01-06-2012, 02:44 PM
There sir lies the real problem; does the average punter know the difference.
Certainly there are many low powered and/or Double Insulated units which are designed not to need an Earth for safety, and they do indeed often have a dummy 'Earth Pin' to operate the shutters on UK sockets. However, are you saying that you can rely on everyone to examine the plug and/or read the markings before making a decsion about whether it's safe to plug in? I think not.
There have been many complaints in the past about the size and bulk of the UK Plug, but the unfortunate fact is that 240 volts and a 30 Amp circuit is a potentially lethal combination. In days gone by consumers - the general public - tended to be wary of 'The Mains' and treated it accordingly. Nowadays there's more of an attitude of 'It must be safe 'cause it came with my ??????'.
Alan
Certainly there are many low powered and/or Double Insulated units which are designed not to need an Earth for safety, and they do indeed often have a dummy 'Earth Pin' to operate the shutters on UK sockets. However, are you saying that you can rely on everyone to examine the plug and/or read the markings before making a decsion about whether it's safe to plug in? I think not.
There have been many complaints in the past about the size and bulk of the UK Plug, but the unfortunate fact is that 240 volts and a 30 Amp circuit is a potentially lethal combination. In days gone by consumers - the general public - tended to be wary of 'The Mains' and treated it accordingly. Nowadays there's more of an attitude of 'It must be safe 'cause it came with my ??????'.
Alan
