Herbert Graf wrote:
> On Sun, 2006-04-23 at 13:19 +0100, Howard Winter wrote:
>   
>> Timothy,
>>
>> On Sat, 22 Apr 2006 20:15:08 -0400, Timothy Weber wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> ...
>>> I did notice when she had a screwdriver and was finding 
>>> screws to push it onto - she was perilously close to some live AC 
>>> outlets, so I put a stop to that and reminded her not to get near them 
>>> because they're very, very hot.
>>>       
>> It still faintly astounds me that US mains sockets are completely unprotected - they're such an obvious place 
>> for screwdrivers in little hands, 
>>     
>
> Very few screwdrivers most people own are small and long enough to get
> into the danger are. However, there are MANY other things in a home
> which are.
>
>   
>> that there must be a number of tragedies each year.  
>>     
>
> I've never heard a statistic, but I'm sure there are. 
>
>   
>> I realise that 110V is 
>> less dangerous than 240, but it can still be fatal.  In a country that does so much to protect its children 
>> (school busses, for example) this seems a curious omission.  Are shielded outlets even available as an option?
>>     
>
> Yes, but usually as a cover on the outlet.
>
> I was very impressed with where Europe is on this issue these days.
> Every extension cord I could find had a built in mechanism that blocked
> the holes unless two pins were trying to get in. Very neat. I'm assuming
> that's also part of the building code over there?
>
> Generally most people over here, who have small children, plug covers
> into unused outlets. They stick in there pretty tightly and I'm sure
> they help. However, this will do nothing to prevent a child from pulling
> a cord out of an outlet and then sticking something in. The fact that
> our outlets aren't recessed make things even worse since a plug can be
> part ways out of an outlet and yet still be in electrical contact.
>
> Also, I'm not sure of all of Europe, but I know in some places houses,
> as part of the code, have a house wide GFCI, I'd imagine that helps
> reduce the chance of anyone dieing from electrocution. Is a house wide
> GFCI common in all of Europe?
>
> Thanks, TTYL 
>
>   
I have lived in the UK, and South Africa. I am more familiar with SA's 
electrical systems, but I believe the UK has similar fail-safes. Yes, 
you can get GFI (Ground Fault Interrupt) protected switches in Canada 
(where I live now....), and the US. People are very familiar with them 
because they are in almost every bathroom in North America with a "test" 
and "reset" switch. In South Africa the complete house's supply is 
protected the same way. The mechanism is pretty simple, yet very effective.

It works by comparing the current in the "hot" wire to that in the 
neutral. If they don't sum to zero it "trips" the complete houses power 
supply... the assumption being that all well-behaved circuits should 
only return current through the neutral wire, and any missing current is 
"leakage". In South Africa this switch is thus called the Earth Leakage, 
or just the "Earth". The earth "trip" switch is very fast acting, and I 
am sure has saved many many lives. It appears that South Africa was the 
pioneer of this technology.... go figure:

http://www.cbi.co.za/papers/26/CBI4.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GFI


Rolf
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