The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) – the umbrella containing the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) – code of practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment categorises the following:
- Portable appliances
- An appliance of less than 18Kg in mass that is intended to be moved while in operation or an appliance which can easily be moved from one place to another (e.g. toasters, food mixers, vacuum cleaners, and fan heaters etc);
- Movable equipment (transportable)
- 18Kg or less in mass and not fixed (e.g. electric fire, or equipment with wheels, castors or other means to facilitate movement by the operator as required to perform its intended use (e.g. air conditioning units etc));
- Hand-held appliances
- Intended to be held in the hand during normal use (e.g. hair dryers, drills, and soldering irons etc);
- Stationary equipment or appliances
- Mass exceeding 18Kg and not provided with a carrying handle (e.g. refrigerators and washing machines etc);
- Fixed equipment/appliances
- Fastened to a support or otherwise secured in a specified location (e.g. bathroom heaters and towel rails etc);
- Appliances/equipment for building in
- Installed in a prepared recess such as a cupboard. In general, equipment for building in does not have an enclosure on all sides because on one or more of the sides, additional protection against electric shock is provided by the surrounding (e.g. a built-in electric cookers etc);
- Information technology equipment (business equipment)
- Computer and mains powered telecommunications equipment, and other equipment for general business use, such as mail processing machines, electric plotters, trimmers, VDU‘s, data terminal equipment, typewriters, telephones, printers, photocopiers, and power packs etc);
- Extension leads
- Should not be used if possible. They should be tested as portable appliances. It is recommended that 3-core leads (including a protective earthing conductor) be used.
- A standard 13A 3-pin extension socket-outlet must always use a 3-core earthed cable to ensure protection against electrical shock, if used at any time with an item of Class I equipment.
- The length of an extension lead for general use should not exceed the following:
-
- 1.25mm2 x 12m;
- 1.5mm2 x 15m;
- 2.5mm2 x 25m;
- 2.5mm2 cables cannot be wired to standard 13A plugs, but they may be used with BS EN 60309 industrial plugs.
- Extension leads exceeding the above lengths must be protected by a 30mA RCD manufactured to BS 7071.
- These measurements do not apply to the flex of an appliance, refer to paragraph 15.13 of IEE‘s Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment.
