NEWS
Have you ever switched on a coffee machine, toaster, hot plate, dishwasher, microwave oven, sewing machine, vacuum cleaner, humidifier, skin- or haircare appliance, or simply turned on the heating in your home? Have you used outdoor appliances such as barbecues, portable heaters, grills or similar portable cooking appliances? If the answer is yes to any of these—and we suspect it is—then you have been using appliances that comply with standards developed by CLC/TC 61 ‘Safety of household and similar electrical appliances’ and its international counterpart IEC/TC 61.
CENELEC has published the 2nd edition of Guide 32 – ‘Guidelines for Safety-Related Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction for Low Voltage Equipment’, providing updated guidance to hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk reduction. The guide helps technical committees address the safety of low voltage equipment and determine the documentation needed to support the risk assessment. It reinforces the principle that safety should be addressed through an iterative risk assessment process supported by technical data, application experience, and relevant standards.
CENELEC recently established the new technical committee CLC/TC 220 ‘Alcohol interlocks’, with the Secretariat held by DKE, to continue and further develop European standardization work in this important safety area. The technical committee’s scope is to develop European Standards on alcohol interlocks that improve road, transport, workplace and individual safety by preventing people with an alcohol level above a specified limit from operating vehicles, equipment or engaging in unsafe activities. Where necessary, the scope may also be extended to include drug detection.
In March 2026, the CENELEC Technical Committee CLC/TC 111X ‘Environment’ published a new standard on the quantification and communication of carbon footprint and GHG emissions reduction from electric and electronic products. At a time when climate transparency is becoming a key expectation across global markets, this standard offers a harmonized approach to assessing and communicating environmental performance.
The CENELEC Workshop on was kicked off on 30th January 2026. The Workshop’s registered participants have agreed on the first draft of the CWA.
The CENELEC Workshop was kicked off on 21st October 2025, following the results of the Horizon Europe projects OPENTUNITY and FEDECOM. The Workshop’s registered participants have agreed on the first draft of the CWA.
Through new initiatives such as the “Women in Standardization” project and dedicated networking events, the Norwegian Electrotechnical Committee (NEK) is creating arenas where women in electrical and communications standardization can connect, share experiences, and strengthen their role in the industry.
Four new standards supporting the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) 2011/305 have recently been published, strengthening the regulatory framework for residential fuel-burning appliances. Developed by CEN technical committees, the standards were cited in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on 9 February 2026, meaning they can now be used to demonstrate compliance with the CPR.
The recently published EN IEC 60601-2-57:2026 specifies essential safety and performance requirements for non-laser light source equipment used in medical and aesthetic applications. This European standard, which fully adopts the international text IEC 60601-2-57:2023, is set to formally enter into force at the beginning of 2026.
On 4 February 2026, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC ) signed an agreement to increase their alignment on key standardization topics. JISC will now become a CENELEC Companion Standardization Body (CSB).