Changes in BS7671 18th Edition announced!

Announced today: Thu 1 Mar 18 The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the British Standards Institution (BSI) have just announced the forthcoming change to to BS7671 IET Wiring Regulations (18^th Edition). In what they have called significant changes, a range of changes across the regulations have been confirmed including Chapter 46 Devices for isolation and switching and Chapter 53 Protection, isolation, switching, control and monitoring. As had been rumoured, Chapter 52 Selection and erection of wiring systems 201 which give requirements for the methods of support of wiring systems in escape routes, has been replaced by a new Regulation. The IET/BSI release statement noted the following:

Regulation 521.10.202 requires cables to be adequately supported against their premature collapse in the event of a fire. This applies throughout the installation and not just in escape routes.
Regulation 522.8.10 concerning buried cables has been modified to include an exception for SELV cables.
Regulation 527.1.3 has also been modified, and a note added stating that cables also need to satisfy the requirements of the CPR in respect of their reaction to fire.

What part can LINIAN play in this? LINIAN invented and manufacture a range of LINIAN Fire Clips. Their product range was originally designed to meet the requirements for fire resistant cable fixings on fire alarm systems in accordance with BS5839 - meeting recommendations for Fire Rated Cable Fixings in Escape Routes BS7671 Amendment 3. However, one of LINIAN’s main advantages is that their products are multi-purpose for an array of solutions and as such are suitable for installing both electrical and fire alarm cables. Recent regulatory changes have expanded the use of the product to all cable types and because of these changes, LINIAN is busy creating more products to accommodate larger cables to satisfy the demand of the installer market. The current legislation (BS7671 Amendment 3) requires the use of Metal Cable Fixings in escape routes. This new legislation (which comes into effect from 1 January 2019) will make it compulsory to use metal cable fixings within the whole installation and not only on fire resistant cables. Many engineers and installers may now be wondering how to meet these standards while maintaining their margins and making the most efficient use of their time. LINIAN is a progressive Research & Development centred cable management business from Glasgow, Scotland who have developed a solution that not only complies with the standards but also SAVES the installers time. Through years of perfection, the LINIAN Fire Clip offers a neat and speedy installation without the use of screws or wall plugs, nail guns or screwdrivers. Simply drill a hole and insert the clip by hand. Ian Arbuckle, Managing Director at LINIAN said: ‘We continually review honest and relevant feedback from end users to make sure we provide the most innovative and sought-after products on the market. It’s also vital that we keep up to date with the most current legislation in the fire protection sector and this is a very significant change that we can assist engineers and installers with. Last year we brought a new product to market, following a considerably high volume of requests from customers – the new 9-11m double enhanced LINIAN Fire Clip. The success of which we are absolutely delighted with. Our research and development team are currently working on a range of new faster, safer and simpler products due to be released later this year so watch this space!’. LINIAN Fire Clips are tested in accordance with BS50200 and DIN4102-12 (the standards that Fire Rated Soft Skin cables are tested to) to give the installer the peace of mind that the cable fixings are as robust as any fire rated cable installation whether the cable is required to be fire rated or not. In a market where no other cost-effective solutions are readily available, LINIAN Fire Clips are the future of compliant cable installations. Installation of the LINIAN Fire Clip in 3 easy steps:

Drill 5.5mm diameter hole into the required material
Slide the LINIAN Clip over the cable, so that it is seated in the rounded area
Compress the LINIAN Clips legs and simply insert into the hold by hand

The LINIAN Fire Clip is:

Multi-purpose: suitable for a wide range of electrical, alarm and data cabling
Three times faster to install than traditional methods
Expertly designed to save time, money and lives
Compliant with the recommendations for Fire Rated Cable Fixings BS 7671 Amendment 3

The LINIAN Fire Clip also meets the following standards:

Compliant with BS 5839
Independently fire rated tested to 120 minutes (British Standard) and 90 minutes (EU)
Burn tested with a melting point of >1000 degrees Celsius
Pull out or tensile load equal to 244 newtons = one bag of cement

Product Range With over 20 products in the range, LINIAN offers a variety of Single and Double LINIAN Fire Clips. The full list of changes to BS 7671 can be found here