Nowadays, electricity is a vital ally in medicine, however, its use represents a potential danger when caring for a patient.
Statistical studies conducted worldwide have demonstrated that a significant number of accidents and deaths in operating rooms are caused by electrical shocks, leading to various electrobiological phenomena such as ventricular fibrillation.
When using these systems, it is essential to ensure compliance with regulations that govern their installation, operation, and maintenance, such as NFPA99, UL1047, and NTC 2050 Chapter 517.
Regulations governing isolated power systems
All medical centers and hospitals, whether public or private, that provide care to patients requiring hospitalization for medical treatment or surgical procedures, must mandatory install and maintain these systems. They are also required to adhere to the international and national regulations that govern them.
The provider responsible for installing these systems must adhere to standards issued by international entities such as IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), NEC (National Electrical Code), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), and ANSI (American National Standards Institute). These organizations ensure that these systems are used correctly and are safe.
Some key points of the regulations are:
ITC- BT-28 low voltage electrotechnical regulation: It stipulates that every hospital center must have both primary and backup electrical supply.
The NFPA99 standard: It requires the use of isolated systems in critical hospital areas.
IEC 60364-710:2002 -11 standard: It regulates hospital electrical installations, including isolated distribution systems such as IT systems.
UL 1047 standard: Certification of Hospital Isolation Board as a whole, verifying that all its parts are compatible and suitable for connecting equipment for medical use.
UL 1022 standard: It verifies and certifies the requirements for monitoring isolated power systems online.
NEC Standard Section 517: It verifies the electrical safety in hospitals. Isolated power systems, equipotential grounding system, and maximum resistance per branch.
In addition to these standards, in Colombia there is also a regulation called RETIE (article 28.3.2) issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy that must be followed for the installation of these systems.
It is a technical regulation for electrical installations that provides the most important parameters, although not exclusive (based on international standards), for designing, installing, maintaining, and modifying an isolated power system.
RETIE is not an electrical design guide, as this task must be carried out by competent personnel who implement the necessary calculations and engineering as established in it. It is important to note that compliance with RETIE is MANDATORY in this country.
Additionally, RETIE mandates the first seven chapters of the Colombian Electrical Standard NTC 2050, as stated in Article 27.1 “Application of technical standards,” which states:
“Due to the fact that the content of the NTC 2050 First Update (Colombian Electrical Code), dated November 25, 1998, based on the NFPA 70 technical standard version 1996, fits within the scope that a technical regulation should have, and considering that it fully applies to installations for the use of electrical energy, including buildings used by electricity service providers, the first seven chapters with the related tables (published in the Official Gazette No. 45.592 on June 27, 2004), including the tables of Chapter 9 of NTC 2050, and the introduction to aspects that do not contradict this regulation are declared mandatory.”
