Originally posted by: phantom9
Interesting read, Zoro. But the article makes reference to quality standards, changes in manufacturing standards, poor workmanship, loose terminations; and all this is going to be solved by making fuse boards out of metal? Manufacturing, nothing to do with me, or you, or any other electrician for that matter. Those are the facts. You have missed my point entirely. Repeated for your ease of reference [IMG][/IMG]
It is nothing to do with BS7671. Its a manufacturing breach not a reg breach. You cannot, as an electrician, be expected to know that an item you have purchased and installed that is branded as compliant with a MANUFACTURING standard, and purchased in good faith, does not meet the standard. What are going to do, take all your electrical accessories that you've purchased to a BS testing plant every time you buy them before you turn up to the job? The firebrigade have their own agenda and have bleated on and on about it, so the knee jerk reaction of introducing a Reg in BS7671 has resulted. Why couldn't they have focused on the manufacturing standard from a point in time onwards. Look at all the craziness it has caused. Electricians are IMHO the worst bunch to saddle any responsibilty on because they invent all sorts of ridiculous and crazy notions to accompany any change and frantically search the Regs for guidance. It should not be a BS7671 issue. For all the reasons stated, electricians are the wrong bunch to ask for decisions, they make their own rules. BS7671 is dipping its toe in the water of too many issues it should not be getting involved with. BS7671 should stay focused on ELECTRICAL safety and not be concerned with fire safety. Fire safety is best handled by the fire service and manufacturers of relevant materials, architects and building control officers. They should sort out the mess, decide on what to make the electrical accessories out of, sort it all oyut and then reference the BS standard to it in the Regs. No need to put anything else in. The fact we have so many views and opinions already, a full twelve months before the Reg will even be published, is testamnet to the stupidity of making that Reg. No electricians appear to accept that existing fuse boards can be left alone under future fire safety concerns. That's why electricians should not be being asked to control it, there are too many blinkered Reg spouters who cannot separate fact and fiction from Regulations and common sense. Pictures of burnt out fuse boards say nothing about how to deal with it just add to paranoia and confusion.
An interesting point of view, and I'm sure many have made the same point.
However, how do we know that the Fire Brigade didn't seek to address the problem with the product manufacturers (or had no way of doing so directly) so were left with no other course of action than to try and address this in BS7671?
I can, however, answer the question as to why I believe that BS7671 is an appropriate place to address fire safety in the design of the electrical installation, and the selection of relevant products.
It was ever thus ...
The Wiring Regulations were compiled as an industry response to the various multiplicity of separate "requirements for electrical installations" that were being included by individual insurance companies, mainly ot prevent fire (or make it more difficult for property owners to make a claim would be a cynical view perhaps).
The First Edition was entitled "Rules and Regulations for the Prevention of Fire Risks arising from Electric Lighting" and by today's standards, "Electrical Safety" in general terms other than fire protection was barely covered, if at all.
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EUR ING Graham Kenyon CEng MIET TechIOSH
G Kenyon Technology Ltd
Web-Site:
www.gkenyontech.com