Can electrical outlets in your home kill you?

Even though we are under the assumption that our households are the safest place to be, the reality of that is not so. Many homeowners might not even know that they are in fact living in death traps, ticking time bombs waiting to claim the life of a loved one that simply wasn’t educated on the subject enough.

You’ve just purchased a brandnew electrical appliance but to your inconvenience, the plug doesn’t match the wall socket in your home. When faced with such a situation, the reaction of the Sri Lankan consumer is simple as is deadly – purchasing an inferior quality imported adapter with no Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) certification or effective safety standards.

But have you ever stopped to wonder why this happens? While most countries have one specific plug and socket standard, for decades, Sri Lankans have been using three common socket types: 15A roundpin socket, 5A round-pin socket and 13A square-pin socket.

Adding to this confusing range, multisockets to accommodate any pin shape are in use. Appliance manufacturers have no restrictions when deciding which variant of the plug top should be attached to appliances to ship to Sri Lanka. Why? Sri Lanka had no unique standard.

Not anymore

The adapters that are present in almost every home or office in Sri Lanka pose an imminent safety threat. The mismatch in pin shapes and sizes causes poor electrical contact between the plug top and the socket, heat, sparks and sometimes even fires are generated. If you have ever discarded an adapter due to it melting, this should have been your first warning sign but like most consumers, you chose to ignore it and purchase another.

According to sources from the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), deaths from electrocution in the country have been on the rise since 2013. Thus, after many months of painstaking research, the PUCSL made a move to implement a new standard.

PUCSL Director Inspectorate N.C. Sapumanage commented on their findings. “As we lacked a proper standard, appliances imported came with 15 different plug tops. With just three available socket options in the country, in their desperation, people manipulate the plug tops to fit into the sockets in their homes; this includes everything from cutting the plug top and inserting bear wires into the socket and even poor at home rewiring with cheap aftermarket plug tops. This has contributed a lot to unfortunate deaths by electrocution.”

After much research, cost comparisons and a public hearing of stakeholder views, it was then decided that the type G plug and socket outlet, widely known as the 13 ampere plug and socket outlet or commonly referred to as the ‘square pin’ plug and socket, shall be the only national standard in Sri Lanka.

However, this transition did not mean that premises should be rewired for the purpose of accommodating the new standards; the existing wiring may remain until the end of its useful life. On the contrary, wiring of new installations, addition of circuits to the existing installations or complete rewiring of an existing building, should be with 13 ampere outlets.

The government decided on the unique standard and the process of transition in 2016. The manufacture and importation of nonstandard plugs and socket outlets were banned from August 16, 2017. The government thus provided a grace period for dissolving the existing stocks of nonstandard plugs and socket outlets present in the market.

In response to this, many of the familiar household brands and industry leaders that manufacture such products complied with the regulation and began producing these items to the newly established standards, with SLS certification. All of the above actions have been put in motion to protect you the consumer. With the baton now passed into your hands, what can you do to ensure your own safety?

While many government agencies, including the Sri Lanka Customs are painstakingly working to prevent the inflow of these banned sockets, multi-plugs and plug tops, there is still a leakage into the market. As responsible consumers, you are urged to refrain from purchasing these inferior products. Even though they may be priced cheaper, you will be in breach of the law while putting yourself and your family in grave danger.

Last year alone, the number of deaths reported from electrocution was 180. This number is way too high when compared with the rest of the world. For example, the probability of dying from electrocution in Australia is one in a million per year, while the statistics in Sri Lanka translate to one death by electrocution every other day or nine in a million.

The Institution of Engineers has been working closely with the PUCSL to provide insights into the challenges faced with the implementation of these standards.

“We invited all manufacturers to voice their opinion on the subject. The variety of sockets that still exist in Sri Lankan homes requires manufacturers to produce Sls-certified adaptors, which are now coming into the market. Local manufacturers of extension cords need technical support to upgrade their products to be Sls-compliant, which the PUCSL is supporting.”

While the implementation of a single standard for plugs and sockets takes hold, the next step is the regulation of trip switches and miniature circuit breakers. Here the problem is to enforce the SLSI compliance. Trip switches in most homes do not work but their mere presence gives you a false sense of protection.

You are urged to do your part in this effort by adhering to the single standard that has now been implemented. Now it is illegal to manufacture, store, display, offer to sell or sell, any plug or socket, other than Sls-compliant square pin type.

The SLS mark is a household symbol of quality, which certifies that your purchase has been manufactured in conformity with the relevant Sri Lanka standard specification. Electrical sockets, plugs and extension cords, as well as adapters that carry this certification have been subjected to rigorous testing, including fire testing.

So, do your part; being a responsible citizen for the greater good of our society as a whole starts from inside your own home. (Tilak Siyambalapitiya is an independent energy consultant)