New SANS 162 (SA 3 pin) - whats it all about - Click to read.

Keeping up with that rate of change can sometimes catch you off guard. For any business or project that required new power supply requirements, you probably want to consider the following.

How will this recent amendment, to the plug laws in South Africa affect you?

If you have not heard of the recent updates, new law change for plugs in South Africa: SANS 164:2 law is in effect.

What this essentially means is that there is a new three-pin plug design (which is safer, thinner, and more compact), and it has become mandatory for all new buildings and circuit installations to abide by the updates stipulated in the law change. The new design still consists of 3 pins, but the design is far more compact. Similar to the current thin 2-pin (European) plugs we currently use, the new SANS 164:2 is very similar but has three pins.

All new electrical installations in South Africa must now include at least one socket outlet that complies with the SANS 164:2 law (i.e., the socket should be able to accept the new design plug as well as the European 2-pin plug).

The new SANS 164:2 plug is very similar to the European and Brazilian plug. However, the South African plug differs in that the pin dimensions are not the same.

The current plug configuration (SANS 164:1) can still be used, and it will be a number of years before it will be phased out, and the new SANS 164:2 design becomes fully implemented.

In the meantime, it is a good idea for offices to provide sockets with both plug configurations for the sake of convenience, safety, and compliance. When using a device that has the new design plug, an adaptor can be used to plug into an older design socket (and vice versa). This is, however, not an optimal solution, and the best-case scenario would be for office spaces to provide both options. At Corporate Connections, we can offer you standard and custom-made power solutions for your office that include these new socket designs.

These power solutions can be for work stations, technology desks, and conference room tables.

If you would like any further advice on this law change, drop us a line.