FEATURE PROCESS SAFETY
The hidden hazard behind electrical fires in the UK
ARC FAULTS S
ociety’s growing reliance on technology means electrical fire safety in both homes
and commercial and industrial buildings has become increasingly important. It may be surprising to learn that in 2015-16 over 54 per cent of fires in England had an electrical origin, according to data collected by the Home Office. Despite regulation around safety measures
increasing, the Home Office reported electrical fire-related incidences resulted in 1,380 fatalities and injuries across England over this same period. That is an average of 27 a week and four a day. But this does not have to be the case, because most electrical fires are preventable.
ARC FAULTS: A SILENT DANGER A common, yet often overlooked cause of electrical fires are arc faults, and they present a very real threat to commercial and industrial buildings. Arc faults, which are incidences of electric micro lightning, can develop quietly over time without any obvious warning signs. A number of factors, including faulty appliances, bent wires or plugs, wires crushed by furniture, broken cables, loose connections or contacts, exposure to rodent bites or UV rays, can cause arc faults. Arc faults could also arise from ageing or pressure placed on installation cables due to increased usage. The UK-based National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) reported that when it comes to causes of electrically ignited fires in the
In this article, John Robb, segment director Commercial & Industrial Buildings EMEA, Eaton, explains why arc fault prevention technologies must move from a ‘nice to have’ to a compulsory requirement for all buildings
home, arc faults outnumber overheating by at least two-to-one and possibly as much as seven-to-one. The high incidence rates of arc faults are likely because they are a hidden danger. This is due to a lack of awareness and the common belief that traditional circuit breakers provide full protection against electrocution and protect equipment from arc faults. This is not the case. Aside from the human cost, commercial fires
can have significant financial ramifications when you take into account wider costs like building repairs, insurance payments, lost inventory or revenue due to fire. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA) estimated that 60 per cent of private businesses never recover from a fire. With so much at stake, it is clear those in
charge of managing commercial buildings must prioritise the safety of electrical installations in order to reduce the risk of fire and ensure the protection of the organisation, and more importantly, the people who use the building.
REDUCING THE RISK OF ARC FAULTS Arc fault detection devices (AFDD) provide the best defence against electrical fires. They digitally monitor the wire for specific frequencies that can indicate an arc fault, and then trip the device before the arc can grow and cause a problem. AFDDs can be installed alongside traditional circuit devices like residual current devices
Arc fault detection devices digitally monitor the wire for specific frequencies that can indicate an arc fault. These can help prevent loss of life by tripping devices before arcs can grow
(RCDs), which use a balance transformer to detect earth faults, and miniature circuit breakers (MCBs), which use thermal and magnetic detection to identify short circuit and over-current hazards. New technologies combine AFDDs, MCBs and RCDs in one device, offering building managers and owners better fire protection and increased peace of mind. Low-voltage distribution panels, which sit at
the centre of a building’s electrical infrastructure, face a high-level of demand from all the power needs across the building. This inevitably continues to grow over time, as devices get more powerful, and people connect more appliances to the mains. Despite the resulting risk of electrically ignited fires in these scenarios, AFDD’s are not mandatory across all of Europe. Rather, they are only recommended by the international standard IEC 60364 (Part 4-42). In July 2018, the UK’s IET Wiring Regulations Eighteenth Edition introduced a new regulation recommending the installation of arc fault detection devices (AFDDs) to mitigate the risk of fire due to the effects of arc fault currents. In places, like the UK, where AFDD is not
compulsory in commercial buildings, the level of fire safety comes down to the knowledge of individual building managers, installers and electricians. Installers and electricians, in particular, have a responsibility to go beyond the minimum requirements by continually staying updated on the latest technologies and sharing information across the industry that will ultimately protect buildings and the people within them. As our electricity consumption continues to
increase, arc fault prevention technologies must move from a ‘nice to have’ to a compulsory requirement for all buildings. If we are to have any success, we need strategic fire prevention policies that include technologies like AFDD to help prevent loss of life and the increasingly high human and financial ramifications caused by electrical fires.
Eaton 16 SPRING 2020 | INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE
www.eaton.com
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