Trusted Regina Blog | Trusted Regina Electrician shares a tip on Child Proof Outlets

Child Proof Outlets:

It is important to protect children with tamperproof outlets all throughout your home, as outlets are tempting toys for unsuspecting children. Sticking fingers or foreign objects into sockets puts them at risk of being shocked or burned.

Is my child at risk of injury?

This year over 2,400 kids will be injured by placing metal objects into electrical outlets.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that over 95% of these injuries will involve burns. These burns range in severity, but many result in serious, even fatal injuries. Even minor injuries can leave a child emotionally traumatized. It is important to note that pediatric burns are more serious than adult burns because their skin is thin and offers little resistance to electric flow or heat. For this reason infant and toddler burns leave more serious burns and scars. Alarmingly 70% of the time adult supervision is present when an injury occurs. It only takes a second for a child to find danger by sticking a metal object or their finger into an outlet.

Do all child proof outlets work?

Unfortunately some of the products that claim to protect your children have not only proven to be unreliable, but have become a hazard themselves. The plastic plugs you push into the socket can be removed and if inserted into the mouth, can become a choking hazard. In addition, some “tamper proof” outlets don’t fully close the openings to the outlet and a child could still push something like a safety pin in the hole and experience an electrical shock. There are even some products that require you to screw the plugs in place. This is not only inconvenient, it presents a fire hazard.

Can injuries be prevented?

Injuries can be prevented by installing appropriate tamper resistant outlets. Tamper resistant outlets have been so successful at preventing injuries that the 2008 National Electrical Code requires them to be installed in all new homes. If you home is older, you can easily meet safety code by adding child proof outlets throughout your home.

What does a child proof outlet look like?

Click here for a virtual demonstration of tamper-resistant outlets from ESFI.

What do children put in electrical outlets?

Hairpin - 32%
Keys - 17%
Finger - 12%
Pin, wire, screw or nail - 11%
Plug - 11%
Unidentified - 8%
Paper clip or staple - 5%
Tool (i.e., tweezer, file or knife) - 3%
Jewelry or belt buckle - 1%

Childproofing your outlets is one precaution you can’t afford not to take. Don’t let your children’s natural curiosity lead to an emotional trauma – or worse. Safeguard your home with childproof outlets today!

Note: To protect yourself from surges that originate within the house, it is a good idea to take extra precaution and continue to use power strip/surge protectors for extra sensitive or expensive devices.