Standards · Standard or regulation
IEC 60364-7-710 (BS 7671 Section 710)
Low-voltage electrical installations, Requirements for special installations: medical locations
In plain words
What it covers.
The wiring standard for medical locations. It classifies rooms as Group 0, 1 or 2 by how applied parts are used and how dangerous a loss of power would be. Group 2 locations, such as theatres and intensive care, need medical IT systems with insulation monitoring, supplementary equipotential bonding and safety power supplies.
Who uses it: Electrical designers, installers, estates engineers and clinical engineers specifying theatres and critical care.
A summary written by BMEssentia for learning, not the text of the standard. Always work from the current official edition and the manufacturer's instructions.
It covers
- Group 0, 1 and 2 medical locations
- Medical IT systems and insulation monitoring devices
- Supplementary equipotential bonding
- RCD use
- Safety services supply and changeover time
- Inspection and testing
Key points
What engineers need to know.
- Group 0: no applied parts. Group 1: applied parts, but not to the heart. Group 2: intracardiac or life-critical procedures.
- Group 2 uses medical IT systems so a first insulation fault raises an alarm instead of tripping the supply.
- An insulation monitoring device warns staff at a set threshold, often 50 kohm.
- Supplementary equipotential bonding keeps exposed metal parts at the same potential.
- Safety supplies for critical lighting and equipment must change over within about 0.5 s or 15 s by class.
- Room group is decided with clinical staff, based on the procedures done there.
Medical City
Where you practise it.
- Room Builder medical electrical installations
- Hospital Architect electrical groups
- S2-M021 power infrastructure audit
- S2-M056 electrical installation review