> Not something you think about every day - until you realise that less 
> civilised countries just use a plain metal stick so it's frighteningly 
> easy to pull out of the wall, plug in backwards,

Hey, you can plug in mains stuff here (Germany) any way round you want and 
everything still works!

> electrocute yourself with by touching the pins while inserting/removing, 
> insert random objects into the socket, etc.

I read that by law every outlet in Germany must have an RCD device (compared 
to only outdoor outlets in the UK), so it's pretty much impossible to injure 
yourself.  It's also kinda convenient to have outlets in the bathroom for 
hairdryers, electric toothbrush chargers etc.

> I guess it's like you don't realise how stringent UK health and safety 
> rules are until you see some pictures on the TV of workers in some random 
> country using blowtorches and angle grinders without any safety equipment 
> at all...

Saw a big 3-phase motor once, the supply cable was simply stripped back and 
tied around the contacts on the motor!  No cover, nothing.

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