Invest
in Safety with Tamper-Resistant Outlets
Hairpins,
the building blocks for many fancy “dos,” are perfect for holding back
unruly tresses. But these slender, metal objects are also easy for children to
manipulate. As a result, hairpins are the dominant household item improperly
stuck into electrical outlets.
Each
year, approximately 2,400 children—an average of seven a day—receive
emergency room treatment for injuries caused by inserting conductive material
into electrical outlets, according to a 10-year report released by the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). More than 70 percent of these
incidents occur at home, with adult supervision typically present.
Hairpins are involved 32 percent of
the time, followed by keys, 17 percent, and fingers, 12 percent. Other common
culprits include pins, screws, nails, twist ties, and paper clips.
The end result? About 95 percent of
the time children receive a burn, according to CPSC.
Though ranging in severity, a significant number of serious and fatal burns
occur, and even minor injuries can leave emotional trauma. Pediatric burns can
be particularly serious, because a child’s skin is thin and offers little
resistance to electric flow or heat.
The
danger of electrical outlets isn’t new; parents often use plastic outlet caps
to cover outlets when “child-proofing” a home. Unfortunately, the Electrical
Safety Foundation, Inc. (ESFI) claims plastic caps are not the safest option
since they can easily be removed by a young child. Instead, ESFI suggests
installing tamper-resistant outlets.
Although
normal looking, these types of outlets include a shutter mechanism to protect
against harm from inserting foreign objects. The spring-loaded system only
allows electricity to flow when you apply equal pressure to both sides of the
outlet, as happens when you plug in an electrical device. During unused
conditions, both shutters are closed.
For
co-op consumers with brand new homes, tamper-resistant outlets may already have
been installed; the 2008 National Electrical Code requires them. However, these
outlets are cheap—costing as little as $2 at some retailers—and can easily
be incorporated into older homes.