Electrical Safety Testing of Welding Equipment to IEC 60974-4

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Do I need Electrical Safety Testing of Welding Equipment to IEC 60974-4?

Electrical Safety Testing of Welding Equipment is not mandatory, however, as an employer and/or owner of welding equipment or plasma cutters, you are responsible to ensure that they are electrically safe to use.

This standard has been introduced to ensure the electrical safety of this equipment which in turn will protect the machine operator from serious injury or worse.

Each inspection and test include a certificate for each machine which states the equipment conforms to this standard and is electrically safe to use (subject to necessary part(s) being repaired and/or replaced).

This compliance test is carried out by our trained engineers that are qualified to carry out this inspection to the above standard.

Standard IEC 60974-4

Welding Equipment Electrical Safety Testing to IEC 60974-4 is part of IEC 60974 standard and specifies the test procedures for the periodic maintenance and inspection of welding equipment and plasma cutters to ensure electrical safety. This also includes before and after the repair of this equipment.

This standard is applicable to power sources for arc welding and allied processes such as plasma cutting designed in accordance with IEC 60974-1 or IEC 60974-6. Stand-alone ancillary equipment designed in accordance with other parts of IEC 60974 may be tested in accordance with relevant requirements of this part of IEC 60974.

The welding power source can be tested with any ancillary equipment fitted that can affect the test results i.e. water coolers.

This standard is not applicable to the testing of new power sources or engine-driven power sources.

What is involved in Electrical Safety Testing of Welding Equipment?

The procedure includes detailed visual inspection (full list below) and testing of the earth circuit of the primary supply to make sure it’s present and connected correctly. We'll also test (using a generated 500v) for leaks from the primary supply to earth, the secondary supply to earth and for any leaks between the primary and secondary circuits. When testing a machine after a repair, we will also carry out a function test.

How often should this test be carried out?

Different manufacturers specify the intervals at which their equipment must be tested, however, most require a test every 12 months. Please note that the conditions in which the machine operates can affect the interval (e.g. machines used offshore and in shipyards are typically tested every 6 months).

Are calibrations/validations required in addition to Electrical Safety Testing of Welding Equipment?

It's recommended in IEC 60974-14, the standard for calibration and validation of arc welding equipment, that the procedure is carried out prior to calibration or validation.

Replacement parts required

During this procedure any defective parts on the equipment will be noted, and thereafter stated on the certificate. These parts will need to be replaced for the equipment to comply to the above standard. The supply of these parts is not included in the compliance test and are chargeable.

AES Engineer labour charges

If during the electrical safety test, defective parts are found on the welding equipment, upon acceptance from the customer, these shall be fitted to the equipment. The extra labour required to fit these parts is not included in the electrical safety test and is chargeable.

How do I know when my equipment needs retesting?

AES are offering a yearly service on a contractual basis. This includes a friendly reminder by email that your electrical safety test is due. This is followed up by a member of our staff to make the necessary arrangements for our engineer to visit site and carry out the electrical testing of the welding equipment.

Can you offer calibration/validation to BS EN 50504 (Soon to be replaced by IEC 60974-14)?

The answer is yes, and many of our customers now combine the two to save call-out charge expenses.

AES offer Calibration and Validation to IEC 60974-14 is both standard and precision grade (the latter is often required for WPS in Aerospace and Offshore etc.).

We hope you've found the above information helpful, if you would like to discuss anything further with a member of our technical team, please get in touch via the contact button below.

Visual inspection - what’s included?

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