Re: Vintage radio safety
To the best of my knowledge, the IEE has never issued safety regulations relating to portable electrical equipment, including radios and TVs. There are British Standards for safety of portable equipment. BS415 was one such widely used standard. The IEE wiring regulations, now also a BS, are for electrical wiring installations.
Much older equipment, even if it complied with the relevant standards in force when it was new, may do so no longer. Standards have also evolved, generally in the direction of greater safety margins. All new equipment must comply with current standards. Ideally, we should try to make older equipment comply with at least the spirit of current standards even if not to the letter.
One important point, now often overlooked, is that it is usually quite hard to hurt yourself electrically with modern equipment even if you do some pretty stupid things. This was not the case with much older equipment. Since we are now accustomed to equipment being pretty much idiot proof, most people are unaware of the potential dangers that can afflict older equipment.
Fire has always been a hazard associated with electricity. Many so-called electrical fires are actually not really electrical at all. Setting fire to your socks by hanging them on an electric heater rather than a gas heater is not an electrical fire though it may get classified as such. Since valve radios and TVs generate more heat than their modern counterparts they can be potentially greater fire hazards, especially as present day users may be less aware of the need for adequate ventilation.
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