[Trooperslane]

Thank you so much for this thread op.

I'm just about to baby proof the house from mini troop and socket covers were on the top of the list

[Twobusyboys]

I think if sockets are more than 20 years old they do need socket covers?

[insertrandomnamehere]

It is frightening how people are unaware. It makes sense - intuitively, socket covers seem like an obviously good idea.

But if you about it, or talk to anybody with any form of electrical training, you'll quickly see they're anything but.

[insertrandomnamehere]

Twobusybody - no, UK sockets do not need covers. I'm sure hundreds of thousands of sockets greater than 20 years old are still in use in the UK. They will all have internal shutters. Covers will have no benefit because all they will do is override the existing safety features of the socket.

If anybody is reading this from outside the UK, this advice is just for UK sockets. Covers may just about be necessary in other countries that have different wiring codes. In the UK, they are unnecessary and will always increase risk rather than decrease it.

[NetworkGuy]

irnh - "give her two paperclips and ask if she's feeling lucky?"

I'm sure it was meant in jest, but if someone did and the person with the paperclips had no switch on the socket, it could be fatal, so probably better not to suggest it, even in joking mode.

[insertrandomnamehere]

Even if it was switched off it could still be fatal if the socket had been installed incorrectly.

Hopefully it's obvious that it was said in jest - paper clips and sockets do not belong together!

[NetworkGuy]

NASA - "If the socket is switched on it is still not live until the earth pin is inserted"

Really? From what I've seen in practice, and the BS1363 standard, I have not spotted anything requiring the circuit be disabled until the earth pin (or plastic alternative) is inserted.

There may be simple or more complex arrangements (springs etc) to ensure that the earth is inserted first and the plastic covers don't retract from the other two holes, unless both pins are being inserted, after the earth pin, but as far as I know, the line and neutral connections are active ("live") whether the plastic covers are in the way or not (assuming a switch on the socket is "on" of course).

I'd totally recommend having switches on sockets, and even on sockets of extension units (both the types, ones with a cable from mains plug, and the "all in one" plug with 4 sockets, that can go into the wall socket), of course.