Hong Kong Regulations

PLUGS AND ADAPTORS (SAFETY) - SECT 5

Safety requirement for electrical products

Caution: This is a past version. See the current version here.

(1) Subject to subsection (2), no person shall sell or hire out to any person,
or exhibit or keep for the purpose of sale or hire out, an electrical product
which is-

   (a)  designed to operate at a voltage of not less than 200V;

   (b)  designed to operate at a maximum rated current of not more than 15A;

   (c)  designed to be connected by means of a flexible cord and plug to a
        socket and is designed to be so connected directly without the use of
        a cable connector; and

   (d)  designed for household use, unless the electrical product is fitted
        with a plug of correct rating which conforms to the safety standards
        prescribed in section 4.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an electrical product which is-

   (a)  under transhipment or in transit through Hong Kong;

   (b)  manufactured for export from Hong Kong;

   (c)  sold for reconditioning;

   (d)  sold as scrap; or

   (e)  fitted with a plug which is of correct rating and conforms to IEC
        884-1: Plugs and Socket Outlets for Household Use and Similar Purposes
        and is fitted with an adaptor which-

        (i)    when connected to a mains socket in Hong Kong, provides a
               safety level equivalent to that of plugs that conform to the
               safety standards prescribed in this Regulation;

        (ii)   encloses the plug; and

        (iii)  can be removed only with the use of a tool.

(3) For an electrical product in which protection against electric shock does
not rely on basic insulation only but which includes an additional safety
precaution in which conductive accessible parts are connected to the
protective earthing conductor in the fixed electrical installation in such a
way that conductive accessible parts cannot become live in the event of a
failure of the basic insulation, the equivalent safety level in subsection
(2)(e)(i) requires that the IEC 884-1 plug to be fitted to the electrical
product must have earthing provision so that, when fitted with the adaptor,
the earthing continuity from the conductive accessible parts of the electrical
product to the mains earthing system of the fixed installation will be
maintained. (Enacted 1994)