Mains Plugs with Insulated Pins

Australian Standards AS/NZS3112:2000 & AS/NZS3112:2004

Australian Standards AS/NZS3112:2000 and AS/NZS3112:2004 for Australian Mains Plugs define the requirements for insulating the Active and Neutral pins of the plug. These requirements were introduced in response to a number of incidents (including fatalities) involving both mains-plugs and plug-in-devices where a metal object (such as a knife blade, a metal blind slat or a sheet of metal) came into contact with a plug pin that was partially removed from a socket and resulted in an electrical shock.

Since 3 April 2005 insulated live pins have been mandatory for all plugs (and appliances with integral pins). Approval Certificates for items having non-insulated pins were cancelled on that date. In the interests of enhanced electrical safety and to ensure rapid dispersion into the marketplace, each Australian State and Territory and New Zealand Electrical Regulator required that all electrical equipment was supplied with insulated pin plugs, at all points of sale, by 3 April 2005.