Although microwave ovens are inherently safe by design, it is possible, following heavy duty use or poor maintenance, that problems may arise. These problems may be the result of specific component failure or general wear. In the case of component failure, a suitably qualified engineer should make the repair, after which a test will be made to ensure safe leakage levels.
Where microwave ovens are used by commercial organizations, some form of maintenance programme is generally incorporated. In many cases, this task is completed by Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) companies as part of their remit covered by the 3rd Edition of the IEE “Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment”, outlining the addtional requirements for microwave ovens covered by the BS EN 60335-2-35 safety standard. (See Page 106)
Although not explicitly set out in the above document it would be reasonable for paying customers to to expect that instruments used to make these safety measurements were accurate and accompanied by a fully traceable certificate of calibration. Without such a document, it is possible that the readings produced by un-calibrated instruments may be meaningless.
Un-calibrated instruments present the possibility that a microwave oven may be declared to be leaking when it is not (false positive) or perhaps more importantly, claims that the oven is not leaking when in fact it is (false negative).
To discuss your business’ microwave safety requirements, please call Celtek on 01704-571581 or email sales@celtek-electronics.com