Safety socket covers - UNSAFE 21 August 2017 at 3:20PM edited 2 September 2020 at 9:43AM in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving 50 replies 53.2K views

Biggles

YES

MSE_Andrea wrote: »

Sticky

Thanks for sending us the link baldelectrician, we've passed it on to our Editorial Team.

Success at last, baldelectrician! I know you've raised this important issue several times before over the years, as have others.

They should be stamped out completely. I'm surprised Which? and other safety campaigners haven't succeeded in doing that.

iammumtoone

baldelectrician wrote: »

I presume your sockets are not round pin- therefore they have shutters

If your electrics are as old as you say you should have them tested

No they aren't round sockets so seems I am ok there, thanks. I have had them looked at and advised it is a very old system that needs updating (but that comes at a cost ) I was told that unlike modern systems my does not have individual circuit breakers?

Instead of banning these covers I think they should should set up a safety standard they need to comply to. I had a friend whos child stuck a thin knife into a socket and smoke came out :eek: they went out and brought covers after that!

TheCyclingProgrammer

YES

iammumtoone wrote: »

Instead of banning these covers I think they should should set up a safety standard they need to comply to.

There's already a safety standard for things that are inserted into plug sockets (and therefore anything that could be inserted into a plug socket). It's called BS 1363.

Besides not conforming to safety standards, the point is that the covers are completely unnecessary. It is not possible to insert anything into the live or neutral pin holes without first inserting long enough into the earth pin hole.

I had a friend whos child stuck a thin knife into a socket and smoke came out :eek: they went out and brought covers after that!

They would have been better off replacing their obviously broken socket.

Geoff1963

If the purpose of the cover is to hide the temping holes, why not have something to cover it, such as a flap for outdoor use, rather than something which increases the risk of the event to be avoided ?
The only way the plug-in covers would work, is if they needed a tool to remove them ; but the child must have some sort of tool, in order to poke in the socket hole.

I am reminded of the young girl who was told off by her mother for climbing trees in a skirt.
When she asked why, her mother pointed out that boys would be able to look up and see her knickers.
The following day, the girl was climbing the tree again, and her mother shouted up at her.
"It's OK", said the girl, "they won't see my knickers. I took them off".

shaun_from_Africa

iammumtoone wrote: »

I had a friend whos child stuck a thin knife into a socket and smoke came out :eek: they went out and brought covers after that!

I would have thought that if a knife managed to go far enough into a socket to cause damage that resulted in smoke, there would also have been a good flash and possibly a child suffering from an electric shock.

tgroom57

I don't think a ban would be workable. An easy step would be to stop them using the word safety in the product description. So sell them as "socket covers", but not "safety socket covers". If your facts are as solid as you say you should be able to get them under the Trades Description Act - and if that gets sufficient media coverage it will be job done.

TheCyclingProgrammer

YES

tgroom57 wrote: »

I don't think a ban would be workable. An easy step would be to stop them using the word safety in the product description. So sell them as "socket covers", but not "safety socket covers". If your facts are as solid as you say you should be able to get them under the Trades Description Act - and if that gets sufficient media coverage it will be job done.

Changing the name would still mean people plugging things into their plug sockets that are potentially unsafe and conform to no safety standards.

Why would a ban be unworkable? Just make it illegal for shops to sell them and promote a safety campaign to stop people using them.

Mrs_Imp

Have you brought this to the attention of Ofsted? They regularly inspect schools, nurseries, child minders etc. I've mentioned a socket covers to a child minder before, but they seem to think that they need them for Ofsted inspections.

TheCyclingProgrammer

YES

OFSTED neither recommend or condemn the use of socket covers. It's about time they actively encouraged their use to be stopped though.

http://knutsfordchildminding.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/socket-covers-and-ofsted.html?m=1

anotheruser

NO

That fatally flawed website is awful.

It's not clear to navigate, unpleasing to the eye and does not grab my attention straight away about why they are unsafe.

However, I did read a little.
While I don't have any in my house, I hardly think a child will get one out to then insert it upside down... just so they can stick their fingers in. I struggle to get them out as an adult!