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Small caps, big impact: How to protect sockets from children’s hands
Using scissors, cutlery or other objects to touch sockets can be life-threatening. Child safety locks not only protect children from electrical accidents.
© stern.de / Jan Sägert
Drilling into the socket with a fork is not only nonsense, but also dangerous. It doesn’t take much to protect curious children from life-threatening consequences. There are these child safety locks for sockets.
As tempting as they are for small children’s hands, sockets are just as dangerous. In Germany and most EU countries the voltage is usually 230 volts. That’s easily enough to seriously injure yourself. Important: The dangerous current only flows through the body when the phase, i.e. the current-carrying contact, is touched. Since this (just like the neutral conductor in the other hole) is internal, nothing can happen to children who put their fingers in a socket. It becomes critical when the child “examines” the socket with cutlery, scissors or a ballpoint pen. If the kids catch the phase, the circuit is closed and they can be hit by a potentially life-threatening electric shock.
To protect children and parents from such a scenario, there are child locks for sockets. These should be installed at all sockets that are within reach of children, but also at sockets that seem inaccessible. These child safety locks block the two holes and can only be unlocked with a plug or a key. The article explains which child safety locks there are for sockets and where other dangers lurk in the household.
Mavura specializes in protecting children from injuries as best as possible within their own four walls. The BabyLock Mavura socket caps are also compatible with sockets in popular holiday countries such as Austria, Croatia, Greece or France. The BabyLock socket cap is placed on the socket, closes the holes and is secured with a key. Only with this key can the socket be made operational again. In addition to sockets, sharp edges on furniture often cause bumps on the head and lots of tears. This Corner protection made of PVC can at least relieve the pain.
These child safety locks also fit into all EU standardized sockets. Installing them is incredibly easy. Because they only fit into the socket in exactly one position and thus close the holes with the protective contacts. The sockets can be unlocked by inserting a power plug, turning it counterclockwise and removing it with the fuse. According to the manufacturer, the child locks can withstand more than 1,000 of these openings. Here you can get the socket protector in a pack of 24.
The socket protection from Bachmann is a combination of the two child locks already presented. The plastic insert should fit exactly into standardized sockets. Neither sharp fingernails nor a paper clip will help with removal. The protective cap can only be removed again using the key provided. In the Pack of 10 six of these keys are included.
Tip: With a Home24 voucher Save up to 30 euros on your purchase (valid until September 30, 2023).
Reer also offers child safety locks for sockets. As with all the others presented here, you don’t need screws, glue or other tools to install. In order to protect common protective contact sockets from children’s hands, the Reer socket cap placed in the central insert according to the small recesses. You need a power plug to unlock it.
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