ESMA requires all electrical plugs to conform to UAE/BS 1363-5 standard (3-pin plugs) to ensure safety
Abu Dhabi, UAE: UAE will restrict the entry of appliances and electrical equipment having 2-pin plug configurations in 2012 as Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology (ESMA) strengthens the implementation of a standardized model for all power plugs marketed in the country.
In a meeting with trader and manufacturers, ESMA highlights the requirement for all electrical plugs of all appliances (below 13 amps) to conform to UAE/BS 1363-5 standard (3-pin plugs) to ensure safety. This requirement is expected to reduce the usage of plug adaptors, which are potential fire hazards, especially when pins fit loosely in sockets causing sparking and other problems.
Eng. Mohammad Saleh Badri, Acting Director General, ESMA, said: "Manufacturers and traders need to adopt the UAE/BS 1363-5 standard for all home and office appliances sold in the UAE.
"UAE sockets are made to accept plugs, which meet very exact requirements. And if the plug is not UAE/BS 1363-5 compliant, the end-user has to resort to other ways of meeting those dimensions by using a pointed object to open the earth pin, and that is not safe.
"Currently, a number of 2-pin plugs are still being sold in the UAE because many other countries are still using these kind of plugs. ESMA is currently devising a mechanism to gradually restrict the entry of plugs that are not complying with UAE/BS 1363-5 to the country. We will announce this in the beginning of next year."
"We are also in discussions with UAE custom authorities to restrict the entry of appliances that do not comply with UAE standards upon the implementation of this regulation. ESMA will also monitor the market in coordination with federal and local government agencies."
For class II appliances where earthing terminals are not required, the same plug configuration is required with a dummy plastic or metal pin replacing the earth terminals to maintain the plug compatibility with the socket outlets.
As a temporary solution to the existing 2 Pin plugs, ESMA will try to consider using an appropriate adaptor for a certain period of time. ESMA will also arrange a meeting with all monitoring authorities to come up with one unified message or tag, which will inform consumers if the appliance is suitable for the UAE or not.
The UAE/BS 1363-5 model is based on a British Standard, which specifies the most common type of single-phase AC power plugs and sockets. Distinctive safety features of the system are shutters on the line and neutral socket holes, and a fuse in the plug.
Shuttering in sockets means that nothing can be inserted into the Neutral and Live terminals until the earth pin has been inserted. It is therefore hard to insert anything that is not in the shape of the UAE/BS 1363-5 standard pin locations.
Insulation at the top of the pins means that slightly raised plugs (plugged in) will not allow the user to touch the live pins. The internal arrangement of the terminals also ensures that if the cable is pulled out of the plug, the line wire breaks first.
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About ESMA:
Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) was established as the sole standardization body in the UAE under the Law No. 28/2001. The board of directors chaired by H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, the Minister of Environment & Water in the UAE, comprises representatives of the main parties involved in the standardization of the UAE. The board is the dominant body and lays down its policy of adopting all the suitable procedures to ensure efficient performance to its assignments.
Its tasks include formulating and issuance of national standards of UAE as well as adopting international standards and mandatory standards issued by binding resolutions of the Council Ministers; working on consumer protection, environment and national market and strengthening the national economy; preparation of standard specifications for reviewing by the specialized technical committees; a national system of measurement and calibration; follow up, monitor and advise on the application of standards adopted to commercial and industrial sectors around the constraints of conformity and quality; granting the Emirates Quality Mark for national products and issuing certificates of conformity of commodities to standards; accredit testing and calibration laboratories; issuance of the publications and distribution and selling of UAE standards and other informational activities; and represent the country in regional and international conferences and organizations.
© Press Release 2011
