Safety of electrical appliances

Low Voltage Directive

The key piece of law in the EU covering the safety of AC mains connected electrical products is the Low Voltage Directive (LVD). The LVD covers the electrical safety of all electrical equipment designed to operate with a voltage in the range of 50 to 1000 V AC and 75 to 1500 V DC.  If the product does not operate within these voltage limits, it is not in scope of the Low Voltage Directive, and the General Product Safety Directive applies. This goes for most battery operated products.

The directive and useful guidance can be found on the official website of the European Union.

Other legislation

The most common pieces of legislation includes rules for matters such as electromagnetic compatibility, restricting the use of hazardous substances in electrical equipment, ecodesign and labelling requirements.

• Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive (EMC Directive)
• Radio Equipment Directive (RED)
• Directive on Reduction of Hazardous Substances (ROHS Directive)
• Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE Directive)

General Product Safety Directive (GPSD)

All other electrical appliances (with a voltage rating below 50 V AC or 75 V DC) and risks not covered by the LVD, are governed by the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD). The Directive lays down that only safe electrical appliances can be marketed in the EU. Electrical appliances and equipment must comply with the general safety requirement set out in this Directive. More specific details can be found here.

Harmonised standards

Harmonised standards help the manufacturer determine what is regarded as ‘safe’ and what they should do in practice. Manufacturers need to be aware of the current list of standards for electrical low voltage products.

Harmonised standards exist in the EU for electrical appliances. An electrical appliance complying with these standards is presumed to be in conformity with the essential safety requirements set out in the Low Voltage Directive if the standards are referenced in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). Further information on, and the list of harmonised standards for electrical appliances is available from here.

If the product has not been manufactured in accordance with harmonised standards, the manufacturer must provide a thorough documentation of the technical solutions that have been applied in order to fulfil the safety requirements of the LVD.

Many of the most common types of products on the market will be covered by one of these three families of standards:

• EN 62368-1 standard that covers electronics
• EN 60598-series that covers luminaires
• EN 60335-series that covers electrical appliances

These standards are structured as follows:

• base standard – part 1 – that describes all the common requirements.
• specific standards – part 2 – each one describing the specific requirements for different types of products.