BS EN 61557-15:2014

What is BS EN 61557-15 - Functional safety requirements for insulation monitoring devices and fault location systems about?

BS EN 61557 is a European Standard on electrical safety in low voltage distribution systems and equipment for testing, measuring or monitoring of protective measures.

BS EN 61557-15 is the 15th part of the BS EN 61557 series that specifies requirements related to functional safety and is based on the IEC 61508 standard series for the realization of insulation monitoring devices (IMD) as specified in IEC 61557-8 and for insulation fault location systems (IFLS) according to IEC 61557-9, according to phase 10 of the IEC 61508-1 lifecycle. These devices provide safety related functions for IT systems.

BS EN 61557-15 is:

• Concerned only with functional safety requirements intended to reduce the functional risk
• During the use of IMDs and IFLSs
• Restricted to risks arising directly from the device itself or from several IMDs or IFLSs
• Working together in a system
• Intended to define the basic safety functions provided by the devices.

Note: BS EN 61557-15 does not:

• Deal with electrical safety according to IEC 61010-1 and the requirements of IEC 61557-8 and IEC 61557-9
• Cover the hazard and risk analysis of a particular use of the IMD or IFLS
• Identify all the safety functions for the application in which the IMD or IFLS is used
• Cover the IMD or IFLS manufacturing process

Who is BS EN 61557-15 - Functional safety requirements for insulation monitoring devices and fault location systems for?

BS EN 61557-15 on functional safety requirements for insulation monitoring devices and fault location systems is useful for:

• Electrical and electronic components manufacturers
• Power transmission and distribution networks
• Insulation monitoring devices manufacturers
• Cable and telecom operators
• Product designers
• IT engineers
• Inspection bodies
• Quality control and testing personnel

Why should you use BS EN 61557-15 - Functional safety requirements for insulation monitoring devices and fault location systems?

Insulation monitoring devices and insulation fault location systems comprise electrical and electronic components and can comprise embedded software. It is critical to ensure that there are no short circuits or other types of damage in an IT system as it can cause loss of work hours and even damage to material goods.

In this regard, BS EN 61557-15 specifies the definition of safety functions embedded in IMDs and IFLSs and the requirements for products implementing safety-related functions.

BS EN 61557-15 provides the details on the management of functional safety during the development lifecycle and the realisation lifecycle of IMDs and IFLSs.

BS EN 61557-15 specifies recommended practices guaranteeing that such failures do not occur and may be avoided by using instruments to test, measure, and monitor such events, thus increasing the safety of other linked devices.

If the BS EN 61557-15 rules are followed, downtime due to wire faults can be reduced, and ultimately the user's output can be improved.