INFRASTRUCTURE


TIMO OHTONEN - MANAGING DIRECTOR AND OWNER, PPO-ELEKTRONIIKKA OY PETRI PELKONEN - DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, PPO-ELEKTRONIIKKA OY


Operating rooms and their electrical safety


The leakage of electrical current can cause a fatal electric shock without any visible signs. Although it is difficult to prove it as a cause of death, Finnish authorities and hospital engineers are well aware of the risk. Finland has been a pioneer in the electrical safety of operating rooms since the 1980s and every Finnish hospital engineer knows that electrical safety must be fully assured in the operating room.


The electrical safety of operating rooms is about protecting patients and staff from electric shocks. Electrical leakage can occur in both old and new devices as a result of malfunction, age and poor design. Common reasons for insulation faults include poor connections, damaged cable insulants and defective components. Fast technological development and the rush to launch new medical equipment create new challenges; new equipment may cause disturbances in power networks and other electrical devices. Insulation level monitoring is an


invisible but important part of the make up of the operating room and tracks the ungrounded system between an active phase conductor and earth. The system measures and controls the power supply of IT systems, while the units control the insulation level as well as the transformer load and temperature. It is for this reason that European and national standards regulate electrical installations and the operation of devices in medical facilities. Operating rooms


are classified as group two medical facilities and in Europe these facilities require a specific IT system as well as monitoring equipment for the related insulation space. However, European countries that have negotiated special circumstances regarding electrical installations in medical facilities are an exception to this rule.


An insulation level IFHE DIGEST 2019


Transformer room in the New Children’s Hospital in Helsinki with medical isolation transformers and insulation monitoring devices.


Timo Ohtonen Timo Ohtonen is the managing director


and owner of PPO-Elektroniikka Oy, which was founded in 1981. Timo has developed and built demanding technology solutions for nearly 40 years and has wide


experience in security and professional electronics. He has a broad international partner network and is an innovative developer with a vision of the future.


Petri Pelkonen


Petri Pelkonen is development manager at PPO-Elektroniikka Oy. He has worked in the field of professional electronics and electrical safety for over 22 years, during which time he has developed three generations of insulating monitoring equipment. Petri has


worked closely with hospital engineers and electrical engineering offices and has


extensive experience in IT systems and insulation monitoring.


monitoring system functions as follows: the power network for the operating room is separated from the electrical grid with a medical isolation transformer; the monitoring system monitors all the electrical devices connected behind the transformer; the equipment indicates any faults or problems before a dangerous situation can arise. Insulation level monitoring is necessary because a residual current device that switches the electricity off does not give a warning. Electrical safety requirements set for


operating rooms are observed in Finland. Here, an insulation level monitoring system controls each socket and device and if a problem occurs, it sounds an alarm before it becomes dangerous. In many countries, operating rooms only have a residual current device that switches the electricity off when a device breaks down.


Electrical damage in operating rooms is an invisible danger. The purchase of


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