Get it Wrong and You'll Pay the Price
Pressure on time and resource has never been greater and in a competitive market mistakes can be costly, especially in the field of fire performance. Graham Turner of AEI Cables examines the issues:
Pressure through legislative change and confusion over Building Regulations means the fire performance market is searching for as a blizzard of new products is introduced to meet ever-changing demands.
Landmark legislation such as the Fire Safety Reform Order 2005, coupled with the increasing pressure to make sure modern electrical systems are integrated into the wider building infrastructure, means there has never more been the need to get it right first time.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales shifted the emphasis of responsibility onto a more risk-based approach, whereby the responsible person – that is to say, the owner, manager or other persons – is responsible for the maintenance of a building or premises.
As such, the responsibility for agreeing to the specification of fire prevention systems and products, including cabling into a building, lies with that person. If a subcontractor changes the product for whatever reason and something goes wrong – for example, a fire occurs or a fault is found with the cabling – then the responsibility for the outcome rests with the named person.
Other important issues here are ensuring business continuity and protecting property as well as life. The responsible person should check with the contractor that the products installed comply fully with the specification.
There could not be a better illustration of weighing the risk than with those projects associated with The Olympics. Here, modern electrical systems need to provide intelligence so that in the event of a fire the control panels can continue to work and help emergency services instruct a safe evacuation.
Critical control systems require secure power supplies, perhaps for the duration of a major fire. These systems will be used for safety and security, and stadium monitoring, providing intelligence on a range of subjects, with phased evacuation where relevant. Not only are specific deadlines set on many of these projects, but delays can be very costly to all concerned.
A fire alarm system, for example, should be inspected and tested by those parties concerned together. On major projects, having to strip out cabling because the system is not working correctly, or because the wrong cable has been installed, would mean extra time – and thus cost - to a contractor or specifier, and should be avoided in the first place.
With the correct specification and information, contractors and wholesalers can then spend time more efficiently and cost-effectively delivering and installing the systems that are so critical in major building projects.
The only way to assess the most appropriate products and systems for each project is to consider the specific requirements of each on a case-by-case basis. To be in a position to make informed decisions, however, we should be aware of all the options available and what is most appropriate. Major government organisations agree that the most effective way to deal with safety in this sector is to take the wider, integrated approach.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) points out that the primary cause of control system failure in a major study was specification (44.1%), with 20.6% linked to changes in systems after commissioning, 14.7% to design and implementation, 14.7% to operation and maintenance and 5.9% on installation and commissioning. The conclusion here is that all products should be considered to ensure they are suitable for the system, and that all lifecycle phases should be addressed for functional safety to be covered.
Functional safety relies on the overall safety that in turn depends on a system or equipment operating correctly in response to installation. The HSE believes that a risk-based approach offers significant potential safety benefits as long as an active risk management system is in place, and that functional safety should be adopted if the safety benefits from new technologies are to be realised.
Meanwhile, the revised BS 5839-1 (02) for fire detection and alarm equipment includes the requirement that cables for addressable alarms must be - and remain - data compatible, it does not include a specific test to demonstrate it.
Mineral Insulated Cabling (MIC) is the unrivalled fire performance cable for those applications where safety is paramount and the risk too great not to use the best. It is recognised as the cable of choice for fire alarms, detection equipment and emergency lighting and the risk of anything going wrong is greatly reduced because of its key features:
its ability to withstand temperatures over 1,000 degrees centigrade
data transmission continuity during a real fire
reduced need for maintenance
Add to this its ease of installation and it is easy to see why MIC is a cost effective solution where guaranteed safety is key.
Where risk assessments have been completed and all involved parties agree that an enhanced cable with a lower survival capability than a mineral insulated product can be installed in that particular specific application. These products are designed for fire performance qualities which are flame retardant, robust and meeting the higher end requirements in BS 5839-1 (02).
Where the project can be served with softskin cables which meet the desired criteria of for standard applications, and a risk assessment has been completed involving all parties, then standard cabling is the ideal choice, providing unequalled fire performance to this criteria. There are many products now available in the fire performance sector and the sheer number and choice can make the selection process difficult, especially with so much legislative change.
Ultimately, it is down to each organisation and each person in the supply chain to meet their relative responsibilities and know they are not compromising the safety of others. With expert help and guidance, they can make considered judgements during the selection process, knowing they have made the correct choice without compromising the relevant standards and regulations.
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