IEC Releases Safety Requirements for Electromedical Equipment - IEC 60601-1-2
April 10, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS
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The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) released the latest edition of IEC 60601-1-2 - Medical electrical equipment - Part 1-2: General requirements for safety - Collateral standard: Electromagnetic compatibility - Requirements and tests.
The standard specifies requirements and tests for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of equipment and systems.
It serves as the basis of EMC requirements and tests in the entire IEC series on this subject.
Electromagnetic emission standards are essential for the protection of:
- Safety services.
- Other equipment and systems.
- Nonmedical electrical equipment such as computers.
- Telecommunications such as radio/TV, telephone or radio-navigation.
EMC is the reason people turn off cell phones when in hospitals because there is a risk that the electromagnetic emissions they produce could influence nearby electrical medical equipment with potentially harmful results to patients, said the IEC.
IEC EMC standards for this equipment are aimed at reducing the risk as much as possible, if not eliminating it entirely. It doesn't just apply to cell phones as any piece of electrical equipment can influence how another nearby piece operates. That electrical and electronic machines surround people all day is the reason why EMC is such a fundamentally important part of designing and building these devices, said the IEC.
The existence of electromagnetic immunity requirements is essential to ensure safety of equipment and systems. The immunity test levels specified in IEC 60601 test levels represent the range found in the general medical use environment, said the IEC.
Source: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).