Australian Medical Requirements
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 orange, flexible cable. These plugs and connectors must carry an Australian approval. Interpower cords carry Department of Fair Trading.

North American Hospital-Grade Cord Standards and Requirements Back to the top 
Cords used with North American medical equipment must be hospital-grade. The plug makes the cord hospital-grade. Commonly known as hospital-grade plugs, they are subject to special requirements contained in the following standards: Medical equipment standards: UL 60601-1 and CAN/CSA C22.2 no 21; Power supply cord standards: UL 817 and CAN/CSA C22.2 no 21; Attachment plug standards: UL 498 and CAN/CSA C22.2 no 42.

The hospital-grade plug pattern conforms to the NEMA 5-15 standard; however, (1) the blades must be solid instead of folded brass, (2) the blades are usually nickel-plated, and (3) the plug includes an internal cable retention device or strain relief to prevent any stress to the plug’s internal connections.
It is imperative that the ground connection 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, the UL and CSA standards do not mandate clear plugs, nor do they provide
any restrictions on color. Gray is another common color for hospital-grade plugs and cords.

North American Hospital-Grade Approvals Back to the top 
Interpower North American hospital-grade cords and cordsets carry the “green dot” signifying that they have been designed and tested for grounding reliability, assembly integrity, strength and durability. They are approved by UL and CSA to UL 817 and CAN/CSA C22.2 no 21 as hospital-grade power cords and cordsets. Specifically, UL 60601-1 sections 57.2 and 57.3 require that “patient care equipment” used in the “patient vicinity” must use hospital-grade attachment plugs. “Patient care equipment” and “patient vicinity” are defined in UL 60601-1 sections 2.12.19 & 2.12.20.

There are no specific maximum lengths for cords noted in the standards listed above, yet the equipment must pass the leakage current test requirements in UL 60601-1 and CAN/CSA C22.2 no 21. Cord length has an affect on leakage current within a system.

Please note that Interpower recommends using power cords incorporating the IEC brown, blue and green/yellow conductor color coding in place of the traditional North American black, white, green conductor color coding. Wiring various country specific power cords to equipment before export, including shipment to the U.S., is simplified when standardizing on the IEC color coding system. Both the U.S. and Canadian national electrical codes, as well as UL and CSA standards, allow
the use of the IEC brown, blue, and green/yellow conductor color coding.

International Medical Markets Back to the top 
International markets, including European medical equipment used in these markets, typically must meet EN/IEC 60601-1. At this time, there are no special performance or construction requirements for cordsets used in these applications. Cordsets typically will be Class I (with ground), PVC, and black in color. We offer the common Continental European, Argentine, British, Chinese, India/South African, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, and Swiss cordsets. See the International Hospital-Grade Cordsets.