Standards Development

Scope

This part of IEC 60479 describes the effects on the human body when a sinusoidal alternating current in the frequency range above 100 Hz passes through it.The effects of current passing through the human body for,–        alternating sinusoidal current with DC components;–        alternating sinusoidal current with phase control;–        alternating sinusoidal current with multicycle controlare given but are only deemed applicable for alternating current frequencies from 15 Hz up to 100 Hz.Means of extending the frequency of applicability of pure sinusoids to a frequency of 150 kHz are given, supplementing the data in IEC 60479-1.Means of examining random complex irregular waveforms are given.This document describes the effects of current passing through the human body in the form of single and multiple successive unidirectional rectangular impulses, sinusoidal impulses and impulses resulting from capacitor discharges.Recent additions address the following items,–        Special waveforms are documented including AC waveforms with DC components, and AC waveforms with phase control and multicycle control. AC waveforms of mixed frequency are examined;–        Single bursts of current pulses are documented along with the effect of repeated current pulses with repetition rates in two ranges within 10-70 pulses per second (PPS) regions;–        The immersed human body is considered;–        Unidirectional impulse currents form an important update to the document. Whereas energy, in various forms, of applied pulses has been postulated as the important injuring parameter in the past, re-evaluation of the research shows that charge transfer is the key parameter. Consequently, the standard has been made contemporary by documenting this re-orientation The values specified are deemed to be applicable for impulse durations from 0,001 ms up to and including 10 ms;–        A full discussion of static electricity, its effects on the human body and the safety of static discharge have been included.This document only considers conducted current resulting from the direct application of a source of current to the body, as does IEC TS 60479-1 and IEC 60479-3. It does not consider current induced within the body caused by its exposure to an external electromagnetic field.This basic safety publication is primarily intended for use by technical committees in the preparation of standards in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 104 and ISO/IEC Guide 51. It is not intended for use by manufacturers or certification bodies.One of the responsibilities of a technical committee is, wherever applicable, to make use of basic safety publications in the preparation of its publications. The requirements, test methods or test conditions of this basic safety publication will not apply unless specifically referred to or included in the relevant publications.