Wow - did this really happen in the 60s and 70s?

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John146

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by annette kurten:
“it`s still a common cause of house fires, sadly.

there`s a socket overload calculator here:

http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/overlo...al-sockets.asp”

Or you could use this calculator instead:

http://electrical-engineering-portal...or-load-factor

ShaunIOW

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by grumpyscot:
“I've seen one that had a 3 inch 2mm nail used as a fuse. I reckon it would have let 100amps through!

I also recall connectors being available to convert your centre light into a socket. My Mum had one and plugged her iron into it!

Nowadays, I won't even use a power tool unless it's powered through an RCD.”

My late father replaced some fuses with silver foil, and when he rewired his garage and ran the power cable from the kitchen the chain link fence used to smoke as it was electrified (untill his electrician mate spotted it and rewired it all properly).

molliepops

13-12-2016

Anyone else remember plugging the iron into the light fittings ? One of my first memories was my nan with her dry iron hanging from where the bulb should have been.

annette kurten

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by anne_666:
“There were so few sockets in any house and very few people could afford to add more.
Remember these plugs which plugged into light fittings?
Irons, hairdryers, anything and all more than a tad dangerous. The smell of smoldering plastic and electric shocks were very familiar. We used to stick bare wires into a socket and use whatever did have a plug nearest to it to hold them in.
Apart from in Church, I can't think of anywhere else where smoking wasn't permitted.”

the big plug swap, followed by the big fuse to work it hunt.

the stench of dust and hair burning on the three bar fire we striped our legs with........

Originally Posted by TARDIS Blue:
“Wow, just wow. ”

i know.

my husband, my newborn baby and i were nearly gassed to death by incompetent flue fitters and i used to regularly get blown across the kitchen by the floor level sockets, i very rarely moan about health and safety regulations.

*************************

♥ nostalgia threads. ♥

annette kurten

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by John146:
“Or you could use this calculator instead:

http://electrical-engineering-portal...or-load-factor”

bit basic.........

Chris Frost

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by JimDee:
“It was particularly worse when you would have to walk 8 miles to school (in the snow) only to be sexually harassed by Mr Williamson the sports teacher, then escape as overloaded sockets caused the building to catch fire, then walk 8 miles (in the snow) back home. And then you were sent down the mines!”

You went to school?! Oh we used to dream of going to school in the snow. There was none of that privileged life of sexual 'arrasment f' us. We 'ad to crawl on our hand and knees 12 miles a day through blizzards only to stand at school gates and be verbally abused by t'teachers IF WE WERE LUCKY! Then we'd crawl 12 miles back and our father would thrash us to sleep with his belt. When school finished were weren't allowed down t'mine. That wereally too good fu't likes o' us. We add job on't surface licking coal clean and't pit owner would dock our wages fu't coal dust we ate b' accident. Aye, we add it tough.

MR_Pitkin

13-12-2016

That's a proper work environment. Not a 'P' or a 'C' to be seen!

John146

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by annette kurten:
“bit basic.........”

Even more basic

anne_666

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by Maxatoria:
“Plugs never came with the device so you had to splash out for one and quite a few people were pretty skint so they'd make do, remember my grandad having one plug and moving it around the house depending on what room it was needed etc.”

Yes, that or matchsticks as annette said. Plugs weren't fused either. My mother stuck the bare wires of her electric blanket into the only socket in the bedroom using the bedside lamp plug to hold it.

Ulsterguy

13-12-2016

I remember working in an electrical shop in the 80's that used the matchstick method of connecting appliances to the socket. I got a shock from touching the bare wires, it threw me across the shop floor! Back in those days you just carried on.

Gilbertoo

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by planets:
“Smoking at work was still happening in 1990 where i worked.”

And with me in around 1997/8 - I think by that time it had reduced to a smoking room, rather than anywhere.

TARDIS Blue

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by annette kurten:
“the big plug swap, followed by the big fuse to work it hunt.

the stench of dust and hair burning on the three bar fire we striped our legs with........

i know.

my husband, my newborn baby and i were nearly gassed to death by incompetent flue fitters and i used to regularly get blown across the kitchen by the floor level sockets, i very rarely moan about health and safety regulations.

*************************

♥ nostalgia threads. ♥”

Makes you realise how sheltered us 90s kids were. Thank goodness times have changed.

Hobbes1966

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by anne_666:
“Yes, that or matchsticks as annette said. Plugs weren't fused either. My mother stuck the bare wires of her electric blanket into the only socket in the bedroom using the bedside lamp plug to hold it.”

We never used matchsticks but did use the wire/plug system. I'd completely forgotten about that until it was mentioned here.
It's hard to believe how laid back we were about electricity in those days. I'm extra careful these days.

1saintly

13-12-2016

You were lucky, sounds like luxury to me.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

Astra_LeMort

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by mourinhosmissus:
“I can remember at work in the 70s having sometimes quite graphic pictures of naked women hanging on the walls. You just learnt to ignore it, difficult as it was, especially as I was only a teenager.

I used to work with a bloke who used to always 'squeeze' past me, pressing himself up against me, even though there was ample room to get past without touching me. It wasn't just me though, he did it to all the females.

As for smoking in the workplace, that went on where I work up until the 80s and then they provided a 'smoking room', which was disgusting, as you can imagine.

Times have changed almost beyond recognition as regards some of the things we used to have to put up with. You youngsters just wouldn't believe the stories I could tell!”

I worked with him too - his name was Trevor. Always managed to "squeeze" past me, even if there was a space the size of the QE2. One of the girls complained to the manager and was told "you should be flattered - after all, you're no supermodel"

This was considered perfecty normal at the time (early 80s).

Used to be able smoke at my desk right up until 2001. Then I changed jobs and could only smoke in certain areas (inside). It wasn't banned indoors until around 2005.

I also remember my mum plugging her iron into the light fitting in the living room (late 1960s). Our 1930s house only had one double socket in each of the downstairs rooms, and one single socket in each bedroom. We managed

Gilbertoo

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by Astra_LeMort:
“I worked with him too - his name was Trevor. Always managed to "squeeze" past me, even if there was a space the size of the QE2. One of the girls complained to the manager and was told "you should be flattered - after all, you're no supermodel"
This was considered perfecty normal at the time (early 80s).

Used to be able smoke at my desk right up until 2001. Then I changed jobs and could only smoke in certain areas (inside). It wasn't banned indoors until around 2005.

I also remember my mum plugging her iron into the light fitting in the living room (late 1960s). Our 1930s house only had one double socket in each of the downstairs rooms, and one single socket in each bedroom. We managed ”

I don' think it was that late - I'm sure it was banned in offices, etc. either very late 90s or very early 2000?

Edit: this article suggest is was possibly 1999 or 2000. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sm...d-1184930.html

Edit 2: but this article suggests your timeline may be the closest! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...n-the-pub.html

chrisjr

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by Gilbertoo:
“I don' think it was that late - I'm sure it was banned in offices, etc. either very late 90s or very early 2000?

Edit: this article suggest is was possibly 1999 or 2000. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sm...d-1184930.html

Edit 2: but this article suggests your timeline may be the closest! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...n-the-pub.html”

Smoking in places of work was banned on July 1st 2007.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2...0063368_en.pdf

Gilbertoo

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by chrisjr:
“Smoking in places of work was banned on July 1st 2007.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2...0063368_en.pdf”

Thanks - I thought the 2007 change was specific to fully or partially enclosed public places and not places of work (ie. stadiums, train station platforms, underground car parks, etc.). I was fairly certain that a ban in offices, etc. came into force a few years earlier.

voteout

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by muggins14:
“Just glancing at the multi-sockets around the house!”

Nothing unsafe about having 20-30 appliances connected to one socket -- as long as you're sensible enough to ensure that less than 3kW goes through that one socket at any one time.

spiney2

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by eggchen:
“Perhaps one of the great ironies of the time, Savile warning about dangers to kids.”

the clunk click reminder campaign was effective, and he probably saved quite a few kids' lives ...........

Pitman

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by spiney2:
“the clunk click reminder campaign was effective, and he probably saved quite a few kids' lives ...........”

yes, his urge to have his evil way with children did have some good knock on effects, people forget that

Elvisfan4eva

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by molliepops:
“Very true but it wasn't just us women putting up with things men didn't have it so good either I can remember a young lad of 16 started working in our factory and the older "ladies" stripped him naked and chased him round the factory. This was quite normal but would not be allowed now.”

Lol. Did they play the Benny Hill music over the tannoy?

Fizzbin

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by annette kurten:
“or shove the bare wires straight in the socket and hold them in with matchsticks.”

Originally Posted by TARDIS Blue:
“Wow, just wow. ”

Indeed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zt50lz-NVQ

chrisjr

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by Gilbertoo:
“Thanks - I thought the 2007 change was specific to fully or partially enclosed public places and not places of work (ie. stadiums, train station platforms, underground car parks, etc. I was fairly certain that a ban in offices, etc. came into force a few years earlier.”

The HSE mentions the 2007 ban in respect to workplaces as well as enclosed public spaces.

Quote:
“Smoke-free legislation was introduced in England in 2007, banning smoking in nearly all enclosed workplaces and public spaces, following similar bans in Scotland and Wales. Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the legislation.”

http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/smoking.htm

Wales and Scotland had bans in place before England.

This also mentions a ban being introduced in 2007

Quote:
“The legislation, introduced on the 1st July 2007, now makes it illegal to smoke in all public enclosed or substantially enclosed area and workplaces.”

http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk/wh...o/quick-guide/

and this from ASH in 2005 is talking about a ban being introduced "in the future"

Quote:
“The Health Bill, published in November 2005, sets out the Government’s proposals for a ban on smoking in most workplaces. Proposed exemptions include private members’ clubs and pubs that do not serve food. These will be covered in separate regulations. If passed, the law will come into effect in 2007. As stated in the introduction, separate arrangements exist for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All government buildings and NHS premises should have comprehensive smoking policies in place by the end of 2006.”

http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_290.pdf

Laurel1ne

13-12-2016

Originally Posted by mourinhosmissus:
“I used to work with a bloke who used to always 'squeeze' past me, pressing himself up against me, even though there was ample room to get past without touching me. It wasn't just me though, he did it to all the females.
”

Yes, I remember when I was starting at one of my first places and the girl showing me around told me to make sure I was NEVER in a room with this one guy by myself. One of my jobs was to get the printed cheques from the line printer and take them to payroll

Had to often endure him insisting I needed a neck and shoulder massage

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