EN 61010-1, “Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use – Part 1: General requirements”, sets the safety requirements for test and measurement instruments, industrial process-control equipment and laboratory equipment. Besides electric shock it deals with mechanical, thermal, chemical and radiation hazards. Some kinds of equipment also have a Part 2 standard (EN 61010-2 series) that is applied together with Part 1.
Let us take care of EN 61010-1 testing and the CE marking of your product together; CE Danışmanı (CE Consultant) manages the whole process.
EN 61010-1 at a glance
| Edition cited in the EU Official Journal | EN 61010-1:2010 |
|---|---|
| Official title | Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use – Part 1: General requirements |
| Legislation supported | Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU |
| Type of standard | Product standard |
| Normal environmental conditions | Indoor use, altitude up to 2,000 m, ambient temperature 5 °C to 40 °C; if the manufacturer declares wider conditions, tests follow them |
Products covered
The standard applies to three groups of equipment:
- Test and measurement equipment: multimeters, oscilloscopes, signal generators, laboratory power supplies, data loggers
- Industrial process-control equipment: temperature and process controllers, transmitters, programmable controllers
- Laboratory equipment: analysers, centrifuges, ovens and incubators, stirrers, balances
Information technology and audio/video equipment belongs to EN 62368-1 and the electrical equipment of machines to EN 60204-1. Medical devices have a separate family of standards.
Main requirements of the standard
- Marking and documentation: Ratings, warning symbols, identification of terminals and the content of the instructions.
- Protection against electric shock: Limits for accessible parts, basic and supplementary protection, insulation distances, protective earthing and disconnection from the supply; the assessment depends on overvoltage category and pollution degree.
- Mechanical hazards and stresses: Moving parts, stability, lifting and carrying, expelled parts; the enclosure must withstand static force, impact and dropping.
- Spread of fire and temperature limits: A fire under single fault condition must not spread outside the equipment; temperatures of touchable surfaces and windings are limited.
- Hazards from fluids: Cleaning, overflow and spillage, leakage and pressure in equipment containing fluids.
- Radiation, sonic and ultrasonic pressure: Optical radiation, lasers, ionising radiation and sound pressure.
- Liberated gases, explosion and implosion: Poisonous or flammable gases, batteries and evacuated components.
- Components, interlocks and risk assessment: Compliance of critical components, reliability of protective interlocks, and a risk assessment by the manufacturer for hazards the standard does not address.
Typical test programme
Tests are run in normal condition and in single fault condition. The programme depends on the kind of equipment and on the relevant Part 2 standard where one exists.
| Test or check | What is verified? |
|---|---|
| Measurement of accessible parts | Voltage and current on touchable parts stay within the permitted limits |
| Electric strength and insulation distances | Insulation withstands the test voltage and the distances are sufficient |
| Protective bonding continuity | The impedance of the protective connection is low |
| Temperature measurement | Temperatures of surfaces, windings and components stay within limits |
| Single fault tests | No hazard with a failed component, a stalled fan or blocked ventilation |
| Mechanical strength tests | The enclosure still protects after force, impact and drop tests |
| Spillage and cleaning test | Liquid does not reach live parts and insulation is not impaired |
Where a degree of protection is declared for the enclosure, IP testing is carried out as well.
Place in the CE marking process
- Risk assessment: The hazards of the equipment are identified; for hazards not covered by the standard the manufacturer carries out a separate risk assessment.
- Design: Overvoltage category, pollution degree and the insulation system are chosen for the environment of use.
- Verification and testing: The sample is tested to EN 61010-1 and the relevant Part 2 where one exists; EMC tests are done separately.
- Technical file: Test reports, diagrams, the list of critical components and the instructions go into the technical file.
- Declaration of conformity: EN 61010-1 is listed among the standards applied and the CE marking is affixed.
Compliance with the harmonised standard gives presumption of conformity with the relevant essential requirements of the Low Voltage Directive. Turkey applies the same rules through its own aligned regulation.
Standards applied together
- EN 61010-2-030: equipment having testing or measuring circuits (measurement categories)
- EN 61010-2-010 and EN 61010-2-020: laboratory equipment for the heating of materials and laboratory centrifuges
- EN 61326-1: EMC requirements for measurement, control and laboratory equipment
- EN 55011: radio-frequency disturbance of industrial, scientific and medical equipment
- RoHS: restriction of hazardous substances
Frequently asked questions
Does my equipment also need a Part 2 standard?
Where a Part 2 exists for the kind of equipment, it is applied together with Part 1. This is the case, for example, for equipment with measuring circuits and for laboratory centrifuges.
What is a measurement category (CAT)?
It is a class set by the point of the mains installation the measuring circuit is connected to, and it defines the transient overvoltage the instrument must withstand. The rules are in EN 61010-2-030.
Which edition applies?
The edition cited in the EU Official Journal is EN 61010-1:2010. CENELEC has published an amendment to the standard; for presumption of conformity the edition cited in the Official Journal is the reference. Check the current citation before testing starts.
Other standards in this group
- EN IEC 60598-1: Luminaires
- EN 62368-1: Audio Video and ICT Equipment
- EN 61439-1: Low-Voltage Switchgear Assemblies General Rules
- EN 61439-2: Power Switchgear and Controlgear Assemblies
