flourescent light safety hazard

[Les9000]

Does anybody have experience of these products?
Mains Flourescent lights linkable by a 2 core flex with moulded plugs.
Unlike similar products in the sheds, this has mains ouput consisting of male pins into which the flex connects with female connector. If that connector falls out, live pins are exposed. As mine are going under kitchen wall cupbards, I see that as a shock risk, and wonder if such products are even legal? I dont even have them on RCD.

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moderator

edited to corect link

 

[mapj1]

Assuming its not a factory mistake, and there is not supposed to be one plug and one socket on each unit, either the live pins have to be deep enough recessed to make it 'touch proof' to the eurofinger, or in operation the connector must held captive, and require use of a tool to remove it to expose live parts.
Otherwise no its NOT OK in a product that is accessible. However, nearly every bayonet bulbholder in a table lamp while safe in normal operation, fails this 'finger proof' test once you take the bulb out, an operation requiring no tools, and the number of fatalities is < 1 per year from this cause, so I'd not lose to much sleep.
Perhaps a call to the manufacturers is in order, then if no joy, trading standards.

 

[kendor]

we've been using those fittings at work for a few months now and there is no safety issue of exposed terminals with them? I think you are confusing the male pins as an output rather than an input.
They can plugged together ie they have a male and female connectors at each end you can blank off the end fitting with a pastic plug (supplied) and via two core flexes they may be ok for an installation where they are pemanently left in situ such as under kitchen units but for the sort of application they are used for at work they have caused nothing but trouble since their introduction, the connectors are of poor construction and half the time they don't make properly and you end up swapping them around to get them to work.

 

[Les9000]

Thanks for replies. Yes I thought it must be the input. My local DIY emporium has similar products where the input is male and the output is female. They are linked either by physically slotting one light into another, or by a male - female flex. These SF ones I have are definitely male input and output. To link two they provide a female - female joining piece, plus a 0.5m flex with female connector both ends. Manufacturer acknowledges it by stating in instructions that the cover over output needs a tool to remove. The plug inserted subsequently can easily be pulled out. I guess I will glue in the output plugs. Everywhere else they sell safer ones are more expensive.

 

[mapj1]

that sounds a bit naughty, if the plugs could fall out and expose pins that you could touch. I'd be tempted to call the makers and see what they say, perhaps mention trading standards.