IEC 61496-1:2012 specifies general requirements for the design, construction and testing of non-contact electro-sensitive protective equipment (ESPE) designed specifically to detect persons as part of a safety related system. Special attention is directed to functional and design requirements that ensure an appropriate safety-related performance is achieved. An ESPE may include optional safety-related functions, the requirements for which are given in Annex A. This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2004 and its amendment 1 (2007). The main changes with respect to the previous edition are as follows: The design, test and verification requirements have been updated to make them consistent with the latest standards for functional safety and EMC. The contents of the corrigendum of April 2015 have been included in this copy.