Cable manufacturer Draka has launched a new generation of OHLS (Zero Halogen Low Smoke) cable that, it claims, sets a new and higher level of fire safety performance. The new Saffire cable is said to complement the company’s Firetuf range of performance cables that embraces low voltage (up to 1kV) building wires and power cables and is available throughout the UK, Ireland and the Middle East.
This latest development will, the company says, enable consultants to specify cable that provides enhanced safety in line with the latest fire safety legislation, and greatly assist building control officers to identify that fire safety is being incorporated into a building.
Draka believes the launch of Saffire extends the safety benefits of OHLS cables to a much wider marketplace. The cables do not emit halogen gases and burn without producing large amounts of dense smoke. By comparison, under fire conditions standard PVC cables used widely in the construction industry emit hydrogen chloride gas, and can generate debilitating or disorientating smoke that can easily increase the likelihood of panic, and make safe evacuation much more difficult to achieve.
