EN 50366 – only for europe? - Burkhard Braach

Manufacturers, importers and retailers of household appliances can profit from compliance tests

The visibility of mobile network antennas means that we are aware of being surrounded by electromagnetic radiation. What most of us forget, though, is that we are exposed to a cocktail of electric and magnetic waves just by staying at home. This fact prompted two Technical Committees within CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, to consider the subjects “Electromagnetic Fields Around Household and Similar Electrical Appliances” and “Electromagnetic Fields in the Human Environment”. The result of their studies was the new European Norm (EN) 50366. All EU member states had to incorporate the regulations in this standard into their own national standards by February 1, 2004, and all conflicting standards are to be withdrawn by February 1, 2006.

The CE mark – a must for manufacturers, importers and retailers Is this purely a European affair? No, indeed. Compliance with EN 50366 is mandatory from February 2006 for the award of the CE mark. This means that all manufacturers outside the EU must also perform the tests prescribed by EN 30566 if they want their products to be imported into the EU area. This involves some expense, which can only be kept to a reasonable level by the use of practical test equipment. On the other hand, clients outside the EU will also benefit from this tried and tested safety – a bonus for manufacturers, importers and retailers.

A significant part of safety engineering:
The magnetic field The rule of thumb that voltage causes electric fields and current causes magnetic fields is incorrect. Alternating fields always have both electrical and magnetic components. But, as far as the safety of domestic appliances is concerned, it is the magnetic component that is significant. EN 50366 therefore concentrates on describing the measurement of magnetic fields in the range 10 Hz to 400 kHz, and on specifying appropriate reference levels. There is a separate standard, EN 60335, and a different test procedure for microwave ovens that utilize high frequency energy.