ELECTRICAL SAFETY
Minimising electrical risks in Group 2 locations
Timo Ohtonen, managing director and owner of the Finnish health tech company, PPO-Elektroniikka Oy, explains the critical importance of electrical safety within Group 2 healthcare premises, focusing on medical IT systems employing insulation monitoring (IMD).
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.
Variable practices globally 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. PPO-Elektroniikka Oy is a Finnish company focused on electrical safety technology. In the beginning, in 1981, we had the vision to develop electrical safety for Finnish hospitals’ Group 2 premises, such as operating rooms and intensive care units. After noticing a significant need for development, the vision turned into a mission: we wanted
to develop a system capable of monitoring and predicting potentially dangerous scenarios from leakage currents. During our 42 years in business, we have developed five generations of such equipment. The first analogue insulation monitoring equipment was built in 1981, and a digital version followed two years later, in 1983, the same year that the authorities in Finland ensured electrical safety in these critical environments through legislation. The legislation required use of both a medical isolation transformer and equipment that monitors its insulation level. Consequently, no surgical procedure within Finnish hospitals is conducted without the assurance of comprehensive electrical safety monitoring equipment.
Electrical hazards in Group 2 medical locations Group 2 locations are the most critical facilities, where medical devices are used for heart-related functions, and where failure of the medical device may mean immediate danger to the patient’s life (such as operating rooms and ICUs). The stakes are incredibly high, as even momentary interruptions in electricity supply or electronic device malfunction can potentially lead to fatal electric shocks, jeopardising the safety of both patients and healthcare staff.
November 2024 Health Estate Journal 39
An electrocardiogram in progress in an operating theatre.
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