> I'm amazed how many unsafe electrical devices we own: the safety standards are not working in my experience. Safety standards aren't the issue, their enforce

> I'm amazed how many unsafe electrical devices we own: the safety standards are not working in my experience. Safety standards aren't the issue, their enforcement is. In most countries, agencies overseeing the safety of electrical consumer equipment, are perpetually understaffed and/or underfunded. So they don't have the resources to take a good sampling of what's on the market, and (thoroughly) test those samples. As a result, it's mostly especially bad gear (discovered by accident, # of incident reports etc) that gets attention. Or becomes subject of a recall. What's left is relying on paperwork, and manufacturers or importer's integrity. Which (as you note) varies a lot depending on where you look. Especially in this day & age of people buying cheap junk directly from abroad through Ebay, AliExpress & co. Not to mention fakes, or no-name manufacturers that pop up & disappear overnight.