No socket covers have been approved for use in UK BS 1363 sockets. No socket covers are available which meet the correct dimensions for plugs! Anything made to the wrong dimensions may cause permanent damage. Socket covers introduce a variety of dangers; they make sockets less safe, not more. Some socket covers have many faults, some just a few, but none makes your sockets safer. No responsible national body recommends using socket covers. (Including the UK Government, RoSPA, Ofsted, Child Accident Prevention Trust and Electrical Safety First -Electrical Safety Council.) Plug-in Socket Covers Are Dangerous! The so-called “safety socket cover” usually takes the form of a dummy 13A plug, but real plugs must be made to a very precise size, and sockets are made to fit them. No socket cover we can find is the right size! Putting the wrong size and shape object into a socket causes a number of problems, including permanent socket damage: Socket contact damage -results in overheating and possible fire Socket shutter damage - the shutters will not be able to protect children Some socket covers make it possible to poke pins and paper clips into the live parts! Broken plastic pins suck in the earth hole - prevents shutters from closing Wrong size pins can make covers easy to remove, some even pop out by themselves! Children like to play with socket covers - plugging in upside down opens the shutter and exposes live contacts Source: http://www.fatallyflawed.org.uk/
My wife is a registered childminder, Ofstead insist that we have them fitted in every socket that doesn't have a plug in it.
My Wife works in a nursery, Offstead do look for this, even knowing this article is out there. They are bloody dangerous though!
Their shutters are far superior, and I agree, many child safety covers won't even open the shutters on their sockets! When you look at the build quality of some plug covers, it is eye opening!
For those who mention Ofsted, see the FAQ page of the FatallyFlawed site, Ofsted inspectors are FORBIDDEN to comment on the subject of socket covers! There is a link to the Ofsted document which explains this.
strikes me reading the ofsted page that they are neither here or there on the subject, in fact it reads as if they haven't got a clue so leave it up to you to decide, bet your bottom dollar though if something goes wrong, which ever way you choose will have been the wrong way. Childcare safety issue – electrical socket covers Some inspectors are continuing to make judgements about risks to children when inspecting childcare settings where the provider has decided not to use electrical socket covers on exposed sockets. Our position on the use of electrical socket covers has not changed. We neither encourage nor discourage the responsible use of socket covers as part of a risk-assessed approach to electrical safety. In line with the relevant requirements for registration, it is up to each individual registered provider to demonstrate to us that the environment is safe for children and meets legal requirements. It is for the provider to decide, as part of the risk assessment they carry out at their premises, how best to protect children from any dangers associated with electric sockets and appliances. Inspectors should not set actions or make recommendations in relation to the use of socket covers and should not refer specifically to these in their reports. If a provider is unsure whether or not to use socket covers and asks our advice, we should refer them to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) and Child Accident Protection Trust websites for information to help them make a decision about the use of socket covers and the type of sockets considered as ‘safe’.
That is funny HaHa!! as they have told numerous places to install them & a quick google search will prove that
What you are missing is that it is not Ofsted which is requiring them, but individual inspectors (who may not even be Ofsted employees) who are asking for them out of ignorance, and without having the authority to do so. Any childcare setting which is asked to install them has grounds for a complaint against the inspector. There has NEVER been an official Ofsted policy which mentioned socket covers. My advice to nurseries etc who meet with this problem is to ask the inspector three questions: What standard must those socket covers meet? (There is, of course, no such standard.) What are the recommended types? Will you give me a signed indemnity against any injury, death or damage to property which occurs as a result of using the socket covers you recommend?
Thank you for the clarification Can I share this advice with others, & will mention your name at the same time
Certainly! Here is another useful resource for child minders etc: http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/freeresources/Free downloads/sockets.html
I have been asked by the owner of a website & forum to ask if we can have you permission to make a page on their website, with 1 of your videos, dedicating it to your site, The video being on youtube
YES! Please do, the more the word is spread the better. Anyone is most welcome to embed the video, but we do appreciate you adding a direct link to the FatallyFlawed website also.
Thank you I will let them know, I think he was planning on adding a direct link anyway, but will make sure he knows
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