EN 50191 is about providing protection against electric shock. The standard addresses specifically the erection and operation of electrical test installations in the workplace. It incorporates provisions from 11 other European Norm standards to provide details of good engineering practice when testing electrical equipment.
Two harmonized standards are referred to in the text of EN 50191: HD 384 for voltages up to 1000 V and HD 637S1 for voltages exceeding 1000 V. Both documents are used when considering equipment for which the power supply does not fall within the scope of EN 50191. Table I lists other standards used as normative references. It is important to note that EN 50191 has no reference to CE marking or any other manufacturing product standard.
The standard details five definitive test installations and the levels of protection required:
Test Station with Automatic Protection against Direct Contact.
The use of test enclosures encapsulates the device under test (DUT) and prevents any contact when the tests are applied.
Test Station without Automatic Protection against Contact.
This could be a product that is too large to allow the use of a test enclosure. Prohibited areas must be used with fixed barriers to prevent access to the DUT from unauthorized personnel.
Test Laboratories and Experimental Stations.
Each test area within a laboratory must be individually protected and isolated. A common emergency cutoff could increase risk to another area, increasing possible hazards at other test stations.
Temporary Test Station.
A skilled engineer conducts testing on a client's site or sets up a one-time test station to test a specially designed device. Individual assessment of the area and exclusion zones must be implemented to provide for the specific location and situation.
Test Station without Test Personnel in Permanent Attendance.
In situations in which automated production line or life testing is undertaken, full protection from live parts with an automatic cutoff must be used in every position of entry to the DUT.
Retrieved from CE-Mag.com (now defunct) on 11-5-2013
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