“I normally refuse to join in campaigns but this seemed so important, and the ‘safety’ covers so absurd and dangerous, that I agreed”
Author, TV presenter & Patron of FatallyFlawed
Dr Adam Hart-Davis

“Sockets in the UK are designed to keep people safe. Our UK design has been better than the majority of other countries, for many years.  Socket covers are an absolute con and totally unnecessary.” 
Engineering, Maths and Science presenter on TV
FatallyFlawed Supporter
Johnny Ball
 

Socket Covers should NOT be inserted into sockets - they are dangerous!

British 13 Amp sockets have built in automatic shutters to protect against children poking things in.

• First introduced 65 years ago, they are considered the safest in the world and do not require external covers.
• No responsible national body recommends using socket covers. 
  (That includes the UK Government, RoSPA, Ofsted, Child Accident Prevention Trust and Electrical Safety Council.)
• Sockets are made to accept plugs which meet very exact requirements. 
• Anything which is not made to the same dimensions as required for plugs may cause permanent damage. 
• No socket covers which meet the correct dimensions are available!
• Socket covers introduce a variety of dangers; they make sockets less safe, not more.

This website has lots of detail on socket covers, the dangers they create, and reviews of many different types.
Some socket covers have many faults, some just a few, but none makes your sockets safer than they already are.

UK law requires all sockets sold to conform to the current BS 1363 standard, this is what ensures your child’s safety.
It was originally introduced in 1947 as: British Standard 1363 : 1947   FUSED PLUGS AND SHUTTERED SOCKET OUTLETS.
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“Socket-outlets to BS 1363 are the safest in the world and have been since they were first designed in the 1940s.  Socket protectors are not regulated for safety, therefore, using a non-standard system to protect a long established safe system is not sensible.”
Quote from an article by Mark Coles, Technical Regulations Manager, The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

The right hand socket shows what happens when a child plugs an upside down cover into the earth pin only. 
It can be clearly seen that this has operated the shutter system and exposed the live contacts.

We asked MK, one of the foremost manufacturers of BS 1363 sockets, for their views on socket covers.  They replied:
“MK does not see the need for or support the use of so-called ‘socket-protectors’ in BS 1363-2 socket-outlets due to the fact that protection against access to the live and neutral socket contacts  is always provided by the shutters.
At first sight, it ‘seems obvious’ to many that such devices will improve safety but in practice they do the opposite as shown by the numerous examples on the FatallyFlawed website.  

‘Socket-protectors’ do not comply with any standard and in practice reduce safety via various means e.g. exposing the live and neutral socket contacts (the opposite of their purpose), providing an easy means of opening shutters by allowing operation of the earth operated shutter  mechanism, damaging the socket contacts due to oversize pins and/or short pins.

If  ‘socket protectors’ are to continue to be allowed on the UK (and other European markets) then, as a minimum, it  is essential that they are designed and manufactured so that:-
• The pin dimensions (including length) align with the plug pin dimensions in BS 1363-1.
• The materials used are robust and not so soft that they allow the device to be misused by allowing it to operate shutters of an earth operated shutter mechanism.
• The device has a surface area which is large enough to completely cover the socket-outlet apertures so that the live socket contacts are not exposed.

MK goes to great lengths to ensure that all its BS 1363 plugs and sockets are safe.  Inserting incorrectly dimensioned products into a socket-outlet can both damage the socket and reduce its safety.”

Another myth put about by socket cover suppliers is that children can put their fingers into unprotected sockets! 

When BS 1363 was defined in the 1940s the designers wanted to make sure that the socket was very safe.  One of the things they did was to make the pin holes too small for a child to put their finger in.  To demonstrate this we show the hand of 15 week old Logan against the face plate of a socket.  We removed the shutters from the face plate and asked Logan’s mother to push his smallest finger into the socket hole as far as she could.  As you can see from the centre photo (taken from the rear of the face plate) the very tip of his finger appears through the hole, but it would go no further.  The standard requires that all sockets be tested to ensure that a pin has to be inserted a distance of 9.6mm into the socket before it makes contact with any live parts.  We cut the plastic pin of a socket cover to be exactly that length, and then inserted into the socket hole.  By comparing the right hand photo with the one of Logan’s finger you can easily see that there is no way that Logan’s finger could reach live parts, even without the shutters present!  Bear in mind that it will be some weeks after this photo was taken that Logan starts to crawl and explore things for himself, and by then his fingers will be even bigger.

An increasing number of responsible on-line retailers are taking practical action on socket covers!  
These companies, often founded and run by business people who are also parents, have been taking immediate action as soon as they become aware of the dangers highlighted by FatallyFlawed.  They have chosen to stop supplying plug-in socket covers and warn of the dangers instead.  Among those retailers are:
Hello Baby is a specialized online retailer of baby products with a strong ethical stance.
Kinderpods is a supplier of innovative, practical parenting products.
Our thanks go to all those companies who used to sell plug-in socket covers, but now advise against their use.  They are putting the true interests of their customers first, and we hope that many other retailers will follow their excellent lead.

See our Cover Review page for more pictures of dangerous covers.  Do you  wish to take this risk?

Now that you know about these dangers, how comfortable do you feel about leaving your child in a nursery that uses “safety socket covers”?

Do you have any idea if “safety socket covers” conform to standards?  What does it say on the packet or on the cover itself? 

Actually, socket covers are UNREGULATED!   None have been approved for use in UK sockets.

All 13A electrical sockets which are installed in your home must, by law, conform to BS 1363, which means that they must be safe and have been properly tested for correct insulation.  Have you asked the manufacturers of covers that you may use if they have been properly tested for insulation?  (No manufacturers have told us that they do!)

Why do you think it is that manufacturers of BS 1363 plugs and sockets do not provide “safety socket covers”? 
Because safety shutters are built in!

To learn more please see our Cover Reviews, Our Videos, and our list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Our References page includes a brief history of  BS 1363, and additional technical details including references to source documents and background to the tests we carry out.

Please do contact us to tell us of your own experiences, and raise any other questions.

There are various child safety issues regarding electricity which parents and other carers need to be aware of, and good advice is available from a number of organisations, including those listed on our Safety Sites links page.  This site is specifically concerned with protecting children from exposure to electric shock from power sockets.  See About Us  for our qualifications.

Do YOU still think “safety socket covers” are a good idea?

The bottom line is:
Safety is designed into UK sockets  - plug in  covers reduce safety!

Please sign the e-petition on  the UK Government website calling for regulation of socket covers.