International

Electrotechnical

Commission

International Standards and Conformity Assessment for all electrical, electronic and related technologies

IEC e-tech: January/February 2011

March 2011 edition

Managing Editor e-tech :

Philippa Martin-King

Editor in Chief:

Gabriela Ehrlich

Articles may be reproduced in whole or in part provided the source, "IEC e-tech" is mentioned in full.

	Medical devices: technology versus safety Technology plays an increasingly important role in health care and diagnosis. How do you manage risk? Opt for more precision, or limit human exposure? Then, what of the safety of the data transmitted over IT networks? ( read article )
	SMB decision to reduce CDV voting time Recently, the Finnish NC proposed to SMB to reduce the CDV enquiry time from the current five months to three. SMB has initiated a trial period for certain selected TCs to test a reduced CDV voting time and so accelerate the standardization process. ( read article )
	IEC Global Visions IEC Global Visions continue to show the strategic importance of IEC International Standards in supporting innovation and cooperation. A further video interview in the IEC series features Matthias Kurth, President, Federal Network Agency, Germany. ( read article )
	Risk management in medical equipment Today, we consider that we are entitled to live in a safe environment, but that has not always been the case. Our ancestors lived a much more dangerous life. There's a special IECEE task force responsible for medical equipment. ( read article )

	Reducing Ex risk in health care When asked to list hazardous or explosive areas, most people will mention the oil and gas industries, mining and fuelling stations as obvious cases of high explosion risks. There are many more. Sugar refineries and flour mills also belong in this category…as do hospitals. ( read article )
	IECQ: Safety connecting medical devices Today, we have instant connection to the entire world. The multitude of electronic devices and systems on which we rely at work and on vacation have changed our behaviour and our perception and opened up new horizons. The medical world is no exception. ( read article )
	Technology – a life-saving difference Today's technology makes arthroplasty procedure almost banal. New minimally invasive surgery leads to shorter recovery time. In the case of complications sophisticated medical devices provide diagnostics to help take quick decisions and alleviate the situation. ( read article )
	Risk management in health care Managing risks concerns patients, medical staff and the community in general. A new publication, IEC 80001-1, Application of risk management for IT-networks incorporating medical devices – Part 1: Roles, responsibilities and activities, further extends the scope. ( read article )
	1st joint ISO/IEC adoption workshop In February 2011 Singapore was the venue for the first joint ISO/IEC regional course on adopting and referencing International Standards. ( read article )
	2010 Thomas A. Edison Award Reinhard Pelta, Secretary of IEC TC 64: Electrical installations and protection against electric shock, was unable to be present in Seattle to receive his IEC Thomas A. Edison Award. He received it in February from IEC VP & SMB Chairman Jim Matthews in Geneva. ( read article )
	Appointments of IEC NC Officers Several IEC National Committees have announced the appointment of new officers in recent months. ( read article )
	Expert named as President Wolfgang Hofheinz was elected President of DKE, the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies of DIN and VDE, at the DKE Council meeting that took place in December 2010. He began his term of office in January 2011. ( read article )
	Consultative and TC Committee nominations In addition to its regular Technical Committees, the IEC has a number of Strategic Groups, Sector Boards and Technical Advisory Committees which report to the Standardization Management Board. This month, e-tech announces various changes and nominations. ( read article )
	Obituary Stephen Marriott, former Secretary General of CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, passed away on 8 February 2011, at the age of 64. ( read article )
	Health matters, standards too International Standards for health-care are critically important and cover a wide spectrum of devices, systems and domains. The IEC ensures these are constantly kept up-to-date and improved when needed through the work of several TCs, primarily IEC TC 62. ( read article )
	Ultrasonics for therapy and diagnostics Medical diagnostic ultrasonic equipment is widely used in clinical practice for monitoring and imaging. In dentistry, plaque on the surface of teeth, which left to its own devices hardens into calculus (tartar), is nowadays frequently removed using ultrasonic descalers. ( read article )
	Essential keystrokes The new IEC website has a myriad of new information set out in menus, tabs and links. Here are a couple of tips concerning functionality and the logic to help you access committee dashboard pages directly. ( read article )