3 ms·

> I've never worried about it, never been hurt by it, and never heard of anybody being hurt by it. Just as my anecdotal experience: I've shocked myself at leas

> I've never worried about it, never been hurt by it, and never heard of anybody being hurt by it. Just as my anecdotal experience: I've shocked myself at least twice because my finger slipped over the contacts while I was trying to plug/unplug something in the dark. I have of course learned my lesson and am much more careful when plugging stuff in, but it's a relatively easy mistake to make if one is tired or not paying attention. Yes, I got shocked because I was stupid and careless. But a connector that everybody uses every single day should be idiot-proof -- it should not be possible to kill myself because I plugged something in carelessly. The US has the "excuse" of being the first domestic power distribution system -- other countries have better standards because they were able to learn from the design flaws in our plugs. And our split-phase 120V system is (as far as I know) a great idea that's way safer than direct 240V. But there really are a lot of things that the NEMA plugs leave to be desired. I second the recommendation by a sibling commenter to check out Technology Connection's videos on the subject -- I found them to be entertaining, nuanced, and highly informative.

ddingus 5y ago
You have thin, long fingers? Wife has same and got a zap. I never have and my own fingers are a bit pudgy. This happening never even occurred to me.
kevin_thibedeau 5y ago
The US used to use Edison bases for appliance sockets. The current design is an improved safety upgrade from that.
rsynnott 5y ago
> The US has the "excuse" of being the first domestic power distribution system -- other countries have better standards because they were able to learn from the design flaws in our plugs. Are the US plugs actually original? The UK ones are on their third generation (originally various proprietary or light-socket-based things, then the three prong round ones found in very old buildings and specialised industrial applications, then the three prong rectangular ones from the 60s). > And our split-phase 120V system is (as far as I know) a great idea that's way safer than direct 240V. Eh. They are both safer or less safe in different ways. The US system requires about double the current for given power, so is less forgiving of marginal wiring.
Eelongate 5y ago
Sometimes when it's dark and I don't know exactly where the socket is, I'll hold the plug by the prongs itself so I can feel both the prongs and the socket at the same time.

ddingus 5y ago

You have thin, long fingers? Wife has same and got a zap. I never have and my own fingers are a bit pudgy. This happening never even occurred to me.

kevin_thibedeau 5y ago

The US used to use Edison bases for appliance sockets. The current design is an improved safety upgrade from that.

rsynnott 5y ago

> The US has the "excuse" of being the first domestic power distribution system -- other countries have better standards because they were able to learn from the design flaws in our plugs. Are the US plugs actually original? The UK ones are on their third generation (originally various proprietary or light-socket-based things, then the three prong round ones found in very old buildings and specialised industrial applications, then the three prong rectangular ones from the 60s). > And our split-phase 120V system is (as far as I know) a great idea that's way safer than direct 240V. Eh. They are both safer or less safe in different ways. The US system requires about double the current for given power, so is less forgiving of marginal wiring.

Eelongate 5y ago

Sometimes when it's dark and I don't know exactly where the socket is, I'll hold the plug by the prongs itself so I can feel both the prongs and the socket at the same time.