Are plug socket safety covers a hazard?  The Department of Health says they are!

I may be a little late on the bandwagon with this one, but I’ve only just been told that plug socket safety covers are in fact not safe!  Using them can actually present a risk as they override the plug sockets own safety features.

Who knew?

Well, perhaps you all did, but I only just found out and I feel conned!

Conned by the baby companies that continue to sell these to worried parents, like me, who snap them up as soon as baby is mobile, thinking they are going to protect baby from electric shocks!

Conned for spending my money on them.   The big companies must be making a load of money off us for a bit of plastic and probably laughing at us from their high up towers.  Mu ha ha, that silly mum just spent £10 on socket covers which cost us 2p to make and she doesn’t even need them.  Mu ha ha.

Conned because I trust these baby companies to sell me something safe that I actually need.

Why are these trusted stores not displaying warning signs by them if they are in fact dangerous to use in the wrong plug sockets?

Having just looked on the internet to see if baby stores are still selling these, I feel like I shouldn’t feel so stupid in my purchases of LOADS of these covers, as the big baby brands are STILL selling them and promoting them as something we need!

On the boots website today their own brand socket covers are described as ‘Boots Plug Socket Covers are an effective, simple way to help keep orying fingers and sharp objects away from electrical sockets’

On Mothercare they say ‘these socket covers will prevent wandering fingers from having accidents.’

Well this contrary to an article I just read that said the UK plug sockets are the safest in the world and since 1940 have had to pass rigorous safety guidelines meaning no baby or child's fingers would ever be small enough to reach a live part of a plug socket!  They also have their own safety features installed and using a plug socket cover could actually disable these features!

I only discovered this as a friend came over and spied all my ‘safety’ socket covers all over my house!  He works in a primary school and had to remove them all following the below advice.  I actually didn’t believe him at first and wasn’t sure if he was having me on!

The NHS and Department of Health issued safety warnings last year for the removal and disposal of all of these covers: http://www.careinspectorate.com/images/documents/News/EFA_2016_002_Final.pdf

They say ‘In certain circumstances, the use of plastic 13A electrical socket inserts (sold as safety accessories), can overcome the safety features designed into socket outlets. The alert recommends:

• 13A electrical socket inserts should not be used in health or social care premises, nor supplied for use in a home or residence
• Any socket inserts currently in use should be withdrawn and responsibly disposed of.’

So I don’t understand why baby shops are still selling them?

Perhaps for the homes who haven’t changed their plug socket covers since the start of WW2?