scope:

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.

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 h)).

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.

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.

Electrical laboratory equipment

This is equipment which measures, indicates, monitors, inspects or analyses materials, or is used to prepare materials, and includes in vitro diagnostic (IVD) equipment.

This equipment may also be used in areas other than laboratories; examples include selftest IVD equipment to be used in the home and inspection equipment to be used to check people or material during transportation.

Equipment excluded from scope

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

IEC 60065 (Audio, video and similar electronic apparatus);

IEC 61010-1:2010+AMD1:2016 CSV IEC 2017 IEC 60204 (Safety of machinery - Electrical equipment of machines);

IEC 60335 (Household and similar electrical appliances);

IEC 60364 (Electrical installations of buildings);

IEC 60439 (Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies);

IEC 60601 (Medical electrical equipment);

IEC 60950 (Information technology equipment including electrical business equipment, except as specified in 1.1.3);

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

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

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

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.

NOTE Computing devices and similar equipment within the scope of IEC 60950 and conforming to its requirements are considered to be suitable for use with equipment within the scope of this standard. However, some of the requirements of IEC 60950 for resistance to moisture and liquids are less stringent than those in this standard (see 5.4.4 second paragraph)).

• This part of IEC 61010 specifies safety requirements and related verification tests for any product performing the function of control equipment and/or their associated peripherals. In addition, these products have as their intended use the command and control of machines, automated manufacturing and industrial processes, e.g. discrete and continuous control. Some equipment examples are: programmable logic controller (PLC);

• programmable automation controller (PAC);

• distributed control systems (DCS);

• remote I/O;

• industrial PC (computers) and panel PC;

• programming and debugging tools (PADTs);

• displays and human-machine interfaces (HMI);

• positioners.

Components of the above named equipment and in the scope of this standard are:

• (auxiliary) stand-alone power supplies;

• peripherals such as digital and analogue I/O, remote-I/O;

• industrial network equipment. Control equipment and their associated peripherals are intended to be used in an industrial environment and may be provided as OPEN or ENCLOSED EQUIPMENT.

NOTE 1 Control equipment intended also for use in other environments or for other purposes (example: for use in building installations to control light or other electrical installations, or for use on cars, trains or ships) can have additional conformity requirements defined by the safety standard(s) for these applications. These requirements can involve as example: insulation, spacings and power restrictions.

NOTE 2 Computing devices and similar equipment within the scope of IEC 60950 (planned to be replaced by IEC 62368) and conforming to its requirements are considered to be suitable for use with control equipment within the scope of this standard. However, some of the requirements of IEC 60950 for resistance to moisture and liquids are less stringent than those in IEC 61010-1:2010, 5.4.4 second paragraph.

Control equipment covered in this standard is intended for use in OVERVOLTAGE CATEGORY II, III and IV (IEC 60664-1) in low-voltage installations, where the RATED equipment supply voltage does not exceed AC. 1 000 V r.m.s. (50/60 Hz), or DC 1 000 V.

The requirements of ISO/IEC Guide 51 and IEC Guide 104, as they relate to this part of IEC 61010, are incorporated herein.

Equipment excluded from scope 

This standard does not deal with aspects of the overall automated system, e.g. a complete assembly line. Control equipment (e.g. DCS and PLC), their application program and their associated peripherals are considered as components (components in this context are items which perform no useful function by themselves) of an overall automated system.

Since control equipment (e.g. DCS and PLC) are component devices, safety considerations for the overall automated system including installation and application are beyond the scope of this standard. Refer to IEC 60364 series of standards or applicable national/local regulations for electrical installation and guidelines. 

Aspects included in scope

The purpose of the requirements of this standard is to ensure that all HAZARDs to the OPERATOR, SERVICE PERSONNEL and the surrounding area are reduced to a tolerable level.

NOTE 1 By using the terms "OPERATOR" and "SERVICE PERSONNEL" this standard considers the perception of HAZARDS depending on training and skills. Annex AA gives a general approach in this regard.

Requirements for protection against particular types of HAZARD are given in Clauses 6 to 17, as follows:

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

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

c) spread of fire from the control 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);

h) arising from REASONABLY FORESEEABLE MISUSE and ergonomic factors are specified in (see Clause 16);

i) RISK assessment for HAZARDS or environments not fully covered above (see Clause 17).

NOTE 2 Attention is drawn to the existence of additional requirements regarding the health and safety of labour forces. 

Aspects excluded from scope

This standard does not cover:

a) reliability, functionality, performance, or other properties of the control equipment not related to safety;

b) mechanical or climatic requirements for operation, transport or storage;

c) EMC requirements (see e.g. IEC 61326 or IEC 61131-2);

d) protective measures for explosive atmospheres (see e.g. IEC 60079 series);

e) functional safety (see e.g. IEC 61508, IEC 61131-6).