A hospital-grade cord set is determined by the plug and features a plug pattern that conforms to the NEMA 5-15 standard. However, in hospital-grade cord sets, the blades are usually solid instead of folded brass and are normally nickel plated. In addition, the plugs include a cable retention device or strain relief to prevent any stress to the their internal connections.

It is imperative that the ground connection in hospital-grade cord sets be reliably maintained to protect the patient and medical staff. Although many hospitals prefer that the plug be clear so that internal connections can be inspected visually, UL and CSA standards do not mandate the use of clear plugs, nor do they provide any restrictions on color. Gray is a common color for hospital-grade plugs and cords.

Using individual blades instead of a plug bridge provides a more robust plug that can withstand abuse at medical facilities. For example, when a hospital bed is plugged in and it must be moved quickly, the plug is pulled from the outlet as the bed is moving rather than unplugged properly from the wall outlet.

Interpower North American hospital-grade power cords and cord sets carry the “green dot” designation, signifying that they have been designed and tested for grounding reliability, assembly integrity, strength, and durability.

Australia has its own plug and cable requirements and a different power-main supply than in the United States. It is important that your product be able to run appropriately on 240-V ac, 50-Hz power, as found in Australia. When selling a product in Australia, you will need an Australian-approved power cord or cord set. For three-wire Class I applications, there are 10-, 15-, and 20-A plugs available for household and light commercial applications. The cable used for cord sets in Australia must be either Australian cable made and approved to AS 3191, or European-harmonized cable made to the HD-21 or HD-22 standards. Both of these cable types and their associated standards get their main requirements from the IEC standards IEC 60227 for PVC cables and IEC 60245 for rubber cables. Cable from Europe typically has the mark accompanied by one of the European agency marks. Australian cable will be marked with the AS 3191 marking and the Australian agencies’ approval file numbers.

Interpower Corp.’s Australian cord sets—with the use of the European-harmonized cable in the construction—are approved by the Australian Department of Fair Trading. For more information click here.

This type of specification is always covered by the standards the mating devices are covered under and may depend on the size and ratings of the individual style of the connector. For instance, IEC 60320-1 lists requirements for insertion/retention forces for its family of appliance couplers and connectors. The values in this standard are good only for these types of connectors.

There are two sets of criteria in the standard: one for devices from 0.2 to 10 A and a second for the larger 16-A connection devices. These specifications are further divided into a multipin and a single-pin specification. Devices up to 10 A are specified to have a multipin maximum insertion/retention force of 50 N and a single-pin minimum of 1.5 N. The 16-A devices are 60 and 2 N, respectively. This information is found in section 16 of the IEC 60320-1 standard. Other standards have their own requirements and would need to be researched in order to find out the values and how the requirements are laid out.

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) requires that medical socket strips meet the UL1363A standard (“Special Purpose Relocatable Power Taps”). Medical-grade socket strips are for indoor use with medical equipment that is intended to be used in general or critical patient care areas, as defined by article 517 of ANSI/NFPA 70 (“National Electrical Code”). UL1363A has more stringent testing, constructional, and labeling requirements than UL 60601-1 (“Medical Electrical Equipment”). There is also a National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) code that deals with electrical installations, distribution, and application usage in medical settings. As for end customers, they will need to decide where to place these units, which must also be in compliance with the NEC and FDA.

Australian medical equipment used in Australia must meet AS/NZS 3200 series. There are no special requirements for cordsets, only preferences. All Australian cordsets must use a plug approved to AS/NZS 3112 and a connector approved to IEC 60320-1, or the equivalent Australian standard. Cordsets for use in Australian medical applications are preferred by hospitals to have a clear, transparent plug and connector, and orange, flexible cable. These plugs and connectors must carry an Australian approval. Interpower cords carry Department of Fair Trading.