⚡ Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment — safety by energy source classes (electrical, power, mechanical, thermal, radiation) and safeguards: insulation and electric strength, touch current, fire, touch temperatures, stability, batteries; PN-EN IEC 62368-1

Electronics and EMC PN-EN IEC 62368-1

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. IEC 62368-1:2023 (edition 4.0, 2023-05) — "Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment — Part 1: Safety requirements" — adopted as EN IEC 62368-1:2024. The introduction (clause 0, "Principles of this product safety standard", according to the table of contents) describes persons (ordinary, instructed, skilled), the pain and injury model, energy sources and safeguards (equipment, installation, personal, behavioural) and models for electrically caused injury, electrically caused fire, hazardous substances, mechanically caused injury, burns and radiation. Energy sources are classified as classes 1, 2 and 3 (4.2), separately for electrical energy (ES1–ES3, clause 5), power circuits and potential ignition sources (PS1–PS3, PIS, clause 6), mechanical energy (MS1–MS3, clause 8), thermal energy (TS1–TS3, clause 9) and radiation (RS1–RS3, clause 10). Clauses: 4 — general requirements (among others, safeguard robustness, interlocks, explosion, plug-type equipment, coin and button cell batteries, conductive objects); 5 — electrically caused injury (ES1 and ES2 limits, accessibility, insulation, clearances and creepage distances, solid insulation, humidity conditioning 5.4.8, electric strength test 5.4.9, transients from external circuits, protective conductor and resistance of protective bonding, touch current and protective conductor current); 6 — electrically caused fire (safeguards in normal, abnormal and single fault conditions, fire enclosures and fire barriers, wiring); 7 — hazardous substances (among others, ozone); 8 — mechanically caused injury (sharp edges, moving parts, stability and glass slide test, wall and ceiling mounting, handle strength, wheels, carts and stands, slide-rail mounting, telescoping antennas); 9 — burns (touch temperature limits 9.3, wireless power transmitters 9.6); 10 — radiation (laser, optical from lamps and LEDs, X-ray, acoustic energy, including headphones). Annexes include: B — tests in normal, abnormal and single fault conditions; C — UV radiation (exposure to carbon-arc and xenon-arc light); D — test generators; E — audio amplifiers; F — marking, instructions and durability of marking; G — components; K — safety interlocks; L — disconnect devices; M — batteries and their protection circuits; O — measurement of clearances and creepage distances; P — protection against conductive objects and spillage of liquids. The "Scope" field of the PKN card of PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2024-06 (English version, description of the scope in Polish), beginning: "This part of IEC 62368 is applicable to the safety of electrical and electronic equipment within the field of audio, video, information and communication technology, and business and office machines with a rated voltage not exceeding 600 V. This part of the standard does not include requirements for performance or functional characteristics of equipment" (our translation). The card then states that 600 V covers equipment with a rated voltage of 400/690 V, that explanations are given in IEC TR 62368-2, and that the document also applies to components and subassemblies intended for incorporation, external power supplies, accessories, large equipment in restricted access areas, equipment for tropical regions and equipment installed outdoors (special construction requirements — Annex Y); it does not cover protection of outdoor equipment against a direct lightning strike (note 3 refers to IEC 62305-1) and assumes use at an altitude of up to 2000 m, unless the manufacturer specifies otherwise.

EDITIONS. EN IEC 62368-1:2024 (text of IEC 62368-1:2023, prepared by IEC/TC 108 "Safety of electronic equipment within the field of audio/video, information technology and communication technology"; approved by CENELEC on 2024-02-15) replaces EN IEC 62368-1:2020 with all its amendments and corrigenda; dates: dop 2025-02-15, dow 2027-02-15. According to the foreword, the document was prepared under a standardization request given to CENELEC by the European Commission. CENELEC approved amendment EN IEC 62368-1:2024/A11:2024 on the same day (2024-02-15); we have not read its content. In the iTeh catalogue (read on 27.10.2026) EN IEC 62368-1:2024 and A11:2024 have the status "Published" (stage 6060), EN IEC 62368-1:2020 — "Published", stage "6562 – Completion of withdrawal of conflicting national standard (DOW)", and the earlier editions of IEC 62368-1 (2010, 2014, 2018) — "Deleted Publication".

STATUS (PKN card as of 27.10.2026). The card of PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2024-06 (English version) has no withdrawal label: publication 12-06-2024, 398 pages, Information and Communication Technology Sector, KT 183 Safety of Information Technology, Telecommunications and Office Equipment, "Adopts: EN IEC 62368-1:2024 [IDT], IEC 62368-1:2023 [IDT]", "Replaces: PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2020-11/A11:2020-12, PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2020-11/AC:2021-01, PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2020-11" (English versions), ICS 33.160.01 and 35.020; additional element: PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2024-06/A11:2025-01 (English version). PKN search, search term "62368-1" (27.10.2026): PN-EN 62368-1:2015-03 with A11:2017-09 and PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2020-11 with A11:2020-12 are withdrawn (replaced successively by the 2020-11 and 2024-06 editions); there is no Polish version of any edition in the results.

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database refreshed from the production server on 27.10.2026 and current PCA documents downloaded on that day). Number 62368-1 appears in 20 records at 6 Polish laboratories: AB 1552 (11), AB 261 (4), AB 003 (2), AB 045, AB 121 and AB 295 (1 each). All 6 current PCA documents contain the standard; no entry is suspended. Collective entries with a long list of editions (AB 003, AB 045, AB 121) repeat the number many times in the PCA documents, so the number of occurrences in the PDF (55) does not correspond to the number of records. Editions in the scopes: PN-EN 62368-1:2015-03 with A11:2017-09 and corrigenda (AB 003, AB 045, AB 121, AB 1552), PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2020-11 (AB 003, AB 045, AB 121, AB 295 — with A11:2020-12; AB 1552 — without the amendment), PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2024-06 (AB 003, AB 045, AB 261 — with A11:2025-01; AB 1552 — without the amendment) and IEC 62368-1:2023 (AB 003, AB 1552); AB 1552 also gives PN-EN 60950-1:2007. Exclusions: AB 003 — for the 2024 edition points 10.2.1, 10.4.4, 10.5.1 and 10.5.3; AB 045 — points 4.5, 4.8, 5.4.4.6.5, 5.4.12, 7.2, 8.5.4.2, 8.6.4 and Annexes C, G5.4, G13.6, S, U and Y; AB 121 — points 9.6, 10.5 and 10.6 (2015 and 2020 editions). AB 261 gives specific points of the 2024 edition (5.4.8, 5.4.9.1, 5.4.1.4 and 9.3.2, V.1.2–V.1.6 and T.3) with the mark for tests on the basis of which the laboratory formulates opinions and interpretations. The "Laboratories" tab ("PN-EN IEC 62368-1") shows 11 laboratories: these 6 Polish ones and 5 Czech ones (tab query on labcoda.pl, 27.10.2026).

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (database copy and PCA documents). AB 003 — electronic audio and video equipment: durability of marking, power up to 60 kW, voltage up to 10 kV, current up to 100 A, protection against access to live parts, insulation resistance up to 100 MΩ at 500 V, dielectric strength of insulation up to 6 kV, resistance of the protective circuit with a current of up to 25 A, forces up to 500 N, temperature up to 800 °C, resistance to high temperature 125 °C and to glow-wire 950 °C, leakage current up to 10 mA, resistance to humidity, stability up to 45° (together with PN-EN 62087-1); in a second entry 62368-1 stands with electromagnetic immunity tests of multimedia equipment (with PN-EN 55035 and PN-EN 55024). AB 1552 — exposure to xenon-arc light, degree of protection of the enclosure (IP3X, IP4X, IPX1–IPX8), durability of marking, electric strength (0.5–40) kV, needle-flame flammability and flammability classification of materials, heating (temperature measurement), clearances, drop test, impact resistance of the enclosure, resistance to force. AB 261 — humidity conditioning, electric strength, maximum temperatures of materials, components and touch locations, accessible conductive parts. AB 121 — list of characteristics: marking, electric shock, classification of energy sources, voltages, overcurrent protection, limited-current circuits, batteries, clearances and insulation thickness, insulation classes, touch current and protective conductor current, wiring, abnormal operation, temperatures, flammability classes, mechanical strength and stability, enclosure classes. AB 295 — insulation resistance, dielectric strength of insulation, earthing resistance. AB 045 — collective entry for the assessment of safety of use of IT and telecommunications equipment and office machines.

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — edition: at PKN only the 2024-06 edition (with A11:2025-01) is current, and the 2015-03 and 2020-11 editions are withdrawn, although the date of withdrawal of conflicting standards at CENELEC (dow) is 2027-02-15; the scopes contain the 2015, 2020 and 2024 editions and PN-EN 60950-1:2007 — the test report must state which edition was used. Second — exclusions: the scopes of AB 003, AB 045 and AB 121 exclude specific points — in the 2024 edition e.g. X-radiation (10.5.1, 10.5.3 at AB 003), coin and button cell batteries (4.8), UV (Annex C) and special construction requirements for outdoor equipment (Annex Y — according to the "Scope" field of the PKN card) at AB 045; a result from such a laboratory does not cover these hazards. Third — source class and person: the required safeguards depend on the class of the energy source and on whether access is by an ordinary, instructed or skilled person (4.2–4.3); a result without the stated classification of sources cannot be assessed. Fourth — operating state: tests are carried out in normal, abnormal and single fault conditions (Annex B); a result from normal operation alone is not sufficient. Fifth — marking: durability of marking is tested by a separate test (F.3.10); merely checking the content of the marking (F.3) does not replace it.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We read the table of contents of IEC 62368-1:2023 (up to Annex P), the European foreword of EN IEC 62368-1:2024 and the "Scope" field of the PKN card; we have not read amendment A11:2024. We do not give the limits of energy source classes, clearances, test voltages, temperature limits, test conditions or requirements for components and batteries.

Method principle

Each energy source in the equipment is classified (class 1, 2 or 3; ES, PS/PIS, MS, TS, RS), and it is checked whether the required safeguards stand between it and an ordinary, instructed or skilled person; the effectiveness of the safeguards is tested by measurements and tests — insulation, clearances, humidity conditioning and electric strength, touch current, temperatures, flammability, stability and mechanical strength, marking — in normal, abnormal and single fault conditions (IEC 62368-1:2023, clauses 0, 4–10, Annex B).

Applications

• Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment and their power supplies — assessment of safety of use (IEC 62368-1:2023)
• Equipment with batteries (Annex M), audio amplifiers (Annex E), laser and LED sources, headphones (clause 10), wireless power transmitters (9.6)
• Tests of the resistance of materials to UV (Annex C, xenon arc) and of the degree of protection of the enclosure — in accreditation scopes
• In accreditation scopes: 6 Polish laboratories; electric strength up to 40 kV, voltages up to 10 kV, temperatures up to 800 °C

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2024-06 (wersja angielska; wprowadza EN IEC 62368-1:2024 i IEC 62368-1:2023 [IDT]) ze zmianą PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2024-06/A11:2025-01

Title (PL)

Urządzenia techniki fonicznej/wizyjnej, informatycznej i telekomunikacyjnej — Część 1: Wymagania bezpieczeństwa

Title (EN)

Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment — Part 1: Safety requirements

Step-by-step procedure

1. Identification of the equipment and the edition

   Type of equipment, persons who have access to it, place of installation; edition of the standard (2020 or 2024, with A11) and any exclusions from the scope of the laboratory.

2. Classification of energy sources

   ES, PS/PIS, MS, TS, RS — class 1, 2 or 3 (4.2, clauses 5–10). WE DO NOT GIVE the limits.

3. Safeguards and tests

   Insulation and clearances, humidity conditioning and electric strength test, touch current, fire enclosures, touch temperatures, stability, marking (clauses 4–10, Annexes F, O). WE DO NOT GIVE the course.

4. Abnormal conditions and faults

   E.g. blocking of ventilation openings, maximum loading of outputs, reverse battery polarity, short circuits and interruptions of components (Annex B).

5. Result

   Assessment of the compliance of each safeguard with the criteria of the points of the standard; test report with the edition of the standard. PN-EN IEC 62368-1:2024-06 — current with A11:2025-01 (PKN card as of 27.10.2026; English version).

Required equipment and apparatus

Health and safety (OHS)

• TECHNICAL NOTE: the accreditation scopes contain the 2015, 2020 and 2024 editions (at PKN only 2024-06 with A11:2025-01 is current) — the edition must be stated in the test report
• TECHNICAL NOTE: accreditation scopes exclude different points of the standard (AB 003, AB 045, AB 121) — check whether the tested hazard is covered

Frequently asked questions