The deadline for the brand-new IEC 62368-1 safety standard to go into effect is fast approaching: 20 December 2020. In that time, it will be important for your business to be prepared for the transition from legacy standards to the updated hazard-based IEC 62368-1 standard. Apart from making your products safer, this will also help future proof your IT Equipment (ITE) and Audio-Visual (AV) innovations for market access entry into the global markets.
While the same prescriptive rules for product safety carry forward, the new standard employs a means to apply hazard-based thinking.
Basic Principles
IEC 62368-1 was written using hazard-based concepts, using a three-block model for pain and injury. It follows HBSE methodology:
- Identify energy sources in the product that are capable of causing pain or injury (i.e. electrical, mechanical, or thermal)
- Classify those energy sources effect on the body or their potential for combustion (i.e. not painful/painful but not injurious/injury-causing, as well as ignition not likely/ possible/likely).
- Identify safeguards that are needed to protect against the above: Some safeguard types include Equipment Safeguards, Instructional Safeguards and Installation Safeguards; and finally
- Qualify those safeguards using performance or construction-based criteria.
In addition to identifying these hazards, the new standard differentiates among three kinds of “persons” or potential users of the electronic device: Ordinary person, Instructed person or Skilled person.
TÜV Rheinland is a global leader in testing, inspection and certification services. Speak to our experts to find out more about the significant changes IEC 62326-1 can have on your business:
