On Mon, 03 Apr 2017 19:09:53 +0000, Martin Gregorie wrote:

> On Mon, 03 Apr 2017 12:20:54 -0400, Dennis Lee Bieber wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 3 Apr 2017 14:56:13 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
>>  declaimed the following:
>>
>>
>>>Uk 13A plugs are arguably the safest in the world.
>>>
>>>- square pins allow for better contact reducing risk of fire through
>>>overheating and arcing.
>>>- the earth pin is mandatory, not optional - unless the earth pin is
>>>inserted the live and neutral are not accessible.
>>
> There's a clue that the pins are too big: the sliding shutters inside
> the socket and/or the requirement for dummy blanking plugs to keep small
> fingers out of the socket.

No, the holes are too small for a British Standard child finger to enter.

The shutters are to protect against the insertion of foreign items that
may conduct & operate automatically.
Blanking plugs are considered by many to be unnecessary & possibly
dangerous this is why no Socket Covers have BS approval for use in BS
1363 sockets!

The above claim that the BS1363 skt. is the safest in the world is not
just a mater of opinion it is a widely accepted fact.


>
> The NZ plug is better. The wiping area on the pins is similar to the UK
> plugs, because the side areas are similar, but the pins are only 1.5mm
> thick, so the holes are far too narrow for inquisitive fingers, or many
> screwdrivers for that matter, to go in.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS/NZS_3112

Screwdrivers may not fit but there are any number of conductive items
that will, it has also not been unheard of for users to remove the earth
pin rendering the connected equipment potentially dangerous,
 it is impossible to insert any item into a uk socket without inserting
an earth pin first.

In fact child saftey was one of the primary design considerations when
the BS1363 Plug was developed.

http://www.fatallyflawed.org.uk/

The NZ plug was developed in 1937, the BS1363 plug in 1947.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
AC_power_plugs_and_sockets:_British_and_related_types










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