On Jul 18, 2:42*am, Jeff wrote:
*Plugs and
receptacles are standardized, which makes almost certain the appliances
are properly connected. *(In the UK it appears that appliances are sold
without a plug and rely on the consumer to do the right thing.)

Not so, it has been illegal to sell mains devices without an attached
plug for many years now in the UK. There is only 1 type of plug,
(excluding shavers sockets which are transformer isolated), which is
non-reversible and always has the provision for an earth (Not always
used with double insulated devices, but still the pin must be there,
sometimes in plastic). The sockets are shuttered to prevent accidental
'prodding' by little fingers.

Jeff

Not to be a smart ass but weren't a lot of the old British cars
equipped with a positive ground? What's up with that?