Harmonised standards under the Low Voltage Directive for Europe

A new list of harmonised standards under the Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC was announced in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ C 245) last August.

The low voltage directive covers the safety of electrical equipment with a voltage from 50-1000 V for AC and 75-1500 V for DC. Its purpose is to safeguard EU citizens as well as ensure a single market for such products within EU boundaries. The list of standards provides the means to ensure compliance with the critical safety requirements of the low voltage directive.

The use of harmonised standards is the easiest way to show presumption of conformity to the low voltage directive. It is not mandatory for manufacturers to use these harmonised standards. They can opt whether to conform to the standards when manufacturing their products and can therefore opt for corresponding technical solutions as long as they have the ability to prove that their products are in conformance with mandatory safety requirements.

The list impacts electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits, such as household electrical appliances, home electronic appliances, office and information technology equipment and more.