AS NZS 3820-1998 Amdt 1-2004 Essential safety requirements for low voltage electrical equipment.pdf

AS/NZS 3820:1998 (Incorporating Amendment No. 1) Australian/New Zealand Standard Essential safety requirements for low voltage electrical equipment AS/NZS 3820 AS/NZS 3820:1998 This Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard was prepared by Joint Technical Committee QR-012, Conformance Marking to Regulatory Requirements. It was approved on behalf of the Council of Standards Australia on 2 September 1998 and on behalf of the Council of Standards New Zealand on 14 September 1998. It was published on 5 October 1998 The following are represented on Committee QR-012: Association of Certification Bodies (Australia) Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Australian Communications Authority Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association Australian Information Industry Association Australian Telecommunications Industry Association Committee for Plumbing Products Authorization (Australia) Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association (Australia) Department of Health and Family Services, Medical Devices Section, Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia) Department of Primary Industries and Energy (Australia) Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council International Accreditation New Zealand Ministry of Commerce, Communications Division (New Zealand) Ministry of Commerce, Energy and Resources Division (New Zealand) National Association of Testing Authorities Australia New Zealand Association of Certifying Bodies New Zealand Manufacturers Federation Keeping Standards up-to-date Standards are living documents which reflect progress in science, technology and systems. To maintain their currency, all Standards are periodically reviewed, and new editions are published. Between editions, amendments may be issued. Standards may also be withdrawn. It is important that readers assure themselves they are using a current Standard, which should include any amendments which may have been published since the Standard was purchased. Detailed information about joint Australian/New Zealand Standards can be found by visiting the Standards Web Shop at www.standards.com.au or Standards New Zealand web site at www.standards.co.nz and looking up the relevant Standard in the on-line catalogue. Alternatively, both organizations publish an annual printed Catalogue with full details of all current Standards. For more frequent listings or notification of revisions, amendments and withdrawals, Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand offer a number of update options. For information about these services, users should contact their respective national Standards organization. We also welcome suggestions for improvement in our Standards, and especially encourage readers to notify us immediately of any apparent inaccuracies or ambiguities. Please address your comments to the Chief Executive of either Standards Australia International or Standards New Zealand at the address shown on the back cover. This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 97433. The Standard is downloaded from www.bzfxw.com Standard Sharing AS/NZS 3820:1998 (Incorporating Amendment No. 1) Australian/New Zealand Standard Essential safety requirements for low voltage electrical equipment First published as AS/NZS 3820:1998. Reissued incorporating Amendment No. 1 (January 2004). COPYRIGHT © Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand All rights are reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without the written permission of the publisher. Jointly published by Standards Australia International Ltd, GPO Box 5420, Sydney, NSW 2001 and Standards New Zealand, Private Bag 2439, Wellington 6020 ISBN 0 7337 0345 3 AS/NZS 3820:1998 2 PREFACE This Standard was prepared by the Joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee QR/012, Conformance Systems for Electrical and Plumbing Products, in response to a proposal from the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Coordinating Committee. This Standard incorporates Amendment No. 1 (January 2004). The changes required by the Amendment are indicated in the text by a marginal bar and amendment number against the clause, note, table, figure or part thereof affected. The objective of this Standard is to provide a set of outcomes-oriented criteria for the safety of electrical equipment, primarily for use by electrical regulators in relation to products for which regulatory approval before sale is not required (non-declared articles). For electrical equipment that is required to be approved by regulators before being placed on the market (declared articles), there are specific regulatory requirements additional to the general requirements given in this Standard. The Standard is intended to be consistent with the criteria of the European Union low voltage directive. In the preparation of this Standard, consideration was given to the following publications and acknowledgment is made of the assistance received: European Union low voltage directive. IEC Guide 104, The preparation of safety publications and the use of basic safety publications and group safety publications. NZECP3, New Zealand Electrical Code of Practice for Electrical Safety of Fittings and Electrical Appliances This Standard is not a substitute for Standards that set out objective safety requirements based on testing. Rather it provides a high-level generic description of the safety outcomes to be achieved and is intended to assist in providing a basis for regulatory uniformity. Specific product Standards provide measurable criteria that are regarded as ensuring that the outcomes described in this Standard will be met. The Standard is downloaded from www.bzfxw.com Standard Sharing 3 AS/NZS 3820:1998 CONTENTS Page 1 SCOPE .4 2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS4 3 DEFINITIONS .4 4 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS 5 5 MEANS OF COMPLIANCE 8 A1 AS/NZS 3820:1998 4 COPYRIGHT STANDARDS AUSTRALIA/STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND Australian/New Zealand Standard Essential safety requirements for low voltage electrical equipment 1 SCOPE This Standard sets out requirements for low voltage electrical equipment, to ensure that electrical equipment is constructed in accordance with good engineering practice in regard to safety such that it does not endanger the safety of persons (particularly children, the elderly and people with disabilities), domestic animals or property, when properly installed and maintained and used in applications for which it was made. 2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS The following documents are referred to in this Standard: AS/NZS 3100 Approval and test specificationGeneral requirements for electrical equipment 3112 Approval and test specificationPlugs and socket-outlets 4417 Marking of electrical products to indicate compliance with regulations 4417.1 Part 1: General rules for the use of the mark 4417.2 Part 2: Specific requirements for electrical safety regulatory applications 3350 Safety of household and similar electrical appliances 3350.1 Part 1: General requirements 3 DEFINITIONS For the purpose of this Standard, the definitions below apply. 3.1 Certificate of approval A certificate that is issued by electrical regulators indicating approval for sale, based on testing to safety standards of an electrical product that is a declared article. 3.2 Certificate of suitability A certificate that provides a presumption of compliance with safety requirements based on testing of a non-declared article for conformance to relevant Standards. In Australia, certificates of suitability are issued by electrical regulators indicating that the product is suitable for connection. In New Zealand, certificates of suitability are not issued and this function is provided by a safety report. 3.3 Declared article An electrical product that is required by electrical regulators to be approved before being placed on the market (also known as a prescribed article). 3.4 Direct contact Contact of persons or animals with a conductor that in normal circumstances is live. 3.5 Electric toy A toy having at least one function dependent on electricity. A1 The Standard is downloaded from www.bzfxw.com Standard Sharing 5 AS/NZS 3820:1998 COPYRIGHT 3.6 Electrical regulator A government agency responsible for the application of electrical safety legislation in Australia or New Zealand. 3.7 IECEE CB Scheme A scheme for mutual recognition of the results of testing (CB Scheme) administered by the IEC system for conformity testing to Standards for safety of electrical equipment (the IECEE). See also Internet address http:/www.cbscheme.org/ 3.8 Indirect contact Contact of persons or animals with a conductive part that is not normally live, but has become live due to fault conditions, insulation failure or other accidental circumstances. 3.9 Non-declared article An electrical product that is not a declared article (and which, as a consequence, does not require regulatory approval before being placed on the market). 3.10 Regulatory compliance mark A certification trademark owned by Australian and New Zealand regulators, and available for use by equipment suppliers for the purpose of indicating a claim of compliance of the equipment with regulations. 3.11 Safety report A report showing that the product complies with the relevant Standard nominated by the electrical regulator and listed in AS/NZS 4417.2. The report is based on the results of testing of the product by a laboratory or certification body nominated by the electrical regulator. 3.12 Supplier For products manufactured in Australia or New Zealand supplier means the manufacturer, or, where a completed product is manufactured for exclusive supply to a second agent, the second agent might be identified as the supplier. For products manufactured outside Australia and New Zealand, supplier means the manufacturers local agent or importer having an address in each country in which the product is sold (Australia and/or New Zealand). 3.13 Toy A product designed or clearly intended for use in play by children under 14 years old. 4 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS 4.1 General conditions Electrical equipment shall comply with the following criteria: (a) The essential characteristics, the recognition and observance of which will enable electrical equipment to be used safely and in applications for which it was made, shall be marked in English on the equipment, or, if this is not possible, on an accompanying notice. Such characteristics shall include the rated voltage and frequency. NOTE: The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that the user of the equipment has all necessary safety information. The expression used safely would include assembly, installation and maintenance of the equipment. Information may be marked on the equipment (important for any safety warnings), provided on the packaging (for example, where the danger relates to not following assembly instructions) or in user information provided with the product (for example, assembly, maintenance and operation instructions). A1 AS/NZS 3820:1998 6 COPYRIGHT The conductors of single phase flexible cords would be required to be uniquely and correctly identified throughout their length by colour of the insulation of the conductors. Green, yellow and green/yellow combination are only to be used to identify the earth-continuity conductor. Where the connection point of an electrical appliance is able to be replaced by other than the manufacturer, then the appliance terminals would need to be clearly identified in accordance with AS/NZS 3350.1. (b) A means of identifying the supplier shall be clearly marked on the equipment or, where that is not practicable, on the packaging or user information accompanying the product. NOTE: The means of identifying the supplier should be such that an interested person can identify and contact the supplier, either directly from the information provided, or indirectly via information that is publicly available. Such means of identification may include (a) business name and business address (other than a post office box number) in each country of sale (Australian and/or New Zealand); (b) registered business name (Australia and/or New Zealand); (c) Australian Company Number (ACN), for products sold only in Australia; (d) Australian Registered Body Number, for products sold only in Australia; (e) trademark registered in each country of sale (Australia and/or New Zealand); and (f) supplier code number issued by the Australian Communications Authority or the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) registrar. (c) The electrical equipment, together with its component parts, shall be made in such a way as to ensure that it can be safely and properly assembled, installed and connected. NOTE: It is a requirement that equipment be suitable for the applicable supply voltage (240/415 V 50 Hz for Australia and 230/400 V 50 Hz for New Zealand) and the range of current likely to be carried. Portable appliances would need to be fitted with a suitable method of connection to the supply. (d) The electrical equipment shall be so designed and manufactured as to ensure that protection against the dangers set out in Clauses 4.2 and 4.3 is assured, providing the equipment is used in applications for which it was made and is adequately maintained. NOTE: The expression used in applications for which it was made would be considered to include foreseeable environmental conditions and foreseeable misuse. Also, where electrical equipment is for location in restricted access areas (i.e. not generally accessible to the public), it may be assumed that the equipment is only accessible to service personnel. 4.2 Protection against hazards arising from electrical equipment Electrical equipment shall comply with the following criteria: (a) Persons and domestic animals shall be adequately protected against danger of physical injury or other harm which might be caused by direct or indirect electrical contact. NOTE: For example, protection against direct contact may be achieved by insulation of conductors or by their inaccessibility within enclosures. Protection against indirect contact may be achieved by automatic disconnection of the supply in the event of a fault likely to cause a dangerous current to flow through a person in contact with exposed conductive parts. Other safety measures may also be suitable. Equipment classified as a class 0 appliance or a class 01 appliance, as defined in AS/NZS 3350.1, are deemed not to satisfy this requirement. The Standard is downloaded from www.bzfxw.com Standard Sharing 7 AS/NZS 3820:1998 COPYRIGHT (b) Operation of the electrical equipment shall not result in temperatures, arcs or radiation (including microwave emissions and magnetic radiation) that would cause a danger. NOTE: The extent to which a danger exists needs to be considered in relation to the nature of the equipment and its use. Some equipment will normally operate at high temperatures (for example, heating, cooking or lighting eq