On Thu, Mar 20, 2008 at 3:13 PM, Matt Emson <memsom at interalpha.co.uk> wrote: > Our pugs are actually safer because you can't pull them out by the flex, > so you don't stress the chord or pull the wires out of the plug. All > plugs are easily removed though. They just pull out. The switch turns > off the power when not in use. Otherwise the outlet is live, even with > nothing plugged in. That is just insane. No, it's convenient. Worrying about live outlets is paranoid. > It's pretty hard for a child to > electrocute themselves with a UK plug socket because of this and the > shutters. People still use covers, but need them a lot less than in the > US/Europe. Actually, what we have at work here is Darwinism. The idiots take themselves out of the gene pool, and the rest of us figure out that the universe is a dangerous place, and we all need to take responsibility for our own safety. But seriously, people (of all ages) need to think and act for themselves. No one else can do that for them, including governments or regulations. Trying to legislate common sense invariably has the opposite effect. That said, you're also forgetting that in the US we have half the voltage to deal with, and anyway it's current, not voltage that kills (some people survive several-hundred-thousand volt lightning strikes). The human body has a high enough resistance that people who are shocked by household current seldom experience anything more than momentary discomfort, much less death. This includes infants. I've been shocked many times with no ill effects, and I know many others with the identical experience. On the other hand, I don't personally know of *anyone* who has been hospitalized, much less died from getting shocked by house current. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I'm just saying that it's statistically insignificant, and those people probably have a preexisting condition that would have got them sooner or later anyway. There are specialized outlets and many different kinds of covers and blank plugs for those who are paranoid or have problem children. > > I can also walk in to any hardware store an buy a replacement plug and > fit it, should I want to. European and US plugs always seem to be molded. If the plug itself is damaged, there's usually something else that needs to be addressed, like poor placement or a serious malfunction. Replacing a molded plug is trivial. Just buy a new plug, cut the cord at the base of the old plug and install the new one (as replacements are every bit as common and available at hardware stores on this side of the pond). If losing an inch or two of cord is a problem, just replace the whole cord, which probably should have been done anyway if the length is that critically close. Molded plugs tend to be much smaller, therefore leaving more room for plugs in adjacent sockets, and the built-in strain-relief that they provide is much more effective and reliable than that of separate plugs. They also use less material and a whole lot less energy in manufacturing, and therefore are more environmentally sound. Mark
