# Electrical safety statistics USA vs UK **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649 "2004-02-11T13:39:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/41 "2015-07-26T12:10:27Z")
Going back to the Original question, I found some statistics: \*Fatalities from accidental exposure to electric current in England & Wales, as provided by the then Government’s national Statistician for 1994 to 2003: 1994-37. 1995-42. 1996-36. 1997-39. 1998-37. 1999-50. 2000-41. 2001-34. 2002-24. 2003-25. Unfortunately these figures do not show whether the fatalities occurred in the home, at work or elsewhere.\* Assume an average population of 60 million. Does anyone compile similar stats for the USA? ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/42 "2015-07-26T12:24:29Z")
Uk building sites use 110v. Compared the sturdy uk plugs, all others are jokes. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/43 "2015-07-26T12:33:35Z")
> [@nicky](#): > > Uk building sites use 110v. My understanding is that this is designed to make the [expensive] equipment less attractive to thieves. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/44 "2015-07-26T12:46:28Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > We in the UK are somewhat paranoid about electrical safety, our standards are very high, some might argue too high, but then, idiots abound over here so maybe we have the right idea. When I think back to the days before ring-mains and three-pin sockets, when people used to plug a three-way adapter into the ceiling light-bulb socket and run the iron and the radio off it, and maybe a hair-dryer too… Not to mention having to go down to the cellar and grope around with a candle to find the blown fuse and insert new fuse wire… It’s a wonder there’s any of us left. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/45 "2015-07-26T12:57:34Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > My understanding is that this is designed to make the [expensive] equipment less attractive to thieves. No its for safety. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/46 "2015-07-26T14:19:51Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Certainly qgrees with what I have been told by US electricians – they say 240V is the most dangerous. > ‘At 120V, you can let go and get away. 480V will throw you away. But 240V is strong enough that you can’t let go, but not strong enough to throw you. So you sit there and fry.’ Weirdly, I’ve heard precisely the opposite - that 120 volts is weak enough to keep you there frying, while 240 is so strong that it will throw you away after a short shock. I have seen people get “electrocuted” a couple of times when dealing with plug sockets and light fittings and they - or rather just their hand - was jerked away from the socket without them having to decide to make any movements, and they suffered no harm in the slightest, hence the scare quotes. I would also have thought that the socket not always being live in the UK - ie, you can switch it off so no current is being delivered to it - would help when it comes to house fires. That is a different question, however. So I’d also be interested in seeing a comparison of death rates (and injury rates if there are any). ---
**Author:** ![Bones\_Daley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@Bones\_Daley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bones_Daley)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/47 "2015-07-26T14:45:35Z")
As far as compatibility between the American 60Hz and the English 50Hz is concerned, I am no electrical engineer, but I did spend some years in the States, and when I first went there, I took with me the same computer which I had used for a couple of years in the UK and it functioned perfectly well on the American electrical supply . (Obviously I had to flick the switch to change the voltage). While over there I acquired a sizeable arsenal of handheld power tools, and also a Grizzly tablesaw which, unlike the hand tools, operated on 220 volts. My other static tools were a Delta bandsaw and jointer, both of which ran on 110 volts. When I returned to the UK I shipped the entire contents of the workshop in a container, and set up all the machines in my UK workshop. For over 15 years now, they have all functioned perfectly on the UK electrical supply (obviously I use a transformer for the 110 volt tools) … I had feared that the motors might overheat, or some other catastrophe might occur, but nope … there has not been a single problem. The one apprehension I had was that my Peterson strobe tuner might be adversely affected by the change to 50Hz, since it is a much more sensitive piece of equipment than a tablesaw is, but … no problems there either. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/48 "2015-07-26T17:47:20Z")
> [@nicky](#): > > Uk building sites use 110v. > > Compared the sturdy uk plugs, all others are jokes. The European ones are pretty good - they fit into a recess, which prevents accidental exposure of the pins when the plug is partially withdrawn (the insulation on live and neutral pins on the UK 3 pin plugs is an afterthought - on older plugs, bare brass was exposed when the plug was pulled out a little, and a metal object coukd be pushed into the gap to touch the live conductor) [http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/f/](http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/f/) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/49 "2015-07-26T17:48:05Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Weirdly, I’ve heard precisely the opposite - that 120 volts is weak enough to keep you there frying, while 240 is so strong that it will throw you away after a short shock. I don’t understand the physics of this. I can see that a shock can induce involuntary muscular contractions that could result in your body moving violently. But the electrical shock itself can’t apply a large force to your body and “throw it away”, right? So the argument is about what kind of muscular contractions different voltages induce? –Mark ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/50 "2015-07-28T18:06:34Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The UK 3 pin plug system is actually quite a clever bit of safety design, considering its vintage; one of the other features is that the internal wiring of the plug is such that, if the cable is pulled out, the Live terminal detaches first, then Neutral, then Earth. I think you’ll find that live and neutral disconnect at the same time. The pins are the same length. The earth disconnects last, certainly. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/51 "2015-07-28T18:18:35Z")
I haven’t looked at one in a while, but isn’t the neutral pin longer than the other two? ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/52 "2015-07-28T18:55:23Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I haven’t looked at one in a while, but isn’t the neutral pin longer than the other two? Really not. The earth pins is the longest so it disconnects last. ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/53 "2015-07-28T18:59:44Z")
Here in Blighty the concern is not really about mains wiring, which is pretty much foolproof if installed by somebody competent. What scares me is the fire rate for domestic appliances. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33124925](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33124925) Having spent a lot of time designing electronic equipment to tough CE safety standards, (the approvals process includes shorting every transistor- and even a hint of a flame is a solid fail) I cannot understand how white goods can be so prone to catching fire. When my friend’s house caught fire, it was the tumble-dryer did it. Scary. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/54 "2015-07-28T19:04:18Z")
> [@Bert\_Nobbins](#): > > Really not. The earth pins is the longest so it disconnects last. the neutral blade is _wider_ than the hot blade, at least on 2-prong plugs where polarization is required. the blades may be the same width on a 3-prong plug because the ground pin enforces polarization. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/55 "2015-07-28T21:57:16Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > the neutral blade is _wider_ than the hot blade, at least on 2-prong plugs where polarization is required. the blades may be the same width on a 3-prong plug because the ground pin enforces polarization. The piece you quoted was discussing British plugs. Are you? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/56 "2015-07-28T22:52:26Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The UK 3 pin plug system is actually quite a clever bit of safety design, considering its vintage; one of the other features is that the internal wiring of the plug is such that, if the cable is pulled out, the Live terminal detaches first, then Neutral, then Earth… > [@Bert\_Nobbins](#): > > I think you’ll find that live and neutral disconnect at the same time. The pins are the same length. > > The earth disconnects last, certainly. I’m not talking about the pins - I was describing the internal wiring and its design regarding outcomes when the cable is torn out of the plug. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/57 "2015-07-28T23:25:59Z")
[QUOTE=Bert Nobbins] Having spent a lot of time designing electronic equipment to tough CE safety standards, (the approvals process includes shorting every transistor- and even a hint of a flame is a solid fail) I cannot understand how white goods can be so prone to catching fire. When my friend’s house caught fire, it was the tumble-dryer did it. Scary. [/QUOTE] You can design something to be internally fireproof and tolerant of abuse, but dryer lint in the vent hose or duct is not fireproof, and was probably the origin of your friend’s fire. I heartily recommend buying a dryer vent cleaning brush and using it annually. Not only will you greatly reduce the risk of a fire caused by the dryer, your clothes will be dried faster when the vent isn’t halfway plugged with lint. Less electricity/gas use is a nice side benefit. As for pulling wires out the back side of a plug, I’ve assembled a few replacement plugs where the hot and neutral wires are a “straight ahead” connection as the wires emerge from the cable jacket, and the ground is about 3/8" longer so it will theoretically stay connected longer than the current-carrying conductors. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649/58 "2015-07-28T23:58:09Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The piece you quoted was discussing British plugs. Are you? Nope. My mistake, nothing to see here :o [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-safety-statistics-usa-vs-uk/228649.md?page=2)