IEC 61010 is the safety standard that applies to electrical equipment used for measurement, control and laboratory work. Its scope includes test and measurement instruments, laboratory apparatus, process control equipment and accessories, and the general part is supported by a series of part 2 documents that add the particular requirements of specific product groups such as test and measurement circuits, laboratory centrifuges, sterilising equipment and climate chambers. The standard follows the usual structure of a safety publication: it classifies equipment by overvoltage category and pollution degree, defines the protection against electric shock through insulation, clearances, creepage distances and protective impedance, and specifies the requirements for protection against mechanical hazards, against the spread of fire and against the effects of excessive temperature. Particular attention is paid to the measurement circuits of test equipment, which may be connected to hazardous live parts yet remain accessible to the operator; the standard defines the protection that such circuits must provide. The type-test programme includes dielectric strength, insulation resistance, leakage current, temperature rise, abnormal operation and mechanical impact tests.