Standards Development

Scope

1.1 Scope

1.1.1 Equipment included in scope

This group safety publication is primarily intended to be used as a product safety standard for the products mentioned in the scope, but shall also be used by technical committees in the preparation of their publications for products similar to those mentioned in the scope of this standard, in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 104 and lSO/lEC Guide 51.

This part of IEC 61010 specifies general safety requirements for the following types of electrical equipment and their accessories, wherever they are intended to be used. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the manufacturer’s RISK management file, but not to replace this.

a) Electrical test and measurement equipment This is equipment which by electromagnetic means tests, measures, indicates or records one or more electrical or physical quantities, also non-measuring equipment such as signal generators, measurement standards, power supplies for laboratory use, transducers, transmitters, etc.

NOTE 1 This includes bench-top power supplies intended to aid a testing or measuring operation on another piece of equipment. Power supplies intended to power equipment are within the scope of IEC 61558 (see 1.1.2 f)).

This standard also applies to test equipment integrated into manufacturing processes and intended for testing manufactured devices.

NOTE 2 Manufacturing test equipment is likely to be installed adjacent to and interconnected with industrial machinery in this application.

b) Electrical industrial process-control equipment

This is equipment which controls one or more output quantities to specific values, with each value determined by manual setting, by local or remote programming, or by one or more input variables.

c) Electrical laboratory equipment

This is equipment which measures, indicates, monitors, inspects or analyses materials, or is used to prepare materials. This equipment may also be used in areas other than laboratories.

1.1.2 Equipment excluded from scope

This standard does not apply to equipment within the scope of:

a) IEC 60335 (Household and similar electrical appliances);

b) IEC 60364 (Electrical installations of buildings);

c) IEC 61439 (Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies);

d) IEC 60601 (Medical electrical equipment);

e) IEC 62368 (Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment, except as specified in 1.1.3);

f) IEC 61558 (Power transformers, power supply units and similar);

g) IEC 61010-031 (Hand-held probe assemblies)

h) IEC 61243-3 (Live working – Voltage detectors – Part 3: Two-pole low-voltage type).

1.1.3 Computing equipment

This standard applies only to computers, processors, etc. which form part of equipment within the scope of this standard or are designed for use exclusively with the equipment.

1.1.4 Gas and vapor detectors or sensors

Detectors, sensors or other devices, including controllers and analysers, which are both intended to measure, sense or detect hazardous levels of gas or vapors, and are intended for signalling or safety alarm initiation, notification or release, may only be evaluated to IEC 61010-1 when used in conjunction with a standard providing suitable requirements for performance and reliability (Examples may include but are not limited to products within scope of IEC 60079 series and IEC 62990 series).

1.2 Object

1.2.1 Aspects included in scope

The purpose of the requirements of this standard is to ensure that HAZARDS to the OPERATOR and the surrounding area are reduced to a tolerable level.

Requirements for protection against particular types of HAZARD are given in Clauses 6 to 13, as follows:

a) electric shock or burn (see Clause 6);

b) mechanical HAZARDS (see Clauses 7 and 8);

c) spread of fire from the equipment (see Clause 9);

d) excessive temperature (see Clause 10);

e) effects of fluids and fluid pressure (see Clause 11);

f) effects of radiation, including lasers sources, and sonic and ultrasonic pressure (see Clause 12);

g) liberated gases, explosion and implosion (see Clause 13).

It is recognized that this document cannot cover exposure to every hazard resulting from all possible equipment within the scope of this standard, as well as it cannot cover all cases of reasonably foreseeable misuse of such equipment or the possible exposure to hazards that can arise from the functions of the equipment. Therefore, the manufacturers are encouraged to conduct their own risk assessment and implement the appropriate risk reduction measures regarding reasonably foreseeable misuse and the functions of the equipment where there are no prescribed means for mitigation in this document.

An example of the process to manage these risks can be found in Annex J.

NOTE Attention is drawn to the existence of additional requirements regarding the health and safety of labour forces.

1.2.2 Aspects excluded from scope

This standard does not cover:

a) reliable function, performance, or other properties of the equipment not related to safety (see 1.1.4);

b) effectiveness of transport packaging;

c) EMC requirements (see the IEC 61326 series);

d) protective measures for explosive atmospheres (see the IEC 60079 series).

1.3 Verification

This standard also specifies methods of verifying that the equipment meets the requirements of this standard, through inspection, TYPE TESTS, ROUTINE TESTS, and RISK assessment.

1.4 Environmental conditions

1.4.1 Normal environmental conditions

This standard applies to equipment designed to be safe at least under the following conditions:

a) indoor use;

b) altitude up to 2 000 m;

c) ambient temperature 5 °C to 40 °C;

d) maximum relative humidity 80 % for temperatures up to 31 °C decreasing linearly to 50 % relative humidity at 40 °C;

e) MAINS supply voltage fluctuations up to 10 % of the nominal voltage;

f) TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGES up to the levels of OVERVOLTAGE CATEGORY ll;

NOTE 1 These levels of transient overvoltage are typical for equipment supplied from the building wiring.

g) TEMPORARY OVERVOLTAGES occurring on the MAINS supply h) applicable POLLUTION DEGREE of the intended environment (POLLUTION DEGREE 2 in most cases).

NOTE 2 Manufacturers may specify more restricted environmental conditions for operation; nevertheless the equipment must be safe within these normal environmental conditions.

1.4.2 Extended environmental conditions

This standard applies to equipment designed to be safe not only in the environmental conditions specified in 1.4.1, but also in any of the following conditions as RATED by the manufacturer of the equipment:

e) outdoor use;

f) altitude above 2 000 m;

g) ambient temperatures below 5 °C or above 40 °C;

h) relative humidity above the levels specified in 1.4.1;

i) MAINS supply voltage fluctuations exceeding 10 % of the nominal voltage;

j) WET LOCATION;

k) TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGES up to the levels of OVERVOLTAGE CATEGORY III or IV (see Annex K).