Re: Starbucks Baristas Union Drive Comes at Key Time


"Craig Andrews" <alt.coffee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:6g0rscFdksflU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jack Denver" <nunuvyer@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:GYGdncV44LABrwbVnZ2dnUVZ_hCdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Craig Andrews" <alt.coffee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:6g0oboFdiqrbU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jack Denver" <nunuvyer@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:DIGdnRuE9JVXhAbVnZ2dnUVZ_uqdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
At least in the US, modern kitchen receptacles are all ground fault protected - if the GFI sense any current leakage to ground (as might be caused by tinkering on a live machine) then it flips off. Most states also have concepts of contributory or comparative negligence - if the person contributed to his injury by his own stupid actions (such as failing to unplug) then the award is diminished or even eliminated. It is also understood in the law that knives are sharp, steam is hot, etc. - it is not a preventable defect if you cut yourself with a knife or stick your hand under the stream of hot coffee, etc.

AFAIK, product liability insurance for espresso machine manufacturers is still available at a reasonable cost - one could speculate on all kinds of imaginary hypotheticals but reality is something else.

Accidents do happen in the blink of eye - the other day I knocked a thin aluminum tray off the top of my toaster oven - it fell backwards toward the wall and its edge landed in the crack between the plug and the wall, where it created a nice short circuit between the two prongs (BTW, in the US, 3 prong outlets are supposed to be installed with the ground pin facing up to help prevent such accidents, though that does nothing for 2 prong plugs which are still permitted - the European continental outlet is recessed into the wall to help prevent this). POW - a big arc and a bite of the tray was vaporized. The massive overcurrent blew the breaker as it was supposed to and all was well.


Jeess, your plug/s shouldn't BE hanging out of the wall outlet Jack!..
Craig.


I don't know what you mean - the toaster was plugged in in the normal way - tray fell from the back of the toaster, slid vertically along the wall and landed with enough momentum to wedge itself between the plug and the utlet - the tray was thin sheet metal and perfect for the job.

Hmmm, not the way I read it.. You said: "Accidents do happen in the blink of eye - the other day I knocked a thin aluminum tray off the top of my toaster oven - it fell backwards toward the wall and its edge " 'landed in the crack between the plug and the wall' "

Whatever..
Craig.

Well I'm glad that you knew what happened even though you were not there. Unless you glue the plug to the outlet , in a US style plug even if you plug the device in fully (and it not unusual for plugs to work their way out slightly over time) there is always going to be a crack between the plug and the wall big enough for a falling piece of sheet metal to wedge its way in. The Europlug is recessed and avoids this. The US (at least in the old days) used to get technology first so by the time others adopted a standard the release 1.0 bugs could be removed, while we were stuck with 1.0 forever.

BTW, if you read the owners manual for most devices, it says to unplug the device when not in use. This is probably good advice (though the wear and tear on the cord and socket create their own risks) but I must admit I never follow it in the case of frequently used permanently located appliances like toasters.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Starbucks Baristas Union Drive Comes at Key Time
    ... protected - if the GFI sense any current leakage to ground (as might be caused by tinkering on a live machine) then it flips off. ... Accidents do happen in the blink of eye - the other day I knocked a thin aluminum tray off the top of my toaster oven - it fell backwards toward the wall and its edge landed in the crack between the plug and the wall, where it created a nice short circuit between the two prongs. ...
    (alt.coffee)
  • Re: Idiot ideas
    ... multi-outlet socket adaptor designed to hang on edge of table. ... between wall socket and plug, and relay power consumption to a remote ... is a schucko wall socket whose surround is a press switch. ...
    (uk.rec.sheds)
  • Re: Fanuc 21-MB problem
    ... The customer was screaming ... the control on his brand new machine was dead, ... to "pigtail" machines and simply plug them into the wall. ... I plug it in and walk around front, power it up and the screeen ...
    (alt.machines.cnc)
  • Re:another bullshit alert!! this is absurd.!
    ... caused by tinkering on a live machine) then it flips off. ... the wall and its edge landed in the crack between the plug and the wall, ... bite of the tray was vaporized. ...
    (alt.coffee)
  • Re: Things we remember...
    ... but it no longer has that old wall plug. ... could just splice on a length of modern phone cord, ... So then you have a cold-war phone you could use in hand to hand combat ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)