Raising standards of fire safety with DIN testing
Fire safety will always be a high priority for construction managers and building users. However, fire ratings for cable management systems can be confusing because there is no British Standard to test to. Mark Williams, Lead Marketing Manager at Legrand UK & Ireland, discusses the role testing plays in ensuring end users’ peace of mind through high standards of safety.
It’s not unusual for safety regulations to quickly become more stringent in the period following a disaster. In the time since Grenfell, as much needed scrutiny has been placed on the fire safety of building materials, construction managers have understandably been asking our cable management team questions around fire ratings.
While legislative responsiveness is of obvious importance, the electrical industry would benefit from increased clarity. An option for those involved in the selection of building components is to ensure that the cable management systems they deploy are tested to the highest standards possible. This means they need to have a thorough understanding of fire safety and the impact that cable management solutions can have on a project.
The manufacturer’s role
At Legrand, we are committed to providing proof of our cable management products’ ability to withstand collapse during a fire event, despite the lack of standards or legal obligations related to these products. When manufacturers make that proof available, construction managers can work with confidence that their project will provide high levels of fire safety for a building’s owners and occupiers.
As there is no British Standard, we looked abroad for an appropriate benchmark, where we identified a German standard for circuit integrity cabling that allows us to fire test our products in a true to life installation. The DIN 4102-12 standard is a test for life critical cabling systems that can expose cable management products, such as cable trays and cable ladders, to fire. As Legrand is being increasingly asked for evidence of two-hour testing, in the latest tests carried out, we requested for the fire to be kept burning for an additional 30 minutes beyond the usual 90 minute test duration.
Swifts cable trays and ladders – as well as Salamandre distribution trunking – from Legrand have now been successfully subjected to testing under the DIN 4102-12 standard.
If a stakeholder enquires about fire testing standards for cable management, it may be helpful to be able to discuss the additional reassurance the DIN 4102-12 standard can provide and describe the testing process itself.
The testing facility
To test to the DIN 4102-12 standard, a team from Legrand UK & Ireland visited a renowned specialist facility in Slovakia, where a concrete chamber was constructed in which to install our products.
The chamber itself was a little smaller than a shipping container and over the course of two days was installed with Legrand products ready to undergo testing. To ensure the conditions were as close as possible to real-world scenarios, Swifts ladders and trays, and Salamandre trunking were installed as you would see on an everyday UK construction project.
To simulate additional weight and load on the cable management systems, weighted chains were added to each run, ensuring the products were put through their paces during the fire test.
Electricians from the testing lab then ensured all cables were wired in correctly and connected to the facility’s monitoring and measurement equipment, before which they then closed up the chamber by completing the construction of the final brick wall (not forgetting to include a small, reinforced window for viewing).
Fired up
The test begins as six pipes shoot flame jets into the chamber, heating the Legrand installation and the surrounding air. For much of the test duration, we sit in the safety of the control room as we monitor the evolution of the test on PC screens.
Around half an hour into the test, the components inside the chamber are glowing white hot. Even from the safety of outside the chamber, the heat is impressive. Once the test reaches 120 minutes, the fire is shut off and the chamber left to cool naturally overnight. The next day we returned to the facility where the temperature in the testing
room is still uncomfortably hot and reviewed the post-test conditions.
In our tests, we have been pleased – but unsurprised – to see that not a single one of our cable trays, cable ladders or cable trunking have collapsed. There have been deformations of product, but each one was still robustly sat within their support trapezes.
As has been seen in tragic examples, in emergency fire situations, building occupants or members of the emergency services can become tangled in cables that have fallen as a result of failure of the building’s cable management systems due to fire damage. This is the situation we at Legrand are committed to helping our industry avoid. It is only through adhering to the highest standards – including DIN 4102-12 – that we can help create the safest environments for end users.
Commitment to customers
Putting our products through DIN testing is part of our commitment to reassuring our customers that Legrand’s cable management products are robust enough to adequately support cables during a fire event. By requesting to extend the test from the usual 90 minutes to 120, we have hopefully demonstrated that Legrand’s cable management products are safe, reliable and, where necessary, can support cables for two hours in an emergency event.
A successful project will always deliver the best safety standards as a bare minimum and it’s through this extended DIN testing that we can not only prove our products’ performance but provide construction managers and their customers with the reassurance that comes with fire testing that goes above and beyond.
Education and training
Legrand is encouraging professionals in the construction industry to be proactive about fire safety and stay on top of changes by taking advantage of the training and education opportunities available. Legrand is supporting the industry by offering several CPDs on fire safety, covering cable pathways, compliance and containment that can be completed free of charge via Legrand’s Training Academy. We also have a host of other resources freely available along with the CPDs, including Legrand’s guide: ‘Creating Cable Pathways’ – an explainer on ensuring cable management will not contribute to the spread of fire or premature collapse, and the ‘Fire Safety and Cable Management’ white paper.
The recently launched CPD seminar, ‘Premature collapse and fire rated containment’, evaluates the UK standards landscape as it applies to cable management systems. It discusses fire prevention, construction product regulations and wiring regulations and can be completed virtually or at Legrand’s training facilities in London or Birmingham. Undertaking CPDs such as the ones offered by Legrand can enhance and update knowledge of fire safety and what’s needed to minimise risk.
Regulatory change can occur at a fast pace, so it is vital that those responsible for safety and compliance stay abreast of fire safety issues. Time must be taken to get to grips with the standards they need to meet, the products available to them, and the tests those products have to pass.
Taking part in training will support contractors who wish to offer their clients peace of mind and clarity when it comes to the fire safety of their buildings.
