We distinguish four areas of the world when it comes to medical-grade standards or preferences: North America (the United States and Canada), Australia, Denmark and Japan. All other countries will accept the standard power cord or cord set for use in medical facilities.

In North America, any cord used with medical (or “patient-care”) equipment must be hospital-grade and it is the plug, subject to particular requirements, that gives the cord this classification. These requirements are contained in the following standards: medical equipment standards UL 60601-1 and CAN/CSA C22.2 no. 21; power supply cords standard UL 817 and CAN/CSA C22.2 no. 21; and attachment plug standards UL 498 and CAN/CSA C22.2 no. 42.

The hospital-grade pin pattern conforms to the NEMA 5-15 standard. However what makes the product medical-grade is the importance placed upon the reliability of the ground, or earth, connection in order to protect patients and medical staff.

To achieve medical-grade standards:

• the ground, or earth, pin must be solid instead of folded brass
• the blades need to be nickel-plated
•  the plug body must include an internal cable retention device to prevent stress to the internal connections.

North American hospital-grade cords, cord sets and rewireable plugs and sockets will carry the “green dot,” signifying that they have been designed and tested for grounding reliability, assembly integrity, strength and durability. Clear plugs are often specified, allowing for the internal connections to be visibly checked. However, there is no mandate from UL or CSA that they must be used. Grey is a common colour for medical-grade cords in North America. It is not necessary to use the traditional white, green and black primary conductor colours in the North American cable used in a cord set assembly. In order to aid engineers and assemblers from countries that use the colour-coding found in harmonised cable, the U.S. and Canadian national electrical codes now allow brown, blue and green/yellow primary insulation as long as the cable is still manufactured to UL and CSA standards.

Danish hospital-grade cords are recommended for use in medical applications, and specifications have been added to the standard SB 107-2-D1. The socket is designed to prevent connection with “normal equipment” and disrupting the mains circuit in specific medical settings.

In Australia, the use of orange cable and clear plugs is preferred but there are no specific standards related to a medical-grade classification. The assembly of the cord and the component pieces are the same as the standard power cord.

Japanese hospital-grade cords recommended for use in medical applications and specifications have been added to the standard JIST 1021. Cosmetically, general and hospital-grade cords will look the same; hospital-grade cords, however, are required to be tested to this higher standard.