Pursuant to Regulation 110(2)(b) of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 (“Regulations”), I, Wayne Anthony Vernon, General Manager, High Hazards and Energy Safety, WorkSafe New Zealand, give the following urgent instruction.

Notice

1. Commencement—This urgent instruction takes effect on the date of publication of this notice in the New Zealand Gazette.

2. Application—This urgent instruction applies to the following products as described in this notice, for use in medical electrical installations:

1. CrispTech Residual Current Device, Model: RY30-32LE (“RCD”).

3. Urgent instruction—The RCD must not be used in medical electrical installations except in accordance with the following instructions:

1. Each RCD must be tested at the start of each day before patient treatment commences using the in-built test facility.
2. If any RCD does not trip instantaneously or a buzzing is heard, the electrical installation must not be used until the RCD can be replaced.
3. Each RCD must be tested weekly for operational speed at rated residual current by a licenced electrical worker.

4. Description of fittings to which this urgent instruction applies—The RCD is further described as follows:

1. The RCD has been installed in mobile dental clinics.
2. The RCD has known markings that include “CrispTech”, “RY30-32LE”, “Type A”, “SAA111196EA” and “A/13663EA”.
3. The characteristics of the RCD are:
• It has a plastic body.
• It has four connections (screw terminals) where wires can be inserted and tightened up with a tool designed for the purpose.
• It has “line” and “load” (or similar) polarity requirements and may or may not be DIN rail-mountable.
• It has a test button that is normally marked in the colour yellow with an embossed “T”.
• It has a switch that can be changed to an off or on position.
4. The following image shows a sample of the RCD for identification purposes:

5. Reasons for urgent instruction:

1. The RCD is, or may be, electrically unsafe, in that there is significant risk that a person may suffer harm as a result of dangers arising from use of, or passage of electricity through, the RCD.
2. The reasons for believing the RCD is or may be unsafe are that:
1. Under test or fault conditions, the RCD may not isolate the power supply from the protected circuit.
2. Regulation 22 of the Regulations deems the RCD to be unsafe, as it is supplied on the basis that it has a safety function that it does not in fact have.
3. The RCD is not a Type 1 RCD, as required for medical locations by AS/NZS 3003:2011.
4. The RCD does not comply with Regulation 60 of the Regulations in that it does not meet AS/NZS 61009, as required under AS/NZS 3003.
5. In normal use, the RCD may function in such a way as to be electrically unsafe in the terms described in Regulation 24(6).

6. Expiry—This urgent instruction expires six months after the date of publication.

This urgent instruction is available for view on the Energy Safety website

energysafety.govt.nz

Dated at Wellington this 20th day of May 2016.

WAYNE ANTHONY VERNON, General Manager, High Hazards and Energy Safety, WorkSafe New Zealand.