scope:

The risk of fire is present in any electrical circuit which is energized. With regard to this risk, the objective of component circuit and equipment design and the choice of material shall be to reduce the likelihood of fire even in the event of foreseeable abnormal use, malfunction or failure. The practical aim shall be to prevent ignition due to the electrically energized part but, if ignition and fire occur, to control the fire preferably within the bounds of the enclosure of the electrotechnical product. This standard is intended as guidance to other IEC Committees and may be used in part or whole with respect to their individual applications. However, IEC Committees in actual practice may accept some concepts in whole while departing from other in order to control the hazard relating to their specific applications more adequatly.