BS EN 61326-3-1:2017

What is BS EN 61326‑3‑1 – Immunity requirements for safety-related systems about?  

BS EN 61326‑3‑1 is a part of BS EN 61326 multi-series that discusses EMC requirements in electrical equipment for industrial-process measurement, control and automation equipment. 

BS EN 61326‑3‑1 covers all equipment within the scope of IEC 61326‑1, but is limited to systems and equipment for industrial applications intended to perform safety functions as defined in IEC 61508 with SIL 1-3. 

The electromagnetic environments encompassed by this product family standard are industrial, both indoor and outdoor, as described for industrial locations in IEC 61000‑6‑2 or defined in IEC 61326‑1.  

Note1: Equipment and systems intended for use in other electromagnetic environments, for example, in the process industry or in environments with potentially explosive atmospheres, are excluded from the scope of BS EN 61326‑3‑1. 

Note2: Equipment and systems considered as “proven-in-use” according to IEC 61508 or “prior use” according to IEC 61511 are excluded from the scope of BS EN 61326‑3‑1. 

Note3: Fire alarm systems and security alarm systems intended for the protection of buildings are excluded from the scope of BS EN 61326‑3‑1. 

Who is BS EN 61326‑3‑1 – Immunity requirements for safety-related systems for? 

BS EN 61326‑3‑1 on immunity requirements for safety-related systems and for equipment intended to perform safety-related functions is useful for: 

• Manufacturers of sensors, actuators, and other process equipment 
• Heavy machinery manufacturers 
• Machine maintenance personnel 
• Functional safety managers 
• Testing laboratories 

Why should you use BS EN 61326‑3‑1 – Immunity requirements for safety-related systems?  

Safety-related systems or equipment are installed in manufacturing machines to minimize the risk of accidents and injury to operators. These devices need to have high immunity to electromagnetic environments or else their functionality could be compromised and the risk of accidents and injuries to workers will increase. 

BS EN 61326‑3‑1 specifies test methods to determine the immunity of safety-related systems and devices. BS EN 61326‑3‑1 also helps you to recreate actual field conditions that the safety-related systems might endure in their operational lifecycle. This helps you to accurately test these devices and determine their performance. BS EN 61326‑3‑1 also provides you with performance parameters to verify the quality of these devices. 

Overall, the guidelines of BS EN 61326‑3‑1 help you to produce safety-related systems and equipment with high immunity to electromagnetic fields . 

What’s changed since the last update? 

BS EN 61326‑3‑1:2017 replaces BS EN 61326‑3‑1:2008. BS EN 61326‑3‑1:2017 includes the following significant technical changes with respect to BS EN 61326‑3‑1:2008: 

• Extension of the frequency range up to 6 GHz for the radio-frequency electromagnetic field test according to IEC 61000-4-3 
• Replacement of the performance criterion FS with DS according to the generic standard IEC 61000-6-7 
• Adding Table 1 – Aspects to be considered during application of performance criterion DS 
• Including immunity tests for devices with current consumption > 16 A according to IEC 61000-4-34 
• Updating Table 8 – Frequency ranges of mobile transmitters and ISM equipment 
• Updating Figure A.1 and Figure 1 for better readability