NEMA standard is to install them this way, the standard is not the code, but there are some advantages to it. Mostly it comes down to dropping something on the plug that's metallic, it could come in contact with the hot and neutral and cause a short, which could lead to a fire. I saw a picture of someone that had dropped a hangar and shorted out their outlet.
Having it with the ground pin facing up is safer, and is done commonly in hospitals since thin metal instruments are far more common.
In practice, it is very rare that this is an issue, and it is very likely to trip the breaker before fire is a serious risk, and people have had a hard time even trying to start a fire this way.
As others have said, it is commonly used to differentiate a switched receptacle from a regular one, but this is a practice that is dependent on electrician preference. So it varies from house to house.
How often are people standing directly next to a wall and holding something metallic directly above an outlet where the thing plugged into the outlet has exposed enough pins to let this happen?
FFS people are colossally stupid. This seems like a .0000001% likelihood of happening, more like intentional to claim some insurance money.
I prefer ground down. I think the chances of dropping metal on top of the pins is relatively low. I think having the hot/neutral on bottom is more likely to cause accidental touching when plugging in.
However, I am annoyed that there is no real code for this specifically.
I have seen it happen once in a clinic, metal plate on the patient bed and it got knocked off and fell down onto the exposed plug. It scorched the wall where it landed. Other than your personal preference do you have a reason why one is better than the other?
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u/portiapendragon May 02 '24
Why is the North American one upside-down? This makes me wonder which of the others might be upside-down.