Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 4-42: Protection for safety - Protection against thermal effects
IEC · IEC TC 64
IEC 60364-4-42:2024 is the fourth edition of the part on protecting persons, livestock and property from the thermal effects of electrical installations. It is now designated a group safety publication (GSP).
On this page
Overview
The standard addresses protection against the thermal effects of electrical installations. Its scope covers burns from electrical equipment, the risk of combustion or degradation of materials, flame propagation between fire compartments segregated by barriers, and impairment of the safe functioning of equipment, including safety services, due to thermal effects. This record rests on the publisher's public catalogue abstract and product metadata; the full text of the paid standard was not read.
Edition 4 was published on 22 November 2024 and runs to 64 pages. It replaces the 2010 edition and Amendment 1:2014. Another notable change is that the standard is now designated a group safety publication (GSP) under IEC Guide 104 and ISO/IEC Guide 51, giving it a framework role for other standards on safety matters.
The topic matters in data centers because dense cabling, busbar systems and power distribution equipment cross fire compartments and generate heat. The standard covers the principle of limiting fire spread where cable routes cross compartment boundaries, and the risk of heat-related burns on accessible equipment surfaces.
As a limit, the abstract does not include detailed temperature limits or compartment requirements; for these, consult the standard itself and the relevant national fire regulations. The related sources in the record are IEC 60364-5-52 and the Turkish Binaların Yangından Korunması Hakkında Yönetmelik.
Key points
- Covers protection against thermal effects, risk of combustion or degradation of materials, and burns from electrical equipment.
- Covers flames propagating from electrical installations to other fire compartments segregated by barriers.
- Covers impairment of safe functioning of equipment, including safety services, due to thermal effects.
- A group safety publication (GSP) per IEC Guide 104 / ISO/IEC Guide 51.
- Edition 4 published 2024-11-22, 64 pages.
- Replaces the 2010 edition and Amendment 1:2014.
- Paid standard; the record is based on the catalogue abstract only.
Using it in design
- When cable routes cross fire-compartment boundaries, require a fire-stopping element and warn if it is missing.
- Tag equipment surface temperatures where operators can reach them.
- Add an electrical-to-fire interface check to design review.
- Assess local requirements together with the Turkish Binaların Yangından Korunması Hakkında Yönetmelik.
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Who should read it
Engineers designing data center electrical installations, fire safety consultants, and design reviewers.
Related standards
- IEC 60364-5-52
- Binaların Yangından Korunması Hakkında Yönetmelik
Publication details
- Authors
- IEC TC 64
- Publisher
- IEC
- Year
- 2024
- Document number
- IEC 60364-4-42:2024
- Document language
- English
- Source type
- Standard
- Access
- Citation only
- Licence
- Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document
Original licence note
Paid standard. Record built only from the publisher's public catalogue abstract and product metadata; full text not redistributed.
Citation
IEC TC 64 (2024). Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 4-42: Protection for safety - Protection against thermal effects. IEC. IEC 60364-4-42:2024. https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/65121
Events on this subject
- Electricity Eurasia 2027
- The smarter E Europe (Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive, EM-Power)
- ELECO 2026 Elektrik-Elektronik ve Biyomedikal Mühendisliği Konferansı
All content and rights belong to the respective authors and publishers. SoSo CAD provides only the citation, its own summary and a link to the source, and is not responsible for the sources' content.
Related sources
All sources on this topic
National Institute of Standards and Technology 2020
NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations
In data-centre power design, set PE-9 requirements for physically separated redundant cabling paths and automatic voltage control on critical components, and define the separation distance as an organisational parameter.
- Baselines and tailoring guidance moved to SP 800-53B.
T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı / Bakanlar Kurulu 2007
Regulation on the Fire Protection of Buildings (Binaların Yangından Korunması Hakkında Yönetmelik)
In the TR profile, default IT-room suppression to a TS ISO 14520 clean-agent design with damper-close interlocks.
- Accredited oxygen-reduction systems may be used in normally unoccupied enclosed spaces such as IT system rooms (Article 98(6)).
IEC 2025
Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 1: Fundamental principles, assessment of general characteristics, and definitions
In the electrical rules engine, use IEC 60364-1 as the root of the low-voltage rule set.
- 1.5.2.14 adds energy efficiency.
IEC 2024
Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 5-52: Selection and erection of electrical equipment - Wiring systems
In the cable sizing engine, base ampacity on installation-method tables with grouping and temperature derating.
- 521.4: busbar trunking and powertrack systems.
IEC 2023
Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 4-43: Protection for safety - Protection against overcurrent
In cable and protection sizing, implement Ib <= In <= Iz and I2 <= 1.45 Iz style coordination checks together with short-circuit withstand.
- Related standards are IEC 60364-5-52, IEC 60909-0 and HD 60364-4-43.
IEC 2022
Uninterruptible power systems (UPS) - Part 1: Safety requirements
In the UPS catalogue, record safety certification (IEC/EN 62040-1), installation location class (restricted access or ordinary-person area) and battery type.
- Covers port voltages up to 1 000 V AC or 1 500 V DC.