From: Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se>
I am much more nervous about the (to my view) really crappy and scary
plugs you use in the US. They actually have a fair chance of actually
exposing me to contact...
I can't argue with that. They'd *never* be approved if they were invented
today, but we're used to being careful and people hate change.
I always figure the same thing about train crossings: no way that would
be legal if we weren't already used to it. It's going 60 MPH / 100 kph, has
no steering, just one headlight, the brakes take minutes to work, and the
engineer can't see cross-traffic until he's right on top of it, but don't
worry; there's a flashing red light. And maybe a bell. And if you're
in town, a flimsy wooden slat. Safe!
I had a nutty uncle in the UK who wired his house for 24 VDC (and mounted
truck taillight bulbs in all the lamps), and used US-style plugs for that.
*That's* safe enough.
John Wilson
D Bit