Derrick, do you think that, may be, too much is being expected of the proposal to improve on fuse board safety? After all the Reg is merely requiring that the cabinet and switch gear be made out of non-combustible material or that said switch gear be enclosed within a compartment made from non-combustible material. Your post is broaching on 'fire proofing' which is an altogether different requirement. There is no mention, for example, of fire containment nor fire proofing in the Reg. Currently a fire in a fuse board is able to set fire to the fuseboard and it will readily burn with spectacular results. By introducing a measure to make materials non-combustible will improve the resistance to the fire but the fire is still going to occur whether non-combustible or not. I would like to see a demonstration of two fuse boards side-by-side that are subjected to a fire inside, one made to existing manufacturing standards and the other to proposed standards and just see how much or how little the proposal makes a difference.
This debate if nothing else has proved my long held view that Regulations are often misinterpreted and are confusing. Whilst one electrician may see the Reg exactly for what it is, others will see many things associated with it that are wildly off the mark. Believe me when I tell you, just improving the material that the switch gear is made from will not automatically fire proof it. It will certainly help reduce the impact of fire inside it but whether it will contain it is another matter. Just my two pence worth, Derrick. Keep up the good posts.
Edited: 20 December 2014
at 02:37 pm
by phantom9