Maybe a decade ago, a friend of mine opened a day care in his home. He was surprised to find he was required to make every receptacle in the 'day care' area of the house either one with shutters, or GFCI protected. Simply putting those plastic 'plug fillers' in was not enough.
That was then ... and now we seem to find such a requirement for all of us. I call this "code creep." It's sort of like the camel's nose ... let it in just a bit, in one carefully defined area - and, before long, you've got the entire camel stomping around.
Naturally, the idea that maybe we allow those 'risky' areas to simply not have any receptacles was never considered. We're trying to address a risk we created in the first place. Oops.
So, now we're stuck with this -and other- blanket provisions that, IMO, are overly intrusive and absolutely unnecessary. Heaven only knows what insanity they will try next.
Maybe equipotential planes for the bathroom? Heck, if it's good for cattle, isn't it good enough for us? Or, maybe we'll follow the Carnegie Hall model, and require folks to call an electrician whenever they want something plugged in.
So, where are we going with all this- and what can be done?
First of all, you need to get involved in the next code cycle. Bury the committees under proposals to remove these provisions. make the committees say 'no' to each and every other one of us.
Secondly, perhaps this is the reason we are set up like Switzerland, and not France. It's your local government that has the final say - work to keep them from adopting these requirements.
Finally ... resist the temptation to answer every problem with "there ought to be a law ..." Otherwise, all this kvetching is like peeing in a dark suit ... it might make you feel warm and fuzzy, but no one notices
