5 ms·

The UK plug causes far less injuries than any other plug due to its incredible safety design.

antisemiotic 7y ago
I'm not from UK, but having seen the UK plug, I think that the most common injuries it causes would be blunt trauma and possibly stabbings.
- arethuza 7y ago
  Standing on UK style plugs with bare feet is the big risk.
  - Glawen 7y ago
    Been there done that. I concur that it is painful. Morever they nearly always stand with the sprongs pointed upwards
    - arethuza 7y ago
      I assume they have a secondary role as caltrops for home defence or civil unrest scenarios.
nabla9 7y ago
Type F and E plugs in Europe have the same safety as the UK plug but they are less bulky. The reason why F and E have similar safety but don't require fuse as UK plugs have is the use of ring circuits in the UK.
- masklinn 7y ago
  > Type F and E plugs in Europe have the same safety as the UK plug but they are less bulky. I don't know that they're exactly as safe as UK plugs, though they're not far: all three designs ensure the plug is earthed before the "power" pins make contact, but historically UK plugs require an earth pin to be inserted before opening the "power" pin shutters while in type E/F it's just the insertion of the power plugs which force the shutters open. Type E/F plugs also use recessed sockets rather than insulated pin roots but that should not make a difference.
  - tomatocracy 7y ago
    Certain designs of UK extension strips are small/'not tall' enough to allow a plug to be inserted upside down with only the earth pin in, opening the shutters without anything blocking them. This is a potential safety hazard when you consider this is something children might do without knowing the danger. This type of design is technically not to spec but widely sold eg by IKEA. A recessed design means this isn't possible so is safer as this type of misspecification isn't possible.
- Someone1234 7y ago
  F and E don't have switches on the wall, and don't have the same shutter-safe design. They're likely closer than some even worse plugs, but the UK plug (aside from bulk/cost) really is the safest plug in the world.
  - welterde 7y ago
    The sockets are however not recessed making them less safe than type E and F as it now becomes possible touch the the live conductor if the insulation at the base is damaged (or is completely absent for some cheaper cables).
    - Someone1234 7y ago
      > now becomes possible touch the the live conductor if the insulation at the base is damaged If the UK plug isn't pushed all the way in the contacts aren't live. So, nope. The insulation is an extra safety measure on an already over-engineered plug.
      - welterde 7y ago
        That's not actually true. The pins mate on the side and have quite a bit of play when they make contact (otherwise the connection would be quite unreliable and might even be a fire-hazard). The insulation is _not_ an extra safety feature.
  - masklinn 7y ago
    > F and E don't have switches on the wall That seems completely independent from the actual plug design. You can certainly get sockets with switches[0] it just isn't very popular (or, frankly, useful). > and don't have the same shutter-safe design. What you're saying is a bit unclear, do you mean the part where UK plugs need some sort of earth inserted to open "power" shutters or do you mean having shutters at all? Because the latter is definitely the case, and as an other commenter notes there are widely available plugs which can be inserted "inverted" and open the powered shutters with little efforts. While the E/F design is "less safe" in the best case scenario it's also less conducive to easy misuse. [0] https://www.amazon.de/dp/B000ONWKXS https://www.amazon.de/dp/B000ONWKXS
lewiscollard 7y ago
For anyone that does not know why, as rarely as I recommend videos I very much suggest Tom Scott's video "British Plugs Are Better Than All Other Plugs, And Here's Why": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q
swebs 7y ago
Are there any actual statistics on this?
Gibbon1 7y ago
My British American friends say American plugs are way safer. Because stepping on a UK plug in the dark sucks big time.
- masklinn 7y ago
  OTOH chances are low that a UK plug will burn down your home.
kuschku 7y ago
The UK plug is only better if you assume 100% perfect implementation, and 100% accurate use. If you insert it wrongly in certain power strips, you can directly insert metal objects. And many manufacturers implement british plugs incorrectly, with full-metal prongs, leading to possible electrocution risks. The Schuko plug is much safer in such situations — even if the manufacturer fucks up as much as they can, it still will ensure it’s impossible to touch the prongs as soon as they’re inserted.
JAlexoid 7y ago
Until you step on it! It's way more dangerous plugged out on the ground, than being plugged in.

I'm not from UK, but having seen the UK plug, I think that the most common injuries it causes would be blunt trauma and possibly stabbings.

arethuza 7y ago
Standing on UK style plugs with bare feet is the big risk.
- Glawen 7y ago
  Been there done that. I concur that it is painful. Morever they nearly always stand with the sprongs pointed upwards
  - arethuza 7y ago
    I assume they have a secondary role as caltrops for home defence or civil unrest scenarios.

nabla9 7y ago

Type F and E plugs in Europe have the same safety as the UK plug but they are less bulky. The reason why F and E have similar safety but don't require fuse as UK plugs have is the use of ring circuits in the UK.

masklinn 7y ago
> Type F and E plugs in Europe have the same safety as the UK plug but they are less bulky. I don't know that they're exactly as safe as UK plugs, though they're not far: all three designs ensure the plug is earthed before the "power" pins make contact, but historically UK plugs require an earth pin to be inserted before opening the "power" pin shutters while in type E/F it's just the insertion of the power plugs which force the shutters open. Type E/F plugs also use recessed sockets rather than insulated pin roots but that should not make a difference.
- tomatocracy 7y ago
  Certain designs of UK extension strips are small/'not tall' enough to allow a plug to be inserted upside down with only the earth pin in, opening the shutters without anything blocking them. This is a potential safety hazard when you consider this is something children might do without knowing the danger. This type of design is technically not to spec but widely sold eg by IKEA. A recessed design means this isn't possible so is safer as this type of misspecification isn't possible.
Someone1234 7y ago
F and E don't have switches on the wall, and don't have the same shutter-safe design. They're likely closer than some even worse plugs, but the UK plug (aside from bulk/cost) really is the safest plug in the world.
- welterde 7y ago
  The sockets are however not recessed making them less safe than type E and F as it now becomes possible touch the the live conductor if the insulation at the base is damaged (or is completely absent for some cheaper cables).
  - Someone1234 7y ago
    > now becomes possible touch the the live conductor if the insulation at the base is damaged If the UK plug isn't pushed all the way in the contacts aren't live. So, nope. The insulation is an extra safety measure on an already over-engineered plug.
    - welterde 7y ago
      That's not actually true. The pins mate on the side and have quite a bit of play when they make contact (otherwise the connection would be quite unreliable and might even be a fire-hazard). The insulation is _not_ an extra safety feature.
- masklinn 7y ago
  > F and E don't have switches on the wall That seems completely independent from the actual plug design. You can certainly get sockets with switches[0] it just isn't very popular (or, frankly, useful). > and don't have the same shutter-safe design. What you're saying is a bit unclear, do you mean the part where UK plugs need some sort of earth inserted to open "power" shutters or do you mean having shutters at all? Because the latter is definitely the case, and as an other commenter notes there are widely available plugs which can be inserted "inverted" and open the powered shutters with little efforts. While the E/F design is "less safe" in the best case scenario it's also less conducive to easy misuse. [0] https://www.amazon.de/dp/B000ONWKXS https://www.amazon.de/dp/B000ONWKXS

lewiscollard 7y ago

For anyone that does not know why, as rarely as I recommend videos I very much suggest Tom Scott's video "British Plugs Are Better Than All Other Plugs, And Here's Why": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q

swebs 7y ago

Are there any actual statistics on this?

Gibbon1 7y ago

My British American friends say American plugs are way safer. Because stepping on a UK plug in the dark sucks big time.

masklinn 7y ago
OTOH chances are low that a UK plug will burn down your home.

kuschku 7y ago

The UK plug is only better if you assume 100% perfect implementation, and 100% accurate use. If you insert it wrongly in certain power strips, you can directly insert metal objects. And many manufacturers implement british plugs incorrectly, with full-metal prongs, leading to possible electrocution risks. The Schuko plug is much safer in such situations — even if the manufacturer fucks up as much as they can, it still will ensure it’s impossible to touch the prongs as soon as they’re inserted.

JAlexoid 7y ago

Until you step on it! It's way more dangerous plugged out on the ground, than being plugged in.