November 22, 2005 --

Elizabeth Alvarez-KFOX Morning News Anchor/Reporter

More than a thousand children are injured every year, when they put something metal into an electrical outlet. Plenty of childproofing products promise to make your home safer. Safety experts just tested outlet protectors and found two with big problems.

Rachel Skinner has three kids under the age of 5, so she knows the importance of childproofing.

"I have gates at the top of the stairs so the kids can't get out. And where the household chemicals are, I have little latches on the doors so they can't open them," said Skinner.

She has outlet protectors, which are supposed to prevent a child from getting an electric shock. Consumer Reports' Don Mays and Rich Handel just tested electrical outlet protectors and found two from Safety First that parents should avoid. One comes with a simple plastic plug that you push into the socket. Consumer Reports Don Mays says it is so small it poses a choking hazard.

"The way we determine that is we use a small test tube like this. It's actually a choke test tube. And if the part fits fully within the tube it fails the test," said Mays.

Consumer Reports found a different problem with a second outlet protector. The protector is a wall-mounted plate that uses a spring-loaded rotating cover design.

"It doesn't fully close over the openings to the outlet. A child could actually push something like a safety pin or paper clip right into the hole and get an electrical shock," said Mays.

Consumer Reports rated both of these products not acceptable--the Safety First Outlet Plugs, the white ones, and the Safety First Swivel Outlet Cover.

Consumer Reports found plenty of outlet protectors that work well. One is the top-rated The Mommy's Helper Safe-Plate Outlet Safety Cover. The $4 unit, with a spring-loaded sliding cover is easy to install, and can help keep your curious little ones safe.

A word of advice, with any childproofing device, Consumer Reports says do not let children watch you install it. If you do, they may be able to figure out how to defeat it.

For more helpful consumer information, visit Consumer Reports on the web.

http://www.consumerreports.org/

Consumer Reports is a fee-based Web site. Many of the articles require a subscription.