I think we did touch on the subject of shuttered sockets a few months back in another thread. Every electrician here has to perfect the knack of opening the shutters with his meter probes for voltage checks!
The downside to the fact that the BS1363 13A plug always has an earth pin is that even a small appliance is fitted with this bulky plug, although the old BS546 15A type is even heftier.
There are some newer 13A sockets on the market here with a new design. These have a shutter which rotates slightly to uncover the line & neutral and no operating pin in the earth/ground hole. There must be equal pressure on both sides of the shutter before it will turn.
You mentioned the Australian/NZ outlets (for those who aren't familiar with these, they have three flat blades very similar to those on American plugs).
I once saw a design in an Australian catalog for a shuttered version of these. The small plastic disk containing the entry holes in front of the connections was pivoted at its center and sprung shut. To insert a plug, you pushed it into the holes on the shutter, turned it slightly to align it and then the plug would go right in.
P.S. Hutch, I'm curious: Are you actually in South Africa?
[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 05-29-2002).]
