Electrical Contracting News (ECN) October 2016 | Page 6

INDUSTRY NEWS

NEW FIRE STANDARD BS8592:2016 OFFERS GREATER CERTAINTY FOR SPECIFIERS AND INSTALLERS

The cable industry has welcomed the introduction of the new British Standard BS8592:2016 Electric cables ; thermosetting insulated , non-armoured , fire resistant , single core , nonsheathed cable of rated voltage 450 / 750V . The new single core cable standard ensures these small sized cables , commonly used for final circuit wiring of critical systems such as fire alarms and emergency lighting , now have a specification .
These cables have been manufactured , distributed and widely used globally for many years but it has not had a full specification , which has resulted in some variability between cable manufacturers . The new standard clearly defines the design and performance specification giving specifiers , designers and installers greater certainty that the cable is fit for purpose .
Dr Jeremy Hodge , chief executive at the British Approvals Service for Cables ( BASEC ), commented , ‘ Previously , cable manufacturers made reference to other similar standards and to test methods to support their design and manufacturing processes , however the new standard negates any grey areas . BS8592:2016

NEW EMPLOYER PORTAL EASES ECS CARD ADMIN

Companies that employ a number of staff with ECS cards are benefiting from a new system that eases the process of multiple card applications . The ECS Employer Portal , launched by the JIB , allows companies to manage all their operatives ’ ECS cards in one place .
Initial card applications and renewals can be processed via the portal , along with the facilities to view all ECS cards registered to a company and their expiry date ; upload documents directly as part of the application process , and monitor the progress of an application .
The portal also complements the online ECS Health & Safety System and will display the outcome of a health and safety assessment as soon as the result is available .
Boulting Group was one of the initial employers to use the portal . ‘ Previously we spent a lot of resource around paperwork , forms , cheques and queries – it was extremely time consuming and not very cost effective ,’ said Eileen Grantham , labour administrator .
‘ The portal is saving us time and money – it ’ s more efficient , user friendly and turnaround times for cards are much faster . It ’ s allowed us to minimise queries and deal with issues more effectively than before .’
The portal is a free to access and is best suited to companies who have more than 10 members of staff with an ECS card . JIB members can also secure a discount on the ECS card fees by using the portal .
To find out more visit www . ecscard . org . uk / portal
will begin to be referenced in system design standards and it will deter any unsuitable alternatives from being used .’
One of the major requirements to meet the new standard is to have ‘ low emission of smoke and corrosive gases when affected by fire ’. To describe a cable as Low Smoke Halogen Free ( LSHF ), it must generally pass two tests ; a smoke cube test , which sets a maximum accumulated smoke density produced when burning the cable with a standard fire , and ; a corrosive and acid gas test ( related to the presence of halogens ) where the cable materials are roasted in a tube furnace and must give off a maximum of 0.5 per cent acid gas .
The cables are also subjected to an IEC 60331-3 dry fire resistance test to meet the requirements of the standard .
Dr Hodge said , ‘ No water based tests are included in the standard , but these can be carried out separately using special protocols for single core cables . Commonly , end users and regulators specify additional BS6387 tests for single core fire resistance cable .’

REXEL UK SAYS NOW IS THE TIME TO INVEST , AS NEW FIGURES SHOW GROWTH OF EV MARKET

With the latest figures indicating an increased appetite for alternatively fuelled vehicles , Rexel UK has affirmed the key to sustaining this growth is investment into the UK ’ s electric vehicle ( EV ) charging infrastructure .
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders ( SMMT ), the demand for alternative fuelled vehicles , including EVs , has risen by 24.7 per cent in July . And whilst this is good news for the lowcarbon and EV market , Rexel UK is urging the wider industry to ensure it is working to develop the UKs charging infrastructure .
Michael Fereday at Rexel UK , commented , ‘ There is clearly mounting interest in EV , with the latest statistics demonstrating a month-on-month rise of alternatively fuelled vehicles on the road in 2016 . However , to sustain this growth , businesses , government and contractors alike must ensure there are sufficient charging points nationally to support the growth and diminish consumer range anxiety .
‘ 2016 has already seen the number of public EV charging points grow , with reports siting that there are now over 10,000 publicly accessible charging points across the UK . In fact , the average distance between charging points is only 3.8 miles , making electric vehicles a realistic option for both domestic and commercial users .
‘ Promisingly , research carried out by EV manufacturer Nissan indicates that the number of public electric vehicle ( EV ) charge points are set to outnumber petrol stations in the UK by 2020 , marking a potential tipping point in the adoption of zero emission vehicles . In fact , the research also predicts that at the current rate of decline , the number of traditional petrol stations is likely to fall to under 7,870 by summer 2020 . This makes the argument for businesses and consumers to consider alternatively fuelled vehicles even more conclusive .’

ACI CALLS FOR MORE CABLE SAMPLES FOR TESTING

Contractors and distributors need to be more vigilant and proactive as substandard cable is seen as an accepted hazard within the cable supply chain , according to the ACI .
In the past three months the ACI is aware of several incidents , however it believes many go unreported and there has been a notable fall in cable samples it receives .
Peter Smeeth , spokesperson for the Approved Cables Initiative ( ACI ), said , ‘ In the past 12 months we have noticed a significant reduction in cable samples being submitted for testing . While we would be delighted if this is a sign that our campaign has worked and instances of substandard cable are reducing , anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that there is a complacency in industry and a view that someone else will report the issue .’
Examples of recent problems that the ACI is aware of include :
• Falsely marked cable drums carrying third party approval marking ( BASEC ) – from Turkey .
• CCA cable marketed and sold as `CCA Copper cable ’ with no CE marking – from Germany .
• Supply of non-approved cables – the cable type was swapped when compliant cable from another manufacturer was approved by the customer and the order was placed . The cable was from China .
Cable imported for use in wiring components which arrived with damage to the sheathing on inner layers of the cable reel . Exposed wires were visible . The cable was from Egypt .
Peter Smeeth , continued , ‘ While none of this is surprising , it is an indication that some manufacturers and importers go to great lengths to mislead industry . The ability to buy from anywhere in the world means there remains a need for better market surveillance .
‘ At the ACI we are doing all we can to stop these cables making their way into the supply chain but with no formal market surveillance in place , and Trading Standards services stretched to their limits , we would suggest that all parties must take some responsibility and be mindful of their purchases and imports . It is vital we are alerted to any cable concerns .’
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