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Many UK buildings could be failing to meet the standards set down by building regulations because of a lack of understanding of the suitability of cables, according to cable manufacturer Draka.
Many UK buildings could be failing to meet the standards set down by building regulations because of a lack of understanding of the suitability of cables, according to cable manufacturer Draka.
The claimed non-compliance is of Approved Document B to the Building Regulations, most specifically Clause 5.38 of Volume Two (buildings other than dwelling houses) Protected Power Circuits.
It states: “In large or complex buildings there may be fire protection systems that need to operate for an extended period during a fire. Further guidance on the selection of cable for such systems is given in BS 5839-1, BS 5266-1, and BS 7346-6.” The problem, according to Draka, is that cable used often fail to meet the stringent requirements of BS 7346-6.
Draka’s marketing services manager, Mark Froggatt, says there is a lack of awareness of the availability of BS 7346-6 compliant cable and misinterpretation concerned what constitutes a ‘large or complex building’. “The aim of Clause 5.38 is to ensure that there is a robust power supply in any building where life safety is dependant upon the reliable operation of active fire precautions or electrically-operated passive measures. The type of ‘large or complex building’ envisaged by the authors of the revised Approved Document B could reasonably be taken to include all multi-use or multi-function buildings, high-rise structures, buildings with complicated or lengthy evacuation protocols, and high-hazard structures.”
01332 345431 www.drakauk.com