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Somewhat paradoxically, it's actually safer from a consumer safety perspective to assume that you don't have a polarized connector. The big reason is that the consumer can see fit to make modifications to meet their circumstances.

If the culture here in the US of filing down the wider blade on polarized plugs so they'll mate with an unpolarized receptacle is anything to go by, people just want to use their stuff, safety be damned.

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Polarization is only safer in the case of a screw in light plug (ie light bulb) where the design makes it likely you will touch one of the live wires - if that wire is the one connected to ground you can safely touch it.

It's also helpful when dealing with old hot chassis appliances such as antique radios, where the metal case is wired to what is hopefully neutral but can be at line voltage if the plug or socket is wired in reverse.

Of course. Ideally we'd be able to have all appliances be polarizing agnostic and write that into any standards, and then be able to enforce those standards.

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