In this article, Interpower guides readers through the global maze of medical cord compliance, with a focus on some country specific requirements from Europe to Australia.
For a century, AC power has played vital roles in the welfare of patients and staff in hospitals worldwide. Today, hospital-grade electrical cords, such as those manufactured by Interpower, are designed to provide correct amperages and voltages for a broad range of medical equipment—portable CT Scanners, x-ray machines, heart monitors and treadmills. Interpower North American (NEMA) 5-15, 5-20, 6-15, and 6-20 hospital-grade cords are tested beyond UL 817 and CSA C22.1 no. 21 agency standards.
Country-specific agencies such as UL, CSA, and VDE have created safety standards through testing methodologies that have transformed typical household cords into robust and reliable cords for the medical community.
Australia: In Australia, hospital-grade cords must meet AS/NZS 3200 standards and for plugs AS/NZS 3112. An Australian rewirable three-pin plug must be clear or ‘see-through’. For moulded plugs, clear or coloured is optional. The preference for Australian hospitals is orange cable and a clear plug.
Denmark: Danish hospital-grade cords, plugs and sockets in medical applications are under the SB 107-2-D1 requirements. The socket is designed to prevent non-hospital-grade plugs from connecting and disrupting the main circuit in medical settings. The preferred Danish colour is red.
Japan: In Japan, cord plugs and sockets must carry the PSE approval mark under DENAN, a Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) mandate. Japan uses two frequencies: 50 and 60 Hz, with the Fuji River used as a geographical boundary for the two frequencies.
Europe and the World: EN 60601 is the medical equipment standard for European countries. Non-European countries follow the IEC 60601-1 medical standard (except for China, Korea and Japan). There are over 100 medical equipment standards in IEC 60601. The most general and inclusive is IEC 60601-1.
Hospital-grade rings: The stainless steel rings Interpower uses to retain the conductors in both moulded and hand-wired hospital-grade cords, ensure electrical continuity—those crimped conductors remain solidly clamped for electrical continuity.
Hospital-grade cord length: “If you’re using medical cords longer than 15 feet, it’s difficult to meet the standard requirements for resistance and leakage current,” said Interpower technical support specialist, Dan Ford. “You don’t want high levels of electromagnetic interference (EMI) attached to the patient.”
Abrupt Removal Test: The UL 817 Abrupt Removal Test is a strenuous hospital-grade cord test. A hospital-grade plug is plugged into a socket, its cord attached to a 10-lb weight, which is dropped to abruptly disconnect the plug from the socket to see how far the blades have bent, and if the wires have lost electrical continuity.
Abrupt Pull Test: This is a standard NEMA three-conductor cord test. A 2½ pound weight is attached to the plug’s cord and dropped 25 times from the connected plug and socket. Before the initial drop, three lights on the test equipment show electrical continuity. If a wire fails (line, neutral and ground) and one or more lights go out, the test is considered a failure.