New cabling regulations to affect fire and security systems manufacturers, distributors and installers, BSIA warns

As of 1st July 2017, only cable compliant with European standard EN 50575:2014 can be sold for use in installed fire and security systems, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) warns. This follows a 12 month transition period, after the standard for power, control and communication cables was added to the list of standards called up by the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) on 1st July 2016.

According to the BSIA, the change will affect all manufacturers and distributors that supply cable products with an intended use for permanent installation in buildings and construction works within Europe. The new standard introduces new testing and certification requirements in relation to the performance of the cables in ‘reaction to fire’. Under the CPR, cabling will need to be accompanied by a Declaration of Performance (DoP) and a CE marking.

As well as affecting manufacturers and distributors, security installers will also be directly affected by the new regulation, as the cables covered by the standard are those intended to be used for the supply of electricity and communications for fixed installations, with the aim of limiting the generation and spread of fire and smoke. Cables affected by the new standard include power cables, control and communication cables and optical fibre cables. At present, the CPR relates to two essential requirements, often referred to as Basic Requirements of Construction Works (BRCW) – reaction to fire and reaction to dangerous substances.

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