WCA September 2013

2.1.4 Electrical Fire Safety (27) Report issued by the US Fire Safety Administration The Problem : During a typical year, home electrical problems account for 26,100 fires and more than $2 billion in property losses. About half of all residential electrical fires involve electrical wiring. Statistically, December and January are the most dangerous months for electrical fires. Fire deaths are highest in winter months with more indoor activities, and increases in lighting, heating, and appliance use. The bedroom is the leading area of fire origin for residential building electrical fires. However, electrical fires that begin in the living room/family room/den areas result in the most deaths. The Causes of Electrical Fires : Most electrical distribution fires result from problems with “fixed wiring” such as faulty electrical outlets and old wiring. Problems with cords (such as extension and appliance cords), plugs, receptacles, and switches also cause many home electrical fires. Light fixtures and lamps/light bulbs are also leading causes of electrical fires. Many avoidable electrical fires can be traced to misuse of electric cords. These include overloaded circuits, poor maintenance, and running the cords under rugs or in high traffic areas for example. 2.1.5 Marketing Considerations Standards are necessary for business success. Having people who are standards experts in your organisation is essential. Many of our cable businesses are international. Therefore companies need standards experts who are intimately familiar with several national standards. New materials must meet the same performance criteria of developed materials, and receive temperature ratings based upon standards performance protocols such as relative thermal index. The issued standard creates a level performance playing field for manufacturers. This enables companies to act by investing in product development resources (28) . 3 Standards Development Organizations (SDO) • ASTM International develops both Standard Test Methods and Product Standards • UL and CSA related to the respective country National Electric Code in the US and Canada • Insulated Conductor Engineers Association • ISO and IEC, discussed previously • Other international organisations include GB/T (China), NOM (Mexico), and BS (Great Britain) ASTM International is a globally recognised leader in the development and delivery of international voluntary consensus standards (29) . Today, some 12,000 ASTM standards are used around the world to improve product quality, enhance safety, facilitate market access and trade, and build consumer confidence.

Test

Type Test

Test Comment

Measures ignition temperature of plastics Percent of oxygen needed to sustain flame

D1929 (17)

Ignition Temperature

D2863 (18)

Oxygen Index

Vertical flame, extinguishing characteristics

D3801 (19)

Extinguishing

Ignition of material by hot wire sources Vertical cable tray smoke measurement Cone calorimeter corrosion test Heat release, flame spread, mass loss

D3874 (20)

Ignition

D5424 (21)

Smoke

D5485 (22)

Corrosion

D5537 (23)

Fire Load

E 662 (24)

Smoke Spread

Amount of smoke

UL 1685 (25)

Cable Vertical Tray Vertical tray fire spread, smoke release

UL 2196 (26) Fire Resistive Cable Tests for fire resistive cable, (fire stop) ❍ ❍ Table 1 : Standards examples of ASTM and UL wire and cable fire and smoke tests (7) ASTM’s leadership in international standards develop- ment is driven by the contributions of its members, who include more than 30,000 of the world’s top technical experts and business professionals representing 135 countries. Working in an open and transparent process and using ASTM’s advanced electronic infrastructure, ASTM members deliver the test methods, specifications, guides, and practices that support industries and products worldwide. UL and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) undertake development of safety standards (7) in the United States and Canada, respectively. These two organisations make a significant contribution to the national electrical code of their country. In the United States, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) issues the National Electric Code. Materials suppliers and cable manufacturers can propose changes to the UL and CSA standards and subsequently obtain changes in the national electrical code. This occurs after demonstrating that new materials or cables product meet rigorous and demanding performance capability. For North America, UL and CSA have a significant stake in assuring the safety of products that provide expected performance.

105

www.read-wca.com

Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2007 13