• Kethal@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Many people from other countries fret about the unsafe plugs in the US. They of course do not have the same level of safety, but it also doesn’t appear to matter. I have never been shocked inserting or removing a US plug. I don’t know and haven’t heard of anyone who has. People do get shocked, but for other reasons.

    • Ookami38@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      I have, but I was a child and very much not plugging it in the right way. It was in a very cramped space I couldn’t see, and dumbass me thought holding the metal would give me better control. It did, I made it into the plug.

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Did you die? I wonder about the truth behind the idea that getting shocked with 120v is less likely/hazardous than double that

        • brakenium@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          As a kid I used a metal tool to cut a live wire 220v-240v wire and besides getting scared by the jolt I was fine. Probably because the protection circuits kicked in

          • AA5B@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            As an idiot, I’ve gotten shocked by 120v multiple times and 240v once. That hurt a lot more. Hopefully I have survived long enough so far to be less of an idiot

    • MufinMcFlufin@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      The one time I’ve had an issue with our plugs (that would have been solved by something like the British plug design) was when I wasn’t paying attention to a remote antenna resting on top of a loose plug. Accidentally caused a short that melted that little bit of wire but nothing else happened. Just had a black spot on that outlet from then onward.

      I have shocked myself on one once but just like with the other person replying that was as a child and felt more like a learning experience to not mess with outlets.

      • XeroxCool@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        This is exactly why I like having “upside down” US plugs where the ground pin is on top. If there’s a ground pin in the plug, it prevents pennies and paperclips from falling onto the hot and neutral pins. Unfortunately, this isn’t as common because 1. Some contractors beleive it’s illegal, 2. Many wall wart adapters and lay flat plugs assume the receptacle goes ground pin down, and 3. It doesn’t look like a shocked face.