Young children explore the world without any concept of electrical risk. Sockets at floor level, cables trailing across the room, floor lamps with an accessible flex… all of
it is interesting to a curious toddler. The good news is that making your home significantly safer does not require a major project. A handful of targeted measures, some of them very simple, make a genuine difference.
The truth about plastic socket covers
Reaching for a pack of plastic socket covers is the instinctive first move for most parents, and it is understandable. But the guidance from Electrical Safety First and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is more nuanced than the product marketing suggests. UK sockets already incorporate a shutter mechanism into the design — both pins of a plug must be inserted simultaneously to open the shutters, which means a child pushing a single object into one hole cannot access the live contacts.
The problem with many plastic socket covers is that they can actually defeat this mechanism rather than add to it. Some types, when inserted, hold the neutral shutter open and leave only the live pin unprotected. If you want reliable additional protection at socket level, a properly shuttered socket fitted by an electrician is a more robust solution than a plastic insert.
RCD protection throughout the property
If your consumer unit does not provide RCD protection on every circuit, upgrading it is one of the most worthwhile electrical improvements available, not just for households with young children, but for any home. A Residual Current Device cuts the supply within milliseconds of detecting a leakage current to earth, which is the type of fault that causes electric shocks. Having whole-house RCD protection fitted at consumer unit level is a single, permanent improvement that benefits everyone in the property.
Trailing cables and extension leads
A cable running across the floor is a trip hazard and a chewing risk. Route cables behind furniture wherever possible. Use cable management trunking to keep runs tidy and inaccessible in areas where furniture cannot conceal them. Extension leads on the floor should be a temporary measure, not a permanent fixture. If your home relies on extension leads throughout multiple rooms, having additional sockets installed to meet actual demand is a better long-term solution.
Outdoor and garden electrics
Any outdoor circuit — sockets, lighting, a garden building — must be protected by an RCD. This is a requirement for new installations and something worth verifying in
existing ones, particularly if they were put in more than ten years ago. Children playing in a garden near unprotected outdoor electrical fittings in wet conditions is a risk worth eliminating properly.
Check what you have
If you have recently moved into a property or it has been a decade or more since any electrical work was done, an EICR gives you a full picture of the condition of the
installation and any areas where protection is missing. It is worth doing for any household, but particularly one with young children where the consequences of an electrical fault are harder to think about.
I carry out electrical safety inspections and consumer unit upgrades across Bedfordshire. Get in touch to arrange a visit.
