Can one of you electricians answer me a question?

[Dannmann801]

I have often noticed while visiting hospital rooms the the outlets are often installed with the grouind hole up vs down.
Ground hole down is what most folk consider normal. The outlets in the picture are normally considered "upside down".
What is the reason for this?

 

[Outdoorsfellar]

I'm no electrician, but I was in charge of our hospital. It's a safety issue, to prevent short circuts.....especially with o2 all around.....

 

[jagermeister]

My dad (an electrician) explained to me one time that ground-up is actually the way they’re supposed to be. If a plug starts to sag due to gravity or some other reason, the ground terminal will be exposed instead of the “hot” terminal. Basically, with the ground hole up, there’s a lower risk of accidental shock. It would also make sense that there would be less chance of a spark… which, inside a hospital with flammable gases everywhere, sparks are bad, mmmmm-kay. lol

 

[Dannmann801]

Well gentlemen, that makes perfect sense, question answered problem solved.
The superpower of TOO knowledge.