• • • NEWS • • •
utting through, or moving, live electricity cables is a job for the experts – that’s the warning from an electricity firm today after its engineers discovered live cables dumped in a wheelie bin. UK Power Networks’ teams have seen an increase in the number of live electric cables being left in a dangerous state, for example hanging from a fence, tacked onto a piece of wood and in a recent case live cabling was found dumped in a wheelie bin where it could kill someone. A range of free safety advice is available including reminders to always plan work, use cable avoidance tools and employ professional electricians to complete tasks.
Last year the number of incidents of interfering with the electricity network tripled. Between April 2022 and March 2023 there have been more than
Safety warning after live cables left hanging around C
1,000 instances of interference across London, the East and South East of England. Electricity surveyor Chris Slattery attends properties where customers have requested alterations to their electricity service, a new connection or an upgrade. He said: “A lot of the jobs have to be reported as dangerous or unsafe because a customer has had a power cable moved. Many customers say they didn’t know the live cables couldn’t be moved by anyone, others say they knew someone who would do it cheaply.
Education and engagement advisor Ros Forbes regularly speaks at industry events to remind site workers to work safely. She said: “The sort of situations that have been discovered, have the potential to cause life changing injuries – or even death.”
Armorduct joins BEAMA
RS unveils Better World product range of more sustainable products
R A
rmorduct, a manufacturer of standard and bespoke cable management systems, has joined BEAMA to help develop the trade
association’s next best practice guide for cable containment design, specification and installation. Dave Taylor, technical manager for Armorduct, said: “This next best practice guide will be a significant document because since the last version in 2014 there have some big changes in the standards. “Large volumes of cabling run through buildings to provide both electrical and data connections but the heat of fire can cause cable housings to fail and hidden cables to fall and become a hazard.” Mr Taylor continued: “Since 2019 you have to adequately support all cables using non-combustible fixings to prevent premature collapse in the event of a fire, not just those on escape routes. “It means that specifiers and installers must select high quality products that will perform if there is a fire. This guide will provide advice on preventing such premature collapse.”
Armorduct will also be involved in two further working groups as part of the cable management cable tray and trunking group. One will be involved in product fire resistance testing and the other in the development of the revised product standard BS EN 50085. Mr Taylor said: “As a proud British manufacturer we felt that it was vital to be involved in developing best practice and also in setting future standards and regulations for cable management products. “Power and data are vital for an efficient and safe workplace and it is important that containment systems provide a safe and reliable means of getting it to where it is needed. As such we are delighted to be joining BEAMA and adding our voice to those of other responsible manufacturers to help maintain standards in modern installations.”
S Group has announced the launch of its Better World product range, which it said would make it easier for customers to make more informed purchasing decisions based on the sustainability credentials of products. In addition, a major focus of the range will be on products that save energy or water and cut CO2 emissions, thereby helping its customers to reduce their environmental impacts and help tackle climate change. To achieve this, RS is working closely with its 2,500 global supplier partners to highlight the latest innovative cleaner and greener product solutions as part of the range.
RS said that over the coming year, it will further develop its model to recognise multiple improvements in sustainability at different stages of
the product lifecycle. The ultimate aim being that it will offer tens of thousands more products that are both made more sustainably and help customers lower their environmental impacts. Christian Horn, chief product and supply chain officer at RS, said: “Sustainability is a top priority for our customers. They want to purchase trusted products that are sustainably and responsibly made, and which help them to reduce their energy, water or resource consumption. “But we know it can be hard to understand which products really are the best or the ‘greener’ choice – the Better World product range will make it easier for our customers to be informed and select products that will help them design, build, maintain and protect their business more sustainably and safely.”
10 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • MAY 2023
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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