to remind everyone that socket covers are dangerous!

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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

A little historical context....

Caroline Haslett (1895 - 1957) was a pioneer electrical engineer, she founded the Electrical Association for Women and in 1932 became the first chair of the Home Safety Committee of the National "Safety First" Association (now called RoSPA), before that it was just a road safety organisation. Her expertise in electrical engineering, coupled with her passion for home safety, led to her being appointed to a wartime committee that was advising on the electrical aspects of post-war reconstruction. Caroline was the only woman on the committee, but her presence was crucial to the decision that there should be a new type of plug and socket, and that the first requirement should be: "To ensure the safety of young children it is of considerable importance that the contacts of the socket-outlet should be protected by shutters". That resulted in the BS 1363 flat-pin plug and socket that we use today. It is the only plug and socket in general use that has been child safe since it was first introduced, it took other countries decades to catch up, and even now safe sockets are optional rather than standard in most other countries. In the meantime those countries started using socket covers to get some protection, and through ignorance of the built in safety of UK sockets some manufacturers started to introduce them here and thus the myth of British socket covers was born. This would not have been much of a problem (apart from being a waste of money) but for the fact that no one bothered to make them the right size!

I imagine that Caroline Haslett is spinning in her grave at the disservice done to British families through the money grubbing sale of unnecessary and unsafe socket covers in the UK. It is also a certain bet that she would deeply disapprove of the lack of interest that RoSPA now take in the subject. Caroline Haslett was a woman ahead of her time, and she really understood electrical safety - we need more like her today.

Honsandrevels - I tried putting them upside down etc and it didn't work at all. There was no way of doing it.

A guess, but wonder if the plastic was just too hard to bend enough to insert. In the past, while "tinkering", I've certainly been able to insert a plastic "earth pin replacement" into a socket and connected the bare wires of an item under test [when I was stuck with a load of moulded plugs and none I could use to unscrew and connect the device with].

[OK, don't do that at home - I did an electronics course near on 40 years ago, and saw someone thrown across the room from having his finger touch a live wire inside a big {marine} radio transmitter, and do respect the risk of mains power, therefore, not something I'd ever recommend to anyone else, but felt it worthwhile to mention, as a way to confirm the risk once the shutters are open, and they do open easily with a suitable "earth pin".]

CecilyP - "had round pinned sockets in a 1960 built council house."

My Mum had an adaptor well into the late-80s which plugged into the light socket and had a round pin socket (no earth) 'outlet' and a 'light socket' [an inverted 'Y' shape] so that one could plug in an electric iron and have a light on at the same time, directly over the ironing board.

The majority of round pin plugs/sockets that might still be found in homes are quite likely to be dangerous, as any 2-pin ones would have no Earth connection at all, and I think none of the 3-pin plugs have any covering over the pins, allowing accidental contact to be made if plugging / unplugging when the socket is "live".

To clarify the above comments on round pins. The requirement for sockets to be earthed (three pin) was introduced 80 years ago, so if you still have any two-pin sockets in your home (with the exception of shaver sockets) they are really really old and they should be removed without delay. Shaver sockets are a special case, they are isolated by a transformer to give extra protection, they must have safety shutters, and these are operated by the simultaneous insertion of both pins, pushing something into just one side will not open the shutter.

Three-pin round sockets come in three sizes, the big 15 amp ones should no longer be found in homes, the two smaller sizes (5 amp and 2 amp) are still approved for dedicated circuits for convenient switching of table and floor lamps. Any round pin sockets in use should meet modern safety standards, so they must be fitted with shutters. If you have round pin sockets without shutters they should be replaced.

NetworkGuy mentions the importance of the insulated sleeves on plugs. Modern round pin plugs are available with partial insulation on the line and neutral pins, see picture. If you still use round pin plugs you should replace any which do not have partially insulated pins.

For the past 30 years all standard flat pin plugs are required to have partial insulation on the line and neutral pins, if you still have any old ones they should be replaced with a new plug as in the other picture.

The earth pin (the longest pin) must NEVER have an insulating sleeve, if you have a plug with a sleeved earth pin then it is an unapproved counterfeit and will be dangerous, see www.bs1363.org.uk

The two-pin plugs I remember were from quite a while ago, and typically used with (relatively) low current consumption devices, such as lights (eg in a bedroom, a reading light clipped onto headboard)

this is by no means a new topic, but today is a good day for a reminder.

Shame my health visitor at dd2's 2 year check was still recommending them the other day. There needs to be a wider national education campaign on this really.

I would be delighted if one of these ignorant people would put their dangerous recommendation, to use these covers, in writing.

It would be so much easier to make an official complaint.

I find it difficult to believe that the controlling body approves of dangerous advice.

My DH registered as a childminder last year and was told our playroom needed socked covers. I'd already seen the info about the plug in type and refused point blank to have them in the house so we have the type which totally cover the sockets. Having nothing was not permitted, I'm pretty sure they checked at our annual inspection too.

Someone said upthread that having the plug behind a lock sounded dangerous but it's not like they need a key, you just have to hold down two bits and open simultaneously. Tricky for a kid but quite quick for an adult.

It scares me that these things are still sold. There are no circumstances in which they would be a good idea. They should be banned.

We have a socket here that has 2 bits of metal at the sides of the earth hole which get pushed apart when a socket is inserted. The house was only built in 1970 so is this a rogue, illegal socket or is it possible to still have shutters on it? I never have and never will get socket covers, I know that they are unsafe.

the earth connectors are safe to touch, should you so desire. The metal casing of a kettle, cooker, boiler, immersion heater, radiators, taps and pipes are all connected together with the earth, it is a safety measure.

The earth pin does not need a shutter on it. The springs in the earth hole of a UK socket are deliberately designed so that they come into contact first when you insert a plug, and lose contact last when you pull one out. This maximises the safety of such metal appliances.

Probably best not to poke a screwdriver in though, someone might try to copy you.

I have a copy of the front page of the FatallyFlawed site and a copy of Ofsted's response in my portfolio so I can wave them under the noses of over-zealous inspectors. I recommend that any childminders do the same to cover themselves.

Have just been round and removed all socket covers from my home. I tried inserting one upside down it was very easy to do and the shutters clearly opened. I also tried inserting a plug upside down this also worked but the shutters only opened half way, still enough to stick something in though I think...

Whether an upside down plug will stay in position depends on the particular socket / plug combination, and the weight of the flex attached to it. What you should bear in mind is that:

1. It is always easier for a plastic socket cover to be inserted upside down than a plug.

1. Small children are very good at removing socket covers, often they find it easier than adults, the 11 month old baby in this takes three seconds to remove one!

1. You can ensure that you do not leave plugs lying around in a room where a baby or toddler is present.

1. An upside down plug in a socket is much more obvious than an upside down socket cover, which can easily be overlooked.

1. The greater danger is that incorrectly sized socket covers damage sockets. They can cause overheating and fires when you plug in an appliance after a socket cover with oversize pins (they are the ones which are harder to remove) has been removed. Socket covers can also cause permanent damage to socket shutters - removing the built-in safety.

The main point of a socket cover is to stop children plugging in electrical equipment when there is no adult nearby. Socket covers stop the situation occurring of little Johnnie or Mabel running around with Dad’s drill or Mum's chain saw (for example) after plugging them into unprotected sockets.

Fatallyflawed criticise at some length "unplugged" socket covers which is a bit like criticising the frog for not kissing the princess ie nothing to do with it.

Bug if you have socket covers on ,how can they insert them into the earth pin?

Many years ago a neighbour's 3 year old got hold of a screw driver and unscrewed the face plate of the socket from the wall.

Had there been socket covers he would have been playing with live wires.

As for stopping children plugging things in, this only works if the child can't unplug the cover and the covers are easier to unplug than a plug. So if you want the plugs covered plug something in.

Pastamancer

You are describing the shutters

Designer Dad said "The main point of a socket cover is to stop children plugging in electrical equipment" but it is worth noting that this idea is just a marketing ploy which was introduced after the FatallyFlawed campaign first pointed out that socket covers were completely redundant in British sockets. The idea that socket covers can prevent children plugging in dangerous appliances is dealt with in one of our FAQs:
www.fatallyflawed.org.uk/html/faq.html#Q11

I have no idea what designer dad is talking about when he claims that we criticise at some length "unplugged" socket covers"! Frogs? Princesses?

This is what the FAQ referred to above says:

Don’t socket covers also prevent children plugging in dangerous appliances?

The problem with this idea is that , as we have shown, plug-in covers are often easy for children to remove.

Clippasafe claim on their website that covers “will prevent children from plugging in electrical items such as heaters and hair straighteners”. But, the Clippasafe type, also sold under the Boots and John Lewis brands, is “easily removed from the socket by inserting the plug you need to use” (Clippasafe’s own description of their product) so the suggestion that it can prevent children plugging in a dangerous device is clearly absolute nonsense!

To act as prevention against the use of dangerous appliances, plug-in socket covers would need to meet the following criteria:
•Covers would need to be very difficult to remove by children possessing the skills to insert a plug. There are no such plug-in covers on the market.

•Covers would need to be demonstrably safe and not compromise the safety features of BS 1363 sockets. There are no such plug-in covers on the market.

•Covers would need to made to the correct dimensions of a BS 1363 plug, to ensure that they did not cause damage to sockets. There are no such plug-in covers on the market.

•If covers meeting the above criteria were available then, to be effective, they would need to be used in every socket which was within reach of a child. This includes those sockets which would normally have plugs inserted into them, as clearly the plug of another appliance is not difficult for the child to remove. Would you be prepared to do this?

A recent study by The Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow looked at severe burns caused by children handling hair straighteners. The statistics revealed that, in the majority of cases, the burns were caused by appliances which had already been turned off and left to cool, not as a result of children plugging them in!

This is a comment posted on a baby discussion forum in December 2010: “Dainton (17 months) has learnt how to get socket covers off: he then goes in the kitchen pulls my iron out the cupboard and plugs it in!!!!! Thank god I caught him! Lil monkey”

The big problem with suggesting that socket covers have a role to play in preventing children from being harmed by dangerous appliances is that it detracts from the only sensible message: Parents and carers should ensure that ALL dangerous appliances are kept beyond the reach of children.

A socket cover does two things:
a) It stops toddlers inserting plugs of potentially dangerous equipment e.g. mowers, hairdryers, vacuum cleaners, electric drills etc.
b) It hides the socket holes from the toddler’s sight and mechanically prevents meddling.
Every parent must decide for themselves whether they choose to believe the obvious and fit socket covers or, choose to believe fatallyflawed addled theories.

I wasn't aware of this - thanks for the post.

Huh. I didn't realize UK sockets were different from US ones.

Sockets of the world

Quick question, do extension cables have to conform to this too? I know they have their own safety issues, but do the sockets have to have shutters?

the obvious, designerdad is that UK socket covers are designed safe. Unless you are the parent of an Argos-ad alien, your child's fingers don't fit in the sockets. The shutters stop that and stop it touching anything live even if it does insert something thinner in the socket.

a socket cover inserted upside down (which kids can do) will open the shutters. As you clearly leave a lot of dangerous items lying around, your child is then able to insert something small into the socket and get a shock.

I will be impressed if your child can operate an electric drill. But of course you don't leave that on the floor, do you?

if you aren't in the UK you may have less safe sockets and may need covers. Although I still recommend you put the dangerous objects away.

UK extension cables do have shutters. Some older ones allow plugs OR SOCKET COVERS to be inserted upside down, opening the shutters.

something else not to leave lying about.