Chris Garrett shares his perceptions on how electrical accessories can be made easier for people with disabilities to use.

Wiring accessories with clip-on cover plates that meet the visibility requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act are being used in a new school in the London Borough of Lambeth. They also provide significant installation benefits. Some 14 000 COPA accessories have been installed in the first phase of the project, and a further 16 000 will be installed in the second phase, due for completion in September 2010.

Following the success of its 2100.Net battery-management system, Exide Technologies, which makes batteries and chargers, has launched two more systems — one of which is suitable for smaller fleets. They are the iBOS Basic and iBOS Pro (intelligent battery-organising system).

To protect its business against prolonged power cuts, agricultural food supplier Bartholomews Agri Foods commissioned Scorpion Power Systems to install a standby generator system. Scorpion carried out the work as a complete turnkey operation comprising consultancy, design, all electrical and cabling work, installation and commissioning.

Upgrading a building’s existing lamp technology not only brings energy savings, but the latest technology is also longer lasting which significantly reduces maintenance costs — as Dave Ellis explains.

Hager has launched a new range of type B distribution boards for commercial installations that make it easier to meet the needs of the latest Wiring Regulations and Building Regulations. Steve Dyson, product manager for Hager, explains, ‘The last few years have seen a major change in the design and installation of commercial electrical-distribution systems. Typically, there are more outgoing ways, more RCBOs and/or RCD protection, more metering and more control devices. Our new type B boards are designed with these needs in mind.’

Marshall-Tufflex’s brochure on underfloor-to-desk solutions is described as a must-have guide. It is not just a catalogue of products but a guide clarifying the various installation possibilities. There is information on layout configurations, annotated images, diagrams, technical specifications, guides and photographs showing various systems and options for underfloor power and data distribution to desk service outlets.

Weidmuller has redesigned its Klippon STB family of small terminal boxes for standard and harsh environments. Technical improvements have been made in line with new standards relating to equipment for hazardous areas (IEC/EN 60079, ATEX) and DIN 62208 covering empty enclosures, as well as the increased demands of industrial companies operating in a global environment.