Electrical safety is crucially important for organizations in the electric and electronic sector because hazards such as arc flash, fire, and shock can result in serious harm, even death if employees and clients are exposed to them.

Fortunately, the likelihood of this occurring is relatively low. However, the control measures that prevent these hazards require careful management, attention to detail, and technical competence.

Non-compliance with safety regulations can be hugely damaging for manufacturers and other electrical organizations alike, resulting in them being left with hefty fines as well as loss of customer trust.

Standards can help electrical engineers, electricians and product designers ensure quality in safety, performance, and compliance for a huge range of equipment.

To read more on the topic of quality management in the electric and electronic sector, click here.

The Key Safety Standard on Household Electrical Appliances

BS EN IEC 60335-1 is the British Standard on general requirements and conditions for domestic safety testing of electrical household appliances. It covers protection against live parts, heating, leakage currents, electric strength at operating temperatures, moisture resistance, resistance to heat and fire, stability and mechanical hazards, internal wiring, and supply connections. It also defines the classification and marking of electrical equipment.

The standard deals with the reasonably foreseeable hazards presented by appliances and machines that can be encountered by anyone in everyday life – although the scope stipulates that the use of appliances by unsupervised young children, or children playing with electrical household equipment, isn’t covered.

It also includes appliances that aren’t intended for normal household use, but rather for use by an expert or trained users in shops, in the light industry, and on farms. It also deals with appliances and machines that are declared to be for commercial use by lay-persons.

These best practice recommendations look at reasonably foreseeable hazards that could cause injury. Its application can be seen in everyday life from the washing machine to the electric oven.

The standard’s aim is to ensure a high level of safety for electrical appliance users.

As such, it is relevant to manufacturers of electrical household equipment, component suppliers, retailers, regulators, and inspectors, including test house engineers. It will also be of interest to trading standards and consumer groups.

The standard:

• Specifies general requirements for the safety of household and similar electrical appliances providing their rated voltage is not more than 250 V for single-phase and 480 V for other appliances

• Looks at common hazards of household equipment or electrically operated devices that could cause injury to persons in and around the house

• Looks at the general requirements and conditions to test the domestic safety of electrical household appliances

• Defines the classification and marking of electrical equipment

• Demonstrates how to ensure protection against live parts

• Explains heating, as well as leakage currents and electric strength at operating temperatures

• Covers other topics including moisture resistance, stability, mechanical hazards, internal wiring, and connections

• Addresses requirements for cyber security to avoid unauthorized access and the effects of transmission failures via remote communication through public networks

Insulation Coordination: Basic Safety of Electrical Equipment

Insulation coordination is the mutual correlation of the insulation characteristics of equipment and takes into account the expected micro-environment and other influencing stresses.

It is basic to the safety of electrical equipment.

Standard BS EN IEC 60664-1:2020 is for insulation coordination for equipment within low-voltage supply systems. It is a revised standard dealing with insulation coordination for equipment having a rated voltage up to AC 1000 V or DC 1500 V connected to low-voltage supply systems, covering principles, requirements, and testing.

This standard applies to frequencies up to 30kHz and equipment for use up to 2000m above sea level (though the standard also provides guidance for use at higher altitudes). It includes methods of electrical testing with respect to insulation coordination.

The standard provides requirements for technical committees to determine clearances, creepage distances, and criteria for solid insulation. Other users will be found in power management organizations and energy distribution companies; power resistor design and technology companies; and earthing, overload, and lightning protection system manufacturers.

The standard will also be used by electric and electronic equipment and component manufacturers in multiple fields. This could include heating and welding companies, air conditioning providers, lighting manufacturers, and automotive and rail transport applications.

The result is a standard that provides the best and safest internationally agreed design solutions. These are often also low-cost.

It will help organizations in the electrical sector to trade, innovate and develop their expertise, and above all, make electrical equipment safer.

In your safety-critical industry, ensure you are meeting the industry design standards. A BSI Knowledge subscription gives you instant access to the resources you need to effectively design safe electrical equipment and build trust throughout your supply chain. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to one of our pre-built modules and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.

Add the key safety standards BS EN IEC 60335-1 and BS EN IEC 60664-1:2020 to your collection today.