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Original poster

To remind people of the danger of socket covers

90 replies

FannyFeatures · 28/04/2019 09:08

I've seen these mentioned in a few threads recently regarding baby proofing/safety equipment and worse, are still sold by many reputable retailers.

Placing a "plug" into the socket opens up the safety latch and activates the circuit.

Information on the dangers here www.fatallyflawed.org.uk

They are no longer authorised for use in child/health care services for this reason.

OP posts:
donquixotedelamancha · 28/04/2019 11:02

*Wait, so should you not leave anything plugged in but switched off.

Most electricals sold in the UK are very safe. If it plugged in then the socket is on, but the circuit is cut inside the device. If the device has a short circuit then, of course, being plugged in creates a risk; but even then the design of most modern products minimises fire risk.

The problem with the covers is that you have a simple, high resistance, material (plastic) which is potentially permanently having current flow and getting hot.

WeeDangerousSpike · 28/04/2019 11:04

It amazes me that this isn't common knowledge. I don't remember finding it out, (I'm mid 30s) it's just something I know. I think we might have had them when I was tiny, maybe I was told when my parents found out and I was too small to remember.

You can get little clippy things that go over the switch (not the socket holes) that stop the switch being turned on/off. I was considering getting some because the toddler keeps turning the night storage heaters on and off and I don't notice till the morning. Hmm

Think they just stick on tho so might be a choking hazard instead... Sigh...

CuriousaboutSamphire · 28/04/2019 11:09

I have these everywhere. Is there an alternative? Yes. Just trust the 70 year old safety record of the socket design. Do nothing but use them as they were designed to be used. No covers, nothing!

Jammiebammie · 28/04/2019 11:16

I knew these weren’t safe, but thanks OP for sharing this to spread awareness. There is so much proof to how dangerous these are, im shocked they are still sold in stores.

I have a question, my mum and dad always told a story about my brother ‘shocking’ himself at a plug socket (early 80s), if the plug sockets have had this safety feature for over 70 years then I take it they could have been fabricating this story? I think they said he put a butter knife in iirc.

I did see on a night watch episode in the states a toddler boy put a set of keys in a socket, luckily he was ok. Scary stuff.

DeeCeeCherry · 28/04/2019 11:20

I used these all over the house when DC were young. I had no idea!😮

Thanks OP

Will keep this in mind for when the grandchildren come along

1tisILeClerc · 28/04/2019 11:27

{The problem with the covers is that you have a simple, high resistance, material (plastic) which is potentially permanently having current flow and getting hot.}

Plastic (of the type used for these plug in things) is an insulator, no current flows so they will not get hot.
Connections either inside the socket or a plug, or even the pins if they are dirty and corroded will only get hot if a connection is loose (causing a higher resistance than there should be but not as high as a plastic insulator).

WeeDangerousSpike
I believe you can get these which fix by undoing one of the faceplate screws and fitting it in place when you decide if you want the switch on or off. On the basis the sockets were fitted correctly in the first place, you should be able to do this job yourself and no live connections are exposed unless you removed both faceplate screws and pulled the whole assembly out.

1tisILeClerc · 28/04/2019 11:34

{I have a question, my mum and dad always told a story about my brother ‘shocking’ himself at a plug socket (early 80s), if the plug sockets have had this safety feature for over 70 years then I take it they could have been fabricating this story? I think they said he put a butter knife in iirc. }

Originally the 13 Amp plugs had all solid metal pins but at some point the manufacturers improved safety by having the pins part covered in plastic so that in theory (and if to proper specifications) the metal tip of the live and neutral pins won't connect to the 'live' part inside the socket until the plastic covered part of the lion is inside the socket. Very cunning and stops the possibility of having a flat 'blade' contacting anything live.
Having 'moulded on' mains plugs to prevent people rewiring them (possibly incorrectly) on bought items also improved safety.

1tisILeClerc · 28/04/2019 11:35
  • lion should say pin obviously!
TiredTodayZzzz · 28/04/2019 12:13

That's not a risk, unless you have a plastic thing stuck in the plug.

Well yes but if she flicks the switch on then sticks her finger or something in then surely there's a risk?

dementedpixie · 28/04/2019 12:24

Would she not need a finger in both the top hole plus another in a different one to actually get a current to flow

Original poster
FannyFeatures · 28/04/2019 12:36

Her finger will not fit far enough into a UK socket to deactivate the safety latch.

OP posts:
Bathtime17 · 28/04/2019 12:43

Thanks OP! I’m about ready to baby proof my home as my son gets more mobile and was going to buy those socket protectors- you’ve not only saved me money but informed me of a potential danger to my family ❤️

Are there any other tips you can give me?

Original poster
FannyFeatures · 28/04/2019 12:48

Grow eyes in the back of your head and an extra pair of arms, oh and a bottle of whiskey to stay the nerves when they're constantly pulling things over/falling and bumping into stuff :o

I'm quite lax on the whole "baby proofing" tbh with the exception of a gate on the kitchen door so I could cook in peace and stop them getting into the freezer when I wasn't there and fixing shelves/drawers and TV's to the wall after my youngest tipped the drawers with a TV on top after using it as a ladder! Thankfully my eldest was in the room to hold them up and shout for help...

OP posts:
Splodgetastic · 28/04/2019 13:10

@FannyFeatures, are wall brackets easy to retro fit? We would have to do that if we ever had children. I’m also thinking that our blind cords are not safe, but again I think it’s possible to retro fit something to make them safer.

Original poster
FannyFeatures · 28/04/2019 13:14

I think so, my Grandpa is a joiner so he did it with random brackets laying around but we do have the safety strap/brace things with our IKEA drawers and they seem ok too.

OP posts:
1tisILeClerc · 28/04/2019 13:25

{Would she not need a finger in both the top hole plus another in a different one to actually get a current to flow}
Although not impossible, you have to have shoved something firm (metal, wood or hard plastic) into the larger of the holes (earth, which is not harmful at all) which then opens the shutter for the 2 smaller pins. Only 1 of the 2 smaller pins is 'live' and therefore dangerous (with the earth pin at the top, the live will be the right hand 'hole' of the 2 small ones) so your little one has to open the shutter and then put something conductive (metal or wet wood perhaps) into the 'live' hole. A finger will not fit and the contact is at least 8mm 'inside' the socket.

TiredTodayZzzz · 28/04/2019 14:49

Thanks everyone that is so reassuring. I naively just assumed the socket covers were the safe option. They are being removed.

hurdygurdy1 · 28/04/2019 16:13

I think there is some iffy information in this thread. Not all covers are made equal. The ones we have are extremely thick, rigid and difficult to remove. There is no way you can rotate the cover and insert it in a manner whereby the neutral and live conductor holes on the socket are accessible. I tried and failed when applying a lot of force.

Secondly, there are two live conductors in a properly functioning domestic electrical system, live (phase) and neutral. Both pins can cause electricution under certain circumstances. You have to remember that while a socket might be switched off, there can still be current flowing through the neutral connection, for example, if the socket is part of a ring circuit. Traditionally the socket switch would only isolate the live conductor, however, many modern socket switches will isolate both neutral and live, but I'm getting too technical here.

There are some situations where socket covers would be beneficial but hopefully quite rare situations. For example, where your house has an old fuseboard with no RCD protection. If an earth fault should occur where current can flow through the earth conductor (cpc) then the earth pin in all your house sockets would be live, without an RCD this fault would not trip anything. Of course, thus fault would hopefully be realised early on because central heating pipes and taps etc would give a shock. So in this instance, having the earth pin covered up also is beneficial. I appreciate this should be a pretty rare situation but earth faults are actually common, it's just the majority of houses now have RCD protection.

So I don't think covers are necessarily dangerous unless they're the cheap flimsy and brittle ones. Best option is the MK sockets as previously mentioned and hopefully they'll also be 2 pole switching.

Original poster
FannyFeatures · 28/04/2019 16:18

The website linked in the OP contains the details of why covers are dangerous.

The type doesn't matter, they may be made of different/sturdier material but they still surpass a safety mechanism!

OP posts:
EmeraldShamrock · 28/04/2019 16:20

I never knew. I used them when the DC were children. As DC we used to use a fork to hold down the top prong, with our 2 prong radio, until a neighbour lost her thumb. Shock

OrchidInTheSun · 28/04/2019 16:23

You have forgotten about the shutters on plug sockets hurdygurdy1. Given they have been in use since the 1940s, I doubt there are many children living in houses where socket covers are beneficial, no matter how sturdy they are. And most of us know that there are two live conductors in a domestic electrical system. Are you a man perchance? Hmm

The NHS has banned socket covers in all its facilities because they are dangerous. www.cas.mhra.gov.uk/ViewandAcknowledgment/ViewAlert.aspx?AlertID=102494

"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."

Serenity45 · 28/04/2019 16:31

Thanks for posting OP. I did know this but sadly our social worker doesn't and is insisting we have them (about to adopt 2 toddlers) gaaaah!

EmeraldShamrock · 28/04/2019 16:38

Serenity45 Share the link about the NHS will your social worker.
I noticed up thread blind strings, these are lethal, I use to tie me in a bow shape up high, leaving about 2 foot of cord before bow, it gives you enough to open and close the blinds, high enough so little hand can't get a them, even if they stand on a chair.

hurdygurdy1 · 28/04/2019 16:49

the NHS are covering their own backsides, nothing more.

hurdygurdy1 · 28/04/2019 16:56

They bypass one mechanism while creating another. I'm not here in support of them but I think if you saw some of the conditions of electrical installations like I do, I think you'd see that they can in some circumstances be beneficial. Having 'no socket entry' available for kids to push things in is the best option, how that is achieved it was is up for debate. As I already said, the best option are sockets that require all three entry points to be blocked and then pushed simultaneously to make plug contact.