On Iphone 5, how important is the steel cover that goes over the dock connector?

So here's my problem. I have an iphone 5 that I bought cheap to repair. Basically, the screen and motherboard just need to be connected. The person I bought it from, however, didn't include the steel case that covers the screen and digitizer connections. I got the connections to stay in place, and theoretically I could put it together as it is and it would work just fine.

But is it not safe to leave the dock connecters open like that? Will they disconnect eventually and mess up the phone?

It delivers current