Xref: utzoo misc.consumers.house:13440 sci.electronics:13904
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!philmtl!ray
From: ray@philmtl.philips.ca (Ray Dunn)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Question about electrical outlets
Message-ID: <1466@philmtl.philips.ca>
Date: 30 Aug 90 22:07:27 GMT
References: <842@ecicrl.UUCP> <1990Aug30.012428.14541@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> <1990Aug30.165822.19356@amd.com>
Followup-To: misc.consumers.house
Organization: Philips Electronics Ltd.  Product Group PC.  Montreal.
Lines: 22

In referenced article, phil@brahms.amd.com (Phil Ngai) writes:
>Speaking of hospitals, there's one around here (Kaiser) that seems
>to like to install all their outlets "upside down", with the ground
>of the three prong outlet on top. I thought they were just
>incompetent (scary thought in a hospital) but they are pretty
>consistent about it.
>
>Is there method to this madness?

I've even heard contractors arguing about this one, and the modern building
I'm now in has all its outlets "upside-down".

The only good argument I've heard is that when upside down, a
not-fully-inserted plug presents a safer upper surface (the ground pin
rather than the live-neutral pins) to falling objects.

In the UK, all sockets (outlets) are ground pin up.
-- 
Ray Dunn.                    | UUCP: ray@philmtl.philips.ca
Philips Electronics Ltd.     |       ..!{uunet|philapd|philabs}!philmtl!ray
600 Dr Frederik Philips Blvd | TEL : (514) 744-8200  Ext : 2347 (Phonemail)
St Laurent. Quebec.  H4M 2S9 | FAX : (514) 744-6455  TLX : 05-824090