Provides guidance on the use of conventional touch voltage limits with reference to thresholds given in IEC 60479-5. Consideration is given to different physiological effects, environmental conditions, contact conditions, etc. This specification only discusses voltages for sinusoidal a.c. at 50/60 Hz and pure d.c. having no significant a.c. component. This specification does not consider immersion of body parts or medical applications. Touch voltage limits are for use by technical committees as guidance for the determination of their own specific limits. This basic safety publication is primarily intended for use by technical committees in the preparation of standards in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 104 and ISO/IEC Guide 51. It is not intended for use by manufacturers or certification bodies One of the responsibilities of a technical committee is, wherever applicable, to make use of basic safety publications in the preparation of its publications. The requirements, test methods or test conditions of this basic safety publication will not apply unless specifically referred to or included in the relevant publications. This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition which was issued as a technical report in 1992. It constitutes a technical revision and now has the status of a technical specification. The main changes with respect to the previous edition are listed below: - proposal of maximum contact areas for various conventional touch voltage limit; - introduction of different current pathways through the human body for the selection of conventional touch voltage limit; - introduction of conventional touch voltage limit corresponding to the startle reaction current threshold, the inability of let-go current threshold and the ventricular fibrillation current threshold; - possibility of interpolation on contact area for other conventional touch voltage limits. It has the status of a basic safety publication in accordance with IEC Guide 104 and ISO/IEC Guide 51.