Home Articles Downloads Forum Products Services EBME Expo Contact
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Page 4 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 98
Adept
Offline
Adept
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 98
Well at least my old trusty Flymo lawn mover has a retaining clip over the IEC socket held by a spring that one has to open before fitting the IEC plug, it then acts as a clamp over the plug to prevent detachment. You could say a lot less bover with a hover.

Barney

Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,654
Likes: 60
Super Hero
Offline
Super Hero
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,654
Likes: 60
Yes, and some medical equipment manufacturers have tried these over the years, too. Unfortunately, they don't stop nursing staff (etc.) from yanking the cable free when they "need" it for something else. And, there have been cases where such clips have caused injury to "caring hands" during (for example) said yanking! smile


If you don't inspect ... don't expect.
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 93
Adept
Offline
Adept
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 93
Are there specific clips available to prevent the pull away option on the mains leads? We have been asked in may areas to prevent this from happening as leads go missing and then there are not enough to charge equipment when required.

Mike_d #28107 22/02/08 12:41 PM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 745
Philosopher
Offline
Philosopher
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 745
I have seen P clips fitted to some equipment, it does not stop disconnection, but prevents the lead walking. Perhaps you could mount them using existing screw holes in the equipment (or would this constitute modification?) And would you need to carry out “a risk assessment” on whether the P clips hold on the cable could cause extra fatigue or would it increase the hazard risk when the equipment was wheeled away before being disconnected.

Maybe you should forget it.

Lee


Don't forget "we've never had it so good".
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 797
Likes: 1
KM Offline
Philosopher
Offline
Philosopher
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 797
Likes: 1
Blease / Spacelabs seem to have a good system on the back of there 8200s vents. Draeger use a similar one on the Anaesthetic machines.
Its a metal bracket that screws into the case and holds the IEC lead on.

Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,654
Likes: 60
Super Hero
Offline
Super Hero
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,654
Likes: 60
Some of you guys need to get real, I reckon. Only today, whilst carrying out a couple of "perfect PM's", I enhanced the equipment, and secured the mains cables (thereby preserving validity of the electrical safety tests carried out) by well-positioned P-clips. One used an existing screw position, whilst the other needed a hole to be drilled in an ECG recorder trolley. Hardly a modification, but just doing what the manufacturer should have done in the first place.

Meanwhile, if we must have "risk assessments", what about doing one on:-

Originally Posted By: Geoff Hannis
... I encountered no less than five bits of kit "plugged in" to a mains outlet, but not being charged, due to the dreaded IEC mains cable not being fully home in the socket at the back of the equipment ...


... and equipment failing when called into use in an emergency when the plug fuse blows due to the wrong IEC cable being grabbed from the stash of "spare mains leads", etc., etc.? smile

Originally Posted By: Lee S
... whether the P clips hold on the cable could cause extra fatigue or would it increase the hazard risk when the equipment was wheeled away before being disconnected.

What does cause unacceptable strain on mains cables is binding them onto rolling stands with cable ties!

Last edited by Geoff Hannis; 22/02/08 8:12 PM. Reason: SFC

If you don't inspect ... don't expect.
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 745
Philosopher
Offline
Philosopher
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 745
After you drilled the trolley did you put your new CE sticker on? after all having changed the original design of the trolley, as I understand it, you have taken on the manufacturers risk.

I have recently seen some quite good self adhesive P clips, however when one looks at the list of chemicals that can't be used to clean modern medical equipment I do wonder what the manufacturers would say.

An interesting alternate to the P clips and the cable ties I have seen is the tying of the mains cable around the equipment trolley.

Lee


Don't forget "we've never had it so good".
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 2,020
Hero
Offline
Hero
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 2,020
If someone trips over a mains lead and pulls out the IEC connector they can plug it in again. The machine will be out of action for a few seconds.
If this connector is restrained the mains lead may be broken. The machine may be out of action for minutes while a replacement is found and used, or hours/days if it needs a service person to repair it.
Easily removable plugs do have an advantage - they are easy to replace.
Or if it equipment is mounted on a pole stand it might be pulled over and broken. The detatchable IEC connector acts as a safety mechanism.
Do the benefits of a restrained mains lead - ease of safety testing - out weight the benefits of a easily fixable safety break?
Robert

Last edited by RoJo; 25/02/08 9:20 AM. Reason: Eye karnt tipe

My spelling is not bad. I am typing this on a Medigenic keyboard and I blame that for all my typos.
RoJo #28138 25/02/08 10:16 AM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 745
Philosopher
Offline
Philosopher
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 745
I don't believe that the manufacturers of medical equipment test their IEC sockets for insertion/detachment forces, having worked in destructive and non destructive testing before the NHS I could recommend some test equipment.

If the IEC connector is pulled straight out then it could prevent equipment being pulled over, however I am sure that many of you have repaired items that have been damaged when the IEC connector did not pull out. If my experience is anything to go by, you have also had to repair units where the IEC socket has pulled out of the equipment.

Retaining the mains lead would be more to do with the problems of having the correct size and type of mains lead with the equipment (and preferably the one that the equipment was tested with); as well as the incessant demand for replacement mains leads because staff have lost or removed leads (and the problems of do you retest as the mains lead is changed, who pays? Do you replace the batteries? Has the configuration been lost etc).

Lee


Don't forget "we've never had it so good".
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,959
Likes: 32
Hero
Offline
Hero
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,959
Likes: 32
I think that a simple locking clamp could solve the problem of loose IEC leads. A very annoying (and common) occurrence. Why don't more manufacturers use this simple solution? smile I go with your 10A fuse solution Geoff. All medical equipment is already double fused at the IEC input.


Be Proactive and reactive.
Page 4 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Moderated by  DaveC in Oz, RoJo 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Who's Online Now
1 members (daisizhou), 435 guests, and 401 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
MDevins, EmsR16, Fergusben1, Guilherme Gomes, Salvatore
10,173 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums25
Topics11,055
Posts73,707
Members10,173
Most Online5,980
Jan 29th, 2020
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5