IEC 62368

Scope title: safety of audio, video and information technology equipment

IEC 62368 is a standard published by International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It publishes international standards for electrical, electronic and related technologies; it is the foundation of the EMC and electrical safety body of work. CISPR publications belong to a special committee within the IEC.

• Audio, video and information technology equipment connected to the mains or to an external power supply
• Power supplies and charging units used with that equipment
• Outside the scope: household appliances (the IEC 60335 series), measurement and laboratory equipment (IEC 61010-1), medical electrical equipment (IEC 60601-1)

• Class 1 energy source

  A level that can be detected but does not cause pain; ignition is not likely. It may be accessible to an ordinary person.

• Class 2 energy source

  A level that may cause pain but not injury; ignition is possible. A safeguard requirement arises.

• Class 3 energy source

  A level that may cause injury; ignition is likely. A reinforced or double safeguard is required.

• Types of person

  Ordinary person, instructed person and skilled person. The level of safeguard required is determined by assessing the energy class together with the type of person who has access.

• Televisions, monitors, projection equipment
• Computers, servers, network equipment and data centre hardware
• Power adapters, chargers and external power supply units
• Audio systems, loudspeaker and headphone amplifiers
• Set-top boxes, games consoles, smart displays and digital signage
• Consumer electronics containing a radio (for the safety requirement of radio legislation)

• It is harmonised as EN 62368-1 under the Low Voltage Directive (2014/35/EU)
• It is used for the safety requirement of Article 3.1(a) of the Radio Equipment Directive (2014/53/EU)
• A CB certificate is issued under the IECEE CB scheme and opens the door to many national certifications
• In North America, UL 62368-1 and CSA C22.2 No. 62368-1 are the corresponding national adoptions
• The EMC side is a separate body of work: emissions under CISPR 32, immunity under CISPR 35

1. 1Identifying the energy sourcesThe device is opened and the electrical, thermal, mechanical and radiation sources inside it are listed. This step is carried out together with the design documentation.
2. 2ClassificationEach source is measured in normal operation, abnormal operation and single fault conditions and determined to be class 1, 2 or 3.
3. 3Access analysisIt is determined who can reach each source and under what conditions: an ordinary person, an instructed person or a skilled person?
4. 4Assessment of the safeguardsIt is examined whether the existing safeguards (insulation, enclosure, interlock, warning, protective circuit) provide the required level.
5. 5Testing and verificationDielectric strength, temperature rise, leakage current, mechanical strength, assessment of fire sources and fault condition tests are carried out.

• IEC 60950-1 and IEC 60065

  WITHDRAWN. This standard has replaced them; specifications referring to these codes must be updated.

• The IEC 60335 series

  Household and similar appliances. If a product has the character of both IT and a household appliance, which standard applies is determined by the intended use.

• IEC 61010-1

  Measurement, control and laboratory equipment. It establishes a different risk framework on the assumption that the user is trained.

• IEC 62133-2

  Cell and pack safety in battery-operated products. IEC 62368-1 treats the battery as an energy source but does not replace the battery standard.

• IEC 60950-1 and IEC 60065 HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN. A specification referring to these codes or an old certificate based on them is not accepted in a current file.
• The HBSE approach does not carry over the rule lists of the old standards one-to-one. An old report cannot be converted automatically to the new standard; a gap analysis is required.
• For battery-operated products, battery safety is not covered by this standard alone; the cell and pack standards also apply.
• A CB certificate is not a CE declaration. CB is the output of a mutual recognition arrangement that eases national certification; the CE declaration is made by the manufacturer under its own responsibility.
• If the accessibility analysis is skipped the assessment remains incomplete: the same energy source may be acceptable where only service personnel reach it and unacceptable where the user does.

Published by

IEC

Serial number

62368

Part

without partition

Codes in the library without release year is kept. The current version changes over time; If the year is specified in your specification, that version is taken as basis, if not specified, the most current version is applied.

• Test
• Electrical Safety

Standard texts are copyright of the relevant organization; test condition, sample and acceptance criteria cannot be fitted here.

Basis: The IEC 62368-1 scope statement in the IEC catalogue and the HBSE energy class scheme (class 1: no pain; class 2: pain, no injury; class 3: injury); the withdrawal of IEC 60950-1 and IEC 60065; the EN 62368-1 adoption.

This code is included in the standard tag of the product pages below.

• Television
• adapter/charger
• router/modem
• IoT device
• mobile phone
• laptop

These product pages carry notes for the following markets: European Union, United Kingdom, USA. Whether the standard is mandatory in the relevant market varies depending on the product group and the applicable legislation.

• IEC 60335
• IEC 61010
• UN 38.3
• UNECE R100
• IEC 62619
• ISO 12405
• UL 2580
• IEC 62133-2
• RTCA DO-160
• FCC