“Cable selection must be driven by legislation and guidance” urges AEI Cables

The company is communicating the importance of following technical guidance for the selection and installation of cables for Category 3 Control fire performance under the revised British Standard BS 8519:2020. These cables reduce harmful smoke, toxic gases and flame spread in the event of a real fire.

At the same time, AEI Cables has also been raising awareness of the Building Safety Act 2022, which makes new demands on the supply chain in the interests of safety and governance.

The Building Safety Act outlines makes new requirements for higher-risk buildings, which are defined those of 18 metres in height or taller or of at least seven storeys and containing a minimum of two residential units.

Under the terms of the Building Safety Act, any ‘Principal Accountable Person’ who fails to register an occupied higher-risk building ‘without a reasonable excuse’ will be liable to either a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.

Further levels of safety

Stuart Dover, general manager of AEI Cables, informed Fire Safety Matters: “These are important pieces of guidance and legislation introduced for the right reasons and to add further levels of safety to the supply chain. We cannot emphasise enough how important it is to make sure the selection of cables is right for these applications. If systems fail because the cable is not able to function properly, then the consequences are readily apparent and hugely significant. Lives and property are at stake here.”

The application of Category 3 Control fire performance cables applies to evacuation alarms for the disabled in care homes, emergency voice communication systems and voice alarm systems in relevant buildings (among them tall buildings, office spaces, hospitals, Shopping Centres and stadiums).

AEI Cables’ own Firetec Enhanced cabling has been approved and certified by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) to BS 8519 (Annex B), Category 3 Control in addition to Category 2 Control.

Code of Practice

The British Standards Institution’s Code of Practice under BS 8519 contains six categories of cables: three for power cables and three for control cables, each covering survival times of 30, 60 or 120 minutes.

All of AEI Cables’ products are supplied with approvals from independent bodies including BASEC and the LPCB. The company also holds approvals from organisations including Lloyds, the Ministry of Defence, Network Rail and London Underground Limited.

*For more information visit the AEI Cables website at www.aeicables.co.uk