ISO 13578:2017 specifies the general safety requirements for electric arc furnaces (EAF) to melt steel not containing radioactive material.

NOTE Radioactive material is considered to be detected in front of the steel plant entrance.

ISO 13578:2017 deals with significant hazards, hazardous situations and events as listed in Table 1 pertinent to EAF, when used as intended and under conditions foreseen by the manufacturer, and also includes foreseeable faults and malfunctions in case of misuse.

ISO 13578:2017 also specifies criteria for the plant and equipment integrated in the production process.

ISO 13578:2017 specifies the requirements to be followed during design to ensure the safety of persons, which are to be met during transport, assembly, commissioning, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of the equipment.

ISO 13578:2017 assumes that installations are operated and maintained by adequately trained personnel. Manual intervention for setting, adjustment and maintenance is accepted as part of the normal use of the equipment.

ISO 13578:2017 covers the following equipment (see Annex B, Tables B.1 and B.2, and Annex C, Figures C.1 and C.2):

- EAF with alternating current (AC) technology;

- EAF with direct current (DC) technology;

- scrap preheating technology;

- associated equipment/devices (e.g. inert gas stirring, carbon and oxygen injection systems).

The following equipment is not covered by ISO 13578:2017:

- induction furnace;

- resistance-arc furnace (e.g. submerged arc furnace);

- electron beam furnace;

- plasma furnace;

- other electrical furnaces used in secondary steelmaking, e.g. ladle furnace.

ISO 13578:2017 does not specify safety requirements for the following equipment, which can be an integral or complementary part of the equipment covered by the scope:

- cranes;

- shell lifting cross beam;

- scrap basket, steel ladle and slag pot;

- transport cars for scrap baskets, steel ladles and slag pots;

- dedusting system;

- "dog house" and "elephant house" (furnace enclosures for environmental reasons);

- alloying system;

- separate scrap drying equipment;

- furnace transformer and high-voltage system;

- robots/manipulators (e.g. for temperature measurement and sampling).