A reminder to everyone - FatallyFlawed - Child Plug Socket Covers Campaign

[topcat]

Dont have any kids my self but see them all the time in childrens centres i vist will do my best to point them to the web site.

 

[gaz76]

Very strange to come across this thread, my wife has twins on the way and socket covers WERE on my list of must haves, not anymore, I have installed these things loads of times, on banks and shops etc, and like someone else mentioned i've seen them in plenty of nusery's and creches.
one thing I will say though, to the common man(myself included until 20 mins ago) a socket is a socket, and telling them about internal shutters on socket outlets will be wasting oxygen. would it not be better for the fatally flawed people to come up with another design for socket safety?
a simple letterbox system fixed with the socket screws springs to mind(50/50 dragons den??) as infairness if you stuck a nail in the earth terminal and opened the shutters, whats to stop you using your other hand and sticking another nail in the live terminal.

 

[kingeri]

Very strange to come across this thread, my wife has twins on the way and socket covers WERE on my list of must haves, not anymore, I have installed these things loads of times, on banks and shops etc, and like someone else mentioned i've seen them in plenty of nusery's and creches.
one thing I will say though, to the common man(myself included until 20 mins ago) a socket is a socket, and telling them about internal shutters on socket outlets will be wasting oxygen. would it not be better for the fatally flawed people to come up with another design for socket safety?
a simple letterbox system fixed with the socket screws springs to mind(50/50 dragons den??) as infairness if you stuck a nail in the earth terminal and opened the shutters, whats to stop you using your other hand and sticking another nail in the live terminal.

That would take a very deliberate and coordinated effort

 

[gaz76]

That would take a very deliberate and coordinated effort

so would putting the socket cover in upsidedown, snapping it and then putting a pin in the live terminal.

 

[vernam616]

I have children myself so understand dangers and prevention

However this is idiocy, i certainly didnt play with sockets when i was a child and back then there wasnt internal shutters, and my kids dont either, decent parenting is the key

Kids could put a whole host of things in the earth terminal and then something into the live

 

[Knobhead]

Have you checked out http://www.fatallyflawed.org.uk/

Do you understand BS 1363?

 

[Knobhead]

However this is idiocy, i certainly didnt play with sockets when i was a child and back then there wasnt internal shutters,

The shutters have been incorporated since 1927!

 

[gaz76]

The shutters have been incorporated since 1927!

how do you know how old he is?

 

[vernam616]

What you will learn about this place is a lot of people have nothing much better to do with their time, one word springs to mind and thats jobsworth

Teach the children NOT to play with sockets and in turn you dont have a problem, ive got 2 kids aged 6 & 4 and neither one have ever bothered as i warn them how dangerous it is

 

[Bluesknight]

very informative, it just shows with all the safety check we do, we still take things for granted.

Good work Tony

 

[Jay Sparks]

Are lass is a qualified nursery nurse and even she didnt know they were crap, they still use them in the nusery were she works ( untill Monday) and ofsted have never said owt on there inspections. Eyes wide open on this one mate, cheers. Child safety is of the upmost importance!!!


Cheers

jay

 

[Strima]

I agree that education is the best thing with kids however looking at some of the parents walking round in the places I've lived they also need to be supervised. Yesterday was a Polish bird in Tescos letting her toddler play with a carrier bag.

 

[Knobhead]

I thought carrier bags were child proof, I can't get them open!

 

[GLENNSPARK]

we come across these quite a bit on PIRs n stuff....now obviously i cant just throw these away wherever i come across them as they arn`t my property to do so....but i will inform the person/s ordering the test that these are dangerous....i mean why the hell anyone want to introduce potentials into the home...thats what these things are doing by holding shutters open...etc...

 

[techipaul]

Having read the website article, will talk to everyone that I know runs public venues etc to remove them and point them to the website for further info.

 

[CLB]

You could try lobbying the govt on the e-Petitions website. Basically, you create an e-Petition calling for the ban of these devices and if the petition acquires 100,000 signatures it triggers a debate in the House of Commons.

 

[spikester]

Very informative, have just linked the website to family and friends on facebook to help try and spread the message, just takes an Inquisitive child playing and could end in disaster.

 

[spud4dd]

Eye opener! Good work.

 

[georges]

why are these things even allowed to be sold by anyone

 

[simonk]

I noticed some of these in my parents' kitchen a few weeks ago (and they don't even have young children running around!). I told them about the things being a poor design etc and wondered why they were there at all more than anything else. Turns out they actually bought them to stop a strong cold draught blowing through the socket pin holes! Almost a legitimate use?!?

 

[Litttle Shonet]

What a brilliant website. I could never see the point in these things myself. Don't shout at me but I have in the past tried to connect plugs with a broken earth pin(plastic pin) from a charger and it's a pain in the a**e, so how a child could do it beats me.

But on a serious note, without legislation, if schools etc remove these covers and a child does somehow manage to get something inside them, then, with todays 'blame culture' somebody is going to go to court. So hopefully the Government will take this on board and do something about them.

Good luck

 

[FatallyFlawed]

But on a serious note, without legislation, if schools etc remove these covers and a child does somehow manage to get something inside them, then, with todays 'blame culture' somebody is going to go to court. So hopefully the Government will take this on board and do something about them.

You should not fear repercussions from the non-use of socket covers! There is no UK Government advice that says they should be used, there are no standards which are applicable to socket covers (and no socket covers meet the dimensions of BS 1363). The government has decided not to bring them within the plugs and sockets regulations (after all, they are completely unnecessary), so the only regulations which apply are the Toy Safety regulations requiring that they not poison or choke a child who puts a cover in their mouth. No court is going to find negligence in the non-use of an unregulated, untested device which is demonstrably unfit for use and which has not been recommended for use by any responsible body!

 

[Litttle Shonet]

Thanks FF. It's now crusade time

 

[SibertSolar]

Good stuff, I'll spread the word...

 

[Robinwood]

Re: A reminder to everyone

We have the owner of that website as a member on here somewhere you know. Didn't know he was a TV presenter!

dear, Which website you are talking about. please mention the site.

 

[Dan]

FatallyFlawed - it is linked to in the first post of this thread.

 

[Loon1967]

Well done for highlighting this.

I've never trusted my 4 kids with anything that can be inserted anywhere.:30:

If they continue to progress as I did as a kid they'll find out the hard way with most things, & its' my job to ensure that none of them are fatal. Playing with plugs may well be, & although I'm new to the Sparky game I'll be spreading the word to all and sundry.

Loon

 

[moospark]

Knew there was a reason I didn't like the look of these... now with the program

 

[sorted10]

Keep up the good work !!!, i think people however ' ordinary' need to be made aware of the dangers of these cheap tat devices

 

[Phil]

I know the head of childrens social services in Bradford. I will be enlightening them so they can pass the word to every social worker in that area will then reach social workers across west yorkshire. hopefully depending upon their skills of passing information down the chain every house or childrens home may soon be without these things.

 

[jeremy]

I've removed 7 from sockets in the cottage I'm staying in; all of them could be inserted upside down opening the shutters. I shall be leaving a note pointing the owners to the website. I stay in a different place every 2 weeks and will spread the word wherever I go! Keep up the good work!

 

[poolegaz]

It makes you wonder how things like that are allowed to be sold, will spread the word far and wide. Excellent work Tony.

 

[Jes]

I have always said that there is no need for these safety plugs, as sockets are designed to prevent tampering.This topic has opened my eyes to the adverse effects of dummy plugs thanks

 

[GLENNSPARK]

I know the head of childrens social services in Bradford. I will be enlightening them so they can pass the word to every social worker in that area will then reach social workers across west yorkshire. hopefully depending upon their skills of passing information down the chain every house or childrens home may soon be without these things.

unless she turns out to be another sharon shoesmith....then she wont be fit for owt....probably wont be very fit either....

 

[thekingiam]

thanks for this post had some as a present when my daughter was born,lucky they got lost somewhere in a drawer. think my mother might still have them will spread the word.

 

[Jurassic Sparks]

top marks
simple logic
I often wondered why parents used them, my daughters have them so I shall tell them off
they used to have little strap things hanging down on cars ( very old cars) designed to reduce static electricity and stop car sickness
they never worked but sold millions old cars just plain smell awful oil leather rust etc ( I still own one)
it was pointed out in a TV programme that to generate static the car would need to do at least 160 MPH at 2 thousand feet
my morris oxford cant manage 75mph downhil
but people still purhcased the silly things

 

[UNG]

Are lass is a qualified nursery nurse and even she didnt know they were crap, they still use them in the nusery were she works ( untill Monday) and ofsted have never said owt on there inspections. Eyes wide open on this one mate, cheers. Child safety is of the upmost importance!!!

The current OFSTED policy is if the nursery has them it's OK if they don't it's OK in the past OFSTED policy was you had to have them. It's a pity OFSTED are sat on the fence and they are supposed to be maintaining the standard of care

I agree that education is the best thing with kids however looking at some of the parents walking round in the places I've lived they also need to be supervised. Yesterday was a Polish bird in Tescos letting her toddler play with a carrier bag.

The trouble with parents these days they don't teach discipline to there kids which is why they run riot

we come across these quite a bit on PIRs n stuff....now obviously i cant just throw these away wherever i come across them as they arn`t my property to do so....but i will inform the person/s ordering the test that these are dangerous....i mean why the hell anyone want to introduce potentials into the home...thats what these things are doing by holding shutters open...etc...

What code should we give them if they are fitted?


I have never liked these things when my wife was pregnant with our first child over 20 years ago I upgraded the consumer unit to include an RCD and told her under no circumstances to buy these horrible socket covers if she felt they were needed I would buy proper plug tops.

I had mentioned this campaign to my brother and his wife who have a day nursery it's only recently they have removed the socket covers following a damaged socket being found by me, they always took the OFSTED stance that they had to be fitted



As you can see unusually it's the neutral pin that is broken ( found in the socket box with the broken bits) and I assume one of the staff has forced a plug into the socket and burst the back of the socket at the time I found it the socket cover was in place but was very loose because the shutter had been broken and could have very easily been removed by a child for access to the dangerous bits

 

[PC Electrics]

After spotting these things in use in their stores I emailed Next and M&S. Have had a reply from both that their "facilities departments" will look into the matter and thanking me for my input. Whenever you're in stores and you see these, bring it to their attention - I showed on emanager the FF site on my phone.

Someone mentioned about a leaflet. I've had a look on the website and don't think any that are there at the moment are suitable. We need something that can be printed on A4 ('cos that's the size of printer we all have) and that can then be folded into an A6 booklet or tri-folded (like a menu) so it's easy to carry and store and easy to give out. It also needs to be more pictorial, less "wordy" and less "preachy" than some of the stuff on the FF site.

 

[mickys86]

They have them at my tennis club in Bracknell. 'Esporta' when I asked to see someone about it he said he knew about the dangers and have taken it up with his Health and safety officer but at the moment they have to stay?
He said he's seen the website etc etc

 

[Phil]

check out post 6 on the link. an inspector marked her down on an inspection for removing them. i have pm`d her for the inspectors details as i wish to educate him in his decisions.

plug socket covers!!!?????

 

[AIM]

Great that Fatally Flawed is now getting more publicity. Ifound this site over a year ago, but selfishly didn’t think to post a link tothe forum. Whenever I find socket covers I get the Customer to watch, as Iinsert the cover upside down, opening the socket shutter. They soon realise theissue and remove them.
Everyone needs to post links on blogs/Facebook/Twitter etc.
I’ve posted a link on my blog. Fatally Flawed Socket Covers Should NOT be Used « Improving your world without costing the earth
Well done Tony for sharing.

 

[boberty]

Did some work at a childminders and told her about the dangers, that they pose. Also told her to checkout the web site. However she did tell me that ofsted said she has to have them fitted.

 

[Knobhead]

boberty, see the link in Phil's post #73

 

[boberty]

Will do Tony, I've done work for a few childminders who work from home so will defo be telling them. And then they to will tell the mums of the kids they look after. Fingers crossed

 

[samstar]

Amazing! Never would have realised the danger associated with these covers, good work...

 

[carapat]

thank you tony keep it up i am joing ing the campain

 

[AIM]

Just checked Mumsnet and OFSTED have posted the following:

Ofsted and Socket Covers (full thread) | Mumsnet Discussion

Typical cop-out response. Why won't these people commit to common sense!

 

[hillbillie]

I've just e-mailed a link to the website to a domestic customer I did some work for in March.

Thanks Tony

 

[Stuart Jones]

Never thought of them like that, now that's a bit of knowledge I'll never forget !!!!

 

[StuSpiers]

I've always had an underlying hate of these things but could never put my finger on why.

I will fly your flag for you.