This plug came off the mini-mixer at work. It looks like it's a NEMA 15-30 type running on a 240V line. My supervisor replaced it when the mixer starting acting erratically; which is to say, it worked fine until it stopped turning on when I hit the "On" switch to mix the meat. I went into a rhythm of unplugging and re-plugging it thinking the socket was just loose, but after I smelled burning and saw the plug itself and the socket appearing to burn or corrode through, I suspected the plug was burning out or that the power supply was overloading; after showing it to Ray, he replaced it, and it worked just fine afterwards.

I'm thinking I might want to - sometime this week - get in there after hours, though, and replace the socket, too, just to be safe. We won't use it again until at least Friday so it's not a hazard at this time.

Anyone could use this as a reference, though, for when any appliance of yours is acting weird. If you smell burning, unplug it immediately, inspect the prongs for signs of burning or corrosion, and if possible disassemble the plug head and take at look at the wiring. If you can replace the socket head, go ahead and you should be just fine, although most small appliances like blenders and such you might just be better off replacing altogether, unless you have the ability to chop off the plug and re-wire it with a generic plug. In this instance, each of the four wires simply clamps down via screws inside the plug, and the plug is designed to come apart easily for maintenance (in fact, you can actually pull the entire plug apart from the wires accidentally like I did with one of the stuffer machines a couple days prior).

If you ever see your power socket itself with burned plastic around the prong receptacles, REPLACE IT IMMEDIATELY! Those sockets are as simple to replace as: (1) Turn off all power via the power box master breaker. (2) Shut off the breaker to the circuit the socket is on. (3) Unscrew the faceplate, unscrew the socket inside, remove and replace with a new one. (4) Installation is the reverse of removal ™.