The supervisor saw the smoking outlet ?( circuit breaker was activated ) and quickly pulled the plug out of the socket ( supervisor was reprimanded for this as there was no way for him to know the breaker was activated) . We now have had our OH&S SOPS updated to reflect this.

There was actually nothing wrong with pulling the cord out of the socket in this case. It's more about how it is done. It's true that no-one would have known that the circuit breaker would have already done its job and saved the day, but not knowing would have been my motivation for doing what he did - grab the cord and just pull as hard as possible to remove the plug. There are obvious safety considerations such as the flex still being in good condition and not starting to melt but a decision on this requires no more than a split second analysis of the situation. It is also the one time where it would be acceptable to remove the plug by pulling the cord.

This is the disadvantage of not having switched outlets though. Here in Australia, all GPOs must be switched. There are types that don't have a switch but they are for special purposes only and designed for plugs to be inserted and withdrawn without the lack of a switch being an issue. Flicking the switch with an insulated object would isolate the smokey outlet. The trick is getting 340m people to start using switched outlets correctly though - not easy, given that half those living here just yank the plug without first using the switch.

NewVista,

Australian hospital sockets (Medilec and Esco) are made the same way, although we tend to use more screws on the covers. A dab of Loctite would solve any issues where there is doubt a screw would do its job though. But in 30 years of electrical work, mostly in hospitals, I've never come across this problem. Insulated pins have been mandated for a while though the insulation isn't intended to solve this issue as it is very thin and the metal would piece through it. The insulation is there to protect wayward fingers. Where a piece of equipment was fitted with an un-insulated plug when manufactured, it's still okay to use it now with the original plug.