BS EN 60335-1:2012+A2:2019

What is this standard about?

This is the first in a series of European standards detailing safety requirements for household and similar electrical appliances, including those that are battery operated. It covers how to test, classify and mark the equipment.

Manufacturers can use this standard to demonstrate compliance with the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU and the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

Who is this standard for?

• Manufacturers of white goods/household electrical equipment
• Suppliers of components for household electrical equipment
• Organizations selling household electrical equipment
• Regulatory bodies
• Inspectors (Test house engineers)
• Trading Standards
• Consumer groups

Why should you use this standard?

The standard specifies general requirements and conditions to test the domestic safety of electrical household appliances including defining the classification and marking of electrical equipment, 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.

Its best practice recommendations look at the reasonably foreseeable hazards presented by electrical appliances and ensure a high level of user safety.

The standard covers:

• Household and similar electrical appliances providing their rated voltage is not more than 250 V for single-phase and 480 V for other appliances.
• Battery-operated appliances and other d.c. supplied appliances
• Appliances not intended for normal household use but which are intended for use by expert or trained users in shops, in light industry and on farms
• Appliances and machines which are declared to be for commercial use by lay persons

NOTE: The use of appliances by unsupervised young children, or children playing with electrical household equipment, is not covered in this standard.

What’s changed since the last update?

The amendments consist of the CENELEC adoption of IEC Amendment 1:2013 and IEC Amendment 2:2016 with CENELEC modifications to the text and CENELEC Amendment A14:2019.

Together these CENELEC amendments include the following changes to the preceding standard BS EN 60335-1:2012+A13:2017:

a)       Introduction of requirements for Class II appliances with functional earth

b)      Clarification of the requirements for testing three-phase appliances

c)       Introduction of a wetting agent to be used in spillage testing in 15.2

d)      Clarification of the leakage current test of 16.2 particularly with regard to Class II constructions

e)      Introduction of revised requirements for access to button cells etc. in 22.54

f)        Introduction of requirements for appliances used at altitudes above 2000 m

g)       Conversion of numerous Notes relating to components in Clause 24 into normative text

h)      Amendment of Annex B so that it specifies that it covers appliances powered by rechargeable batteries which are recharged in the appliance

i)        Clarification of requirements for battery-operated appliances by the introduction of Annex S for battery-operated appliances powered by batteries that are non-rechargeable or not recharged in the appliance

j)        Introduction of Annex T which gives requirements for UV-C radiation effect on non-metallic materials

k)       Inclusion of a new informative Annex ZH: ‘Common plugs and socket-outlets types in CENELEC countries’ which has replaced the hyperlink to the CENELEC website for information concerning National plug and socket-outlets

l)        Other items have been changed for clarification and consistency