Electrical Safety
- Dave Hay
Kettle leads (also known as IEC C13 leads) - safety issue
Whilst performing this year’s inspection of portable electrical equipment (PAT or Portable Appliance Testing) it was noticed that a number of counterfeit electrical cables were found on new equipment. This issue goes beyond the Department and could potentially affect anyone who has electrical equipment using kettle leads in the home. Please read on for information about how to identify a counterfeit lead, what the risks are and what to do about it.
A safe and compliant kettle lead looks like the image below. The main components are:
A UK standard 3 pin plug
This will normally be moulded and cannot be rewired
The longest pin is the earth pin. This should be entirely made of metal and not have a plastic sleeving around its base where it joins the body of the plug.
The two shorter pins are the neutral and live pins. Both of these should have a black plastic sleeve around the base of the pin where it meets the plug body.
There should be a removable fuse holder compartment of either 3 Amp, 5 Amp or 13 Amp depending on the load the lead is designed to take.
The plug should look like the one below with the pins labelled as (L)ive, (E)arth, and (N)eutral.
At the appliance end there should be a 3 pin socket, labelled as L, E and N, for live, earth and neutral. It should look like this.
Counterfeits are often supplied with equipment from both Amazon and EBay as well as being available to buy as single leads with no equipment.
There are 4 main issues with counterfeit leads:
They have a compromised path to earth - this means that electrical equipment can become live to the touch and risk delivering an electrical shock to the user. In this instance, circuit breakers will not work and the victim will receive a full power shock, which can be fatal.
The pins can shear off, leaving the plug and/or socket in a dangerous condition.
The copper wires within the lead are often far too thin for the current being applied (to save money) and this can result in overheating and a fire.
The fuses are often non-compliant and so might not protect the circuit and user. They can also break apart when being changed or removed.
When doing a visual inspection of any equipment you are using or have recently bought, check the following:
Is the longest (earth) pin completely made of metal?
Is the fuse present, of the correct rating and of BS compliance?
Is the lead undamaged and intact?
Are the plug and socket end undamaged and intact?
If you answer no to any of these questions, replace the lead with one which meets the above compliant standards and, for work equipment, pass the counterfeit lead to one of the technicians for safe disposal.
Do not place in general waste and do not cut off the plug as this can render them unsafe to others.