Toddler killed by cut off plug

[Graham.]

plastic L and N

These socket safety covers are just a plastic moulding with three prongs corresponding to the pins of a 3 pin plug. Haven't you ever handled one?

[Tim Downie]

toddlers can be *hard work* and I doubt there are few parents who could = say that they knew where their toddlers were *all* the time within the = house. Once on their feet, they can move with surprising speed.

As a child under the age of 7 I remember poing wires in socket = frequently (I had a bit of a fascination with electricity). Fortunately = for me, we were living in the USA at the time. American sockets at the = time almost invited you to poke things in. ;-)

I soon learnt that a belt off of UK 240 volts *hurt*.

Tim

[John Rumm]

This one is worth watching for a full explanation:

[Tim Downie]

I prefer the idea of a "receive all" socket.

We came across this one in Kathmandu.

[ARWadsworth]

The suggestion is that the buggers break when inserted upside down.

Some 4 & 6 way trailing plug boards have very little margin above the

Yes, I agree. I have just noticed hat the MEM sockets I have in my computer room have all the pins lower that the rest of the house sockets!

[BluntChisel]

I've got some sympathy for the handyman, because it really never occurred to me that a plug with an unterminated cable is an inherently dangerous thing. Maybe that's because I don't have kids.

[Robin]

As I think some of us have discussed hereabouts before, in the UK in the 50s one learnt from the abundance of devices (eg irons, TVs) plugged into 2-way or 3-way adapters in bayonet lighting sockets (B22 fittings?)

The plus side was of course that the pins were close enough together to pretty well guarantee the current flowed within a finger or at worst from finger to finger.

But ISTR a three way adapter in a table lamp was a bit of a bugger as one could pick up the lamp in both (smallish) hands and bounce of the wall :(

What do parents do these days about table lights? A no-no for toddlers?

[chris French]

The workmen had gone by sound of it.

By the sound of it, the plug got left behind when they took the cooker away. There seems to be disagreement/confusion as to exactly where it was left.

what wander around it's own home, after a job has been done?

The idiots are the workmen who left a plug in such a state lying around (either cable should have been removed or the pins bent).

[Owain]

Table lights are so 70s.

Everyone uses candles now and burns the house down instead.

Owain

[chris French]

In message , tim.... writes

no, and it's not the sort of thing that an oven would have.

[chris French]

In message , Robin writes

not been that bothered by table lights, though I wouldn't want to leave one around without a bulb in, just in case. I want it pretty much out of they way though in case it pulled it off onto it's head or broke it or something

[jgharston]

Power Socket. Wonderful, so that's what I can use to plug the 9kW kiln into. After all, the power is unlimited ;)

JGH

[Bob Eager]

[jgharston]

"Trading standards legislation requires that all domestic electrical goods sold should be fitted with a BS 1363 plug."

Hmmm. Wonder if we can get that changed to "all items intended to be inserted into a BS1363 socket to comply with BS1363".

Of course, they'll then be marketed as post-modernist art ;)

JGH

[BartC]

Or to insert a European 2-pin plug.

(To insert bare L and N wires, just hold roughly across the holes and plug in any other plug, which will also hold them in place.)

[robgraham]

When we had kids 35 years ago in the middle of a major house rebuild, there were many more hazards around, but they all survived (not sure that the parents really did, but that's another matter). I have a total sympathy with all concerned with this - it's a horror story come true, but I do thank you for this discussion as I now have a 9 month old grandchild and have alerted her Mum to this additional risk of modern living.

Rob

[jgharston]

@ Keep children out of work areas, with locked doors if neccessary @ Tell workmen they are allowed to give kids a thumping if they discover, eg, your four-year-old nephew using a broom to swing from the cables you've just neatly clipped into the ceiling void.

JGH

[Ian Jackson]

In message , BartC writes

You should NEVER insert a European 10A plug in a UK 13A socket. The diameter of the round pins is large enough to splay the contacts permanently. If this happens, then when you next insert a UK plug, you will get poor - or no - contact.

[Skipweasel]

Quite so. Strip the wires and use a Bryant and May plug instead. (insert smiley of choice here)

[Terry Casey]

Agreed. But he didn't mention which size plug!

would a 10A pin pass through the slots in the faceplate? 16A pins obviously won't, so they can be discounted.

The 6A plug has slender pins and fits nicely ...