panel builder technical guides,thepanelbuilder.co.uk
Under current electrical and safety legislation it is a requirement that equipment purchased within Europe (EEA) should be both fit for purpose and safe. Subject to any overriding national legislation, this may be demonstrated through meeting the requirements of European harmonised standards. These are implemented in the UK as BS EN standards.

Following an extensive period of development, a new standard for Low Voltage Switchgear and Controlgear Assemblies has been introduced by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and subsequently adopted into European (EN) and National (BS) Standards.

In the UK, the new standard is described and embodied within the BS EN 61439 series, replacing the BS EN 60439 series. Either series can be used until 1 November 2014. From that date BS EN 60439-1 is withdrawn and BS EN 61439-1 and BS EN 61439-2 should be used. Other parts of the 61439 series will be added as they are published and dates of withdrawal of the replaced 60439 parts are established. In the interim, where a new 61439 part has not been introduced and the equivalent part of the 60439 series contains a dated reference to BS EN 60439-1, then BS EN 60439-1 can still be used.

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