The grounding prong of a 3 prong plug broke off in an outlet.
Could this be an electrical hazard should a child touch it?
Electrical – Is it dangerous if the ground pin of a 3 prong plug breaks off in the outlet
electricalgroundingreceptacle
Related Solutions
Any equipment that uses a two prong plug will be as safe being plugged into this setup as they would be if they were plugged into a properly grounded three prong outlet. Two prong plugs (obviously) do not use the ground pin. As for three prong plugs, this depends on what is being plugged in. If the item is a laptop power supply that is sealed in a plastic shell, the ground pin is pretty much ISO-proforma [meaning, that is the standard cord- whether the equipment needs a ground or not.] I would be hesitant to plug in something with a metal shell, like a full size desk top tower, because the power supply is enclosed in a metal shell and attached directly to the frame of the case, this could present a shock hazard if the power supply were to malfunction.
A GFCI is a good start. If they are functioning properly, they will guard against lethal shocks, but you may still get a tingle if the electric is not quite right.
A possible suggestion: Use a 2->3 pin converter and attach a ground wire to the grounding tab. Attach the other end of the wire to a radiator if you have steam heat or possibly a metal water pipe. (no gas pipes.) This will get you a ground and you can use those items safely.
This is an obsolete socket type called a parallel and tandem socket, and is designed to accept either standard parallel plugs without a ground or older tandem style plugs (again without a ground):
None of the connections is a ground - it consists of 2 pairs of hot and neutrals, one oriented vertically, the other horizontally. If there is a ground wire to the box (which I doubt), this can be replaced with a standard 3 prong outlet. If not, you'd have to find a way to get a ground into the box.
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Best Answer
It could be bad if other things go wrong as well, or if the circuit/device is miswired. It also prevents you from plugging in other grounded devices, which could be a problem as well. The best thing to do would be to either remove it, or replace the receptacle.
Turn off the power to the circuit at the breaker, and verify power is off. Then using needle nose pliers (or tweezers), try to extract the pin. If you're unable to remove it, have the receptacle replaced by a professional.