consumer-protection ohio safety
Are cheater plugs illegal in Ohio? If so, in what contexts?
<p>A while back, I started a thread asking if cheater plugs (adapters allowing three-prong electronics to plug into two-prong outlets) are illegal in the USA:</p>
<p><a href="https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/71263/are-cheater-plugs-illegal-in-the-usa">Are cheater plugs illegal in the USA?</a></p>
<p>From this, it appears that the answer depends on the jurisdiction. When I've tried to find answers online, even information on the legality in general was scarce, let alone in specific jurisdictions. Most articles just discuss whether cheater plugs are safe, not whether they're legal.</p>
<p>To use a specific jurisdiction, then, is it illegal to use cheater plugs in Ohio? If so, in which of the following contexts are they prohibited?</p>
<ol>
<li>Selling cheater plugs</li>
<li>Using cheater plugs in a commercial business</li>
<li>Using already-owned cheater plugs for personal use in a home</li>
</ol>
<p>Information from other jurisdictions is acceptable, but Ohio is the specific jurisdiction of this thread's focus.</p>

<p>Illegal is pretty wide-ranging.  I doubt anyone would have any statute they could point to to arrest you for using one.  <strong>However</strong>, if you use one <em>to avoid grounding a device</em> and the building burns down or a user gets electrocuted, a determined prosecutor just might decide to attempt to send you to prison via some type of negligence charge.</p>
<p>Your insurance company might also decide to void your coverage, and if you have a business that has fire marshal inspections, expect to get dinged if they see one.  It is also theoretically possible that an OSHA fine could come your way for such usage, but unless someone dies, highly unlikely, thanks @JonCuster.</p>
<p>Clearly the sale of these items isn't restricted, and they are required in some older home wiring in the USA to allow grounding via a center-screw grounding that used to be a thing.  They are known as grounding converters.  US Homes were built with grounding outlets in the 1960s, homes I am familiar with that didn't have them were pre-war.</p>
