Home appliance inspection process? Classification of home appliances Inspection and factory inspection services

September 9, 2025

The safety performance of household appliances is the core indicator of product quality and is directly related to the personal safety of consumers. According to the national standard GB 4706.1 "Safety of Household and Similar Electrical Appliances", electrical products must have perfect insulation performance and protective measures. For purchasers, brand owners, and quality inspection professionals, establishing a comprehensive supply chain quality management system and conducting strict factory audits (Factory Audit) and pre-shipment inspections (Pre-shipment Inspection, PSI) are of crucial importance.
I. Source Control: Key Points for Factory Audits by Household Appliance Manufacturers
Before mass production, conducting a comprehensive supplier audit of the manufacturer is the foundation for ensuring product safety and compliance.
Quality Management System Certification:
Has the factory established and implemented the ISO9001 quality management system?
Do we have a complete incoming material inspection (IQC), production line inspection (IPQC), and final product inspection (FQC) procedure?
Does it have a complete quality record traceability system?
Security Certification and Compliance:
Verify whether the factory possesses the required CCC certification, UL certification, CE certification, and other relevant qualifications.
Confirm that the product design complies with the safety standards stipulated in GB 4706.1 and other relevant regulations.
Check whether the key components have the corresponding certification certificates.
Production equipment and testing capabilities:
Evaluate whether the production line is equipped with safety isolation devices and protective measures.
Check whether the factory laboratory is equipped with pressure resistance testers, insulation resistance testers, grounding resistance testers, and other equipment.
Verify whether the detection equipment is regularly calibrated and within its validity period.
Employee training and safety awareness:
Check whether safety standards training has been provided to the production line employees
Verify whether the operators for critical processes are certified and in possession of the necessary qualifications.
II. Finished Product Inspection: Standard Process for Sampling Inspection of Household Appliances
For the inspection of household appliances, it is necessary to conduct random sampling in accordance with the AQL sampling standard (usually using LEVEL II), with a focus on testing safety performance indicators.
1. Structural Safety Inspection
Electrical Safety Inspection:
Confirm the electrical protection class against electric shock (Class O, Class OI, Class I, Class II, Class III)
Check whether the applications of basic insulation, supplementary insulation, double insulation or reinforced insulation comply with the requirements.
Verify the reliability and continuity of the grounding connection
Mechanical protection inspection:
Check whether the strength of the shell meets the requirements.
Verify whether the moving parts have adequate protective measures.
Verify whether the stability meets the standard requirements
2. Electrical Safety Testing - Core Inspection Item
Withstand Voltage Test (Dielectric Strength Test):
Apply a test voltage (typically 1000V plus 2 times the rated voltage) between the energized components and the accessible components.
Maintain for 1 minute without any breakdown or flashover phenomenon.
Insulation Resistance Test:
Use a 500V DC megohmmeter to measure the insulation resistance between the energized components and the casing.
Basic insulation: ≥ 2 MΩ; Reinforced insulation: ≥ 7 MΩ
Ground continuity test (Earth Continuity Test):
For Class I electrical appliances, measure the resistance between the grounding terminal and the accessible metal parts.
The grounding resistance value should be ≤ 0.1Ω
Leakage Current Test:
Measure the leakage current to ground during normal operation
According to the type of electrical appliance, the leakage current must not exceed the value specified by the standard.
3. Temperature Test
Run the electrical appliance under rated voltage and normal operating conditions
Measure the temperature rise of easily accessible components such as the casing, handle, and switch.
The temperature rise must not exceed the limit value specified by the standard.
4. Abnormal Operation Test
Simulates possible abnormal usage scenarios
Check whether the protective devices (such as thermostats and fuses) have functioned properly.
Verify that no fires, electric shocks or other hazards will occur under abnormal conditions.
5. Water Protection Rating Check
Confirm the waterproof rating of the electrical appliance based on the IP code (from IPX0 to IPX7)
Check the effectiveness of the waterproof sealing structure
For splash-proof and drip-proof electrical appliances, verify their protective performance
III. Classification of Common Safety Defects
Critical (Severe Defect): Failure of withstand voltage test，不合格 grounding continuity, non-compliance with insulation resistance standards, basic insulation damage, failure of electrocution protection.
Major Defects: Excessive leakage current, excessive temperature rise, failure to meet waterproof standards, insufficient mechanical protection, absence or incorrectness of safety markings.
Minor (Minor Defect): Minor appearance flaws, non-safety-related functional issues, packaging label problems.
IV. Inspection Rules and Criteria
Sampling Plan: Based on the batch size, samples are randomly selected according to the AQL standard.
Defect determination:
If just one Critical defect is found, the entire batch can be judged as不合格 (unqualified).
The number of major defects exceeded the AQL acceptance limit, and it was determined to be non-compliant.
The safety project adheres to the principle of "zero tolerance".
Report Output: The detailed inspection report should include the sample size, test data, defect description (with attached pictures), and safety compliance conclusion.
The safety performance inspection of household appliances is an important step in ensuring consumer safety. Through strict factory audits to ensure that manufacturers have the ability for safe production, and then through final random inspections before shipment to verify the safety performance of the finished products, a complete quality assurance system is formed. Purchasers and brand owners should pay special attention to electrical safety tests to ensure that the products comply with safety standards such as GB 4706.1, providing consumers with safe and reliable household appliances.