Minimising electrical risks in Group 2 locations

A system that prevents electrical accidents in hospitals and other healthcare facilities is vital to electrical safety, protecting patients, personnel, and medical equipment, preventing electrical fires and burns, and ensuring that unnecessary downtime is avoided and the service life of surgical equipment is extended. It is essential, in our view, to stimulate discussion about vital hazard prevention. In this article, I will share our team's point of view on the most comprehensive and safest way to implement medical IT systems with insulation monitoring, and what should be considered in the future. I will also share comments from our Indian, Malaysian, and UK partners to give a more global picture. It is worth noting that protective solutions have yet to be universally adopted, but promising developments in legislation and knowledge are steering a path towards international adoption.

At the global level, practices are variable, due — for example — to a low level of expertise, lack of regulation, and a reluctance to invest and change established ways. Although Group 2 healthcare facilities are generally isolated from the national power grid and equipped with medical protection isolation transformers at an international level, monitoring and hazard alerts often need to be more adequately addressed. Some healthcare premises may rely solely on rudimentary residual current devices that offer limited protection. Such devices only provide notification after damage has already occurred, and cut off electricity to all connected devices within the fuse group.

Crucially, an insulation monitoring system's effectiveness hinges on its weakest link. For instance, the absence of continuity monitoring for the PE wire means that a fractured PE wire may go undetected, rendering the insulation monitoring system ineffective. We must address such vulnerabilities comprehensively to strengthen electrical safety in healthcare settings.