FAQ on CPD for Cables

FAQ on CPD for cables October 2007

Introduction

Cables are the nerve system of modern life.

They are essential for the transport of electricity and for the routing of all kinds of communications. Although often invisible, cables are present everywhere and in large quantities.

Conscious of their importance as regards safety in general and of their influence in case of fire in particular, the cable industry in its entirety, some time ago, took the strategic decision to invest in research to develop products which will contribute towards ever increasing safety. The process is still going on and brings new solutions every day.

Safety is a major concern for the European Authorities too. This is exemplified by the essential requirements imposed on the construction products:

“Safety in case of fire The construction works must be designed and built in such a way that in the event of an outbreak of fire: - the load-bearing capacity of the construction can be assumed for a specific period of time, - the generation and spread of fire and smoke within the works are limited. - the spread of the fire to neighbouring construction works is limited, - occupants can leave the works or be rescued by other means. - the safety of rescue teams is taken into consideration”

Recently the EU Commission has recognized the importance of the cables as regards their reaction to fire (*) and added a classification dedicated to that within the Construction Products Directive. This decision has been published in the EU Official Journal dated 27th Oct 2006.

As can be expected for such a complex decision at the European level, the implementation of the directive will take time. Meanwhile, The European Cable Industry, through its association Europacable, has committed to keeping all stake holders (**) up-to-date with the development of the situation.

Let us see in some questions and answers what the situation is today and what its evolution will be.

(*)The response of a product in contributing by its own decomposition to a fire to which it is exposed (**) primarily cable users, installers and distributors, and also other parties involved such as local authorities, architects, etc…

FAQ on CPD for cables Page 1/4 1. What is CPD? What has it got to do with wiring and cabling?

The Construction Products Directive was published by the EC in 1989. Its purpose is the removal of technical barriers between EU Member States in the construction field for products used in buildings and civil works. It identifies six essential requirements against which products may be assessed. Wires and cables are mainly concerned by the second Requirement, which is “Safety in case of fire” (1), which includes reaction to fire and resistance to fire.

2. What is reaction to fire? Is it the same as resistance to fire?

Reaction to fire concerns what happens when a cable burns. Under the CPD, it is assessed on real size cable samples in terms of the amount of heat released, the spread of flames, the emission of smoke and release of flaming droplets/particles and acidity. These parameters are used to gauge to what extent the cables may contribute to the development of a fire. For cables, the Directive sets out different classes of Reaction to Fire performance in a table called “Classes of reaction-to-fire performance of electric cables” (hereafter referred to as ‘the Euroclass Table’).

The Euroclass Table defines seven classes (A, B1, B2, C, D, E, and F). Heat release and flame spread are the main classification criterion, but smoke production, flaming droplets and acidity are also classified.

Resistance to fire is the term used to describe how long a cable continues to operate in a fire. This may be of primary concern, for instance, in life safety installations. The Resistance-to-Fire performance of cables is indicated in terms of survival time. The times are 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes of operation in a standardized fire condition.

3. Which cables are actually covered by the CPD, and for which applications? Which cables require certification?

All cables that are permanently incorporated (fixed installation) into a building – whether residential, or commercial, or industrial – and into other civil works are covered by the CPD. This includes power cables of any rated voltage, as well as communication cables with metal and glass (optical fibre) conductors. For cables installed in works where National Regulations prescribe a specific Classification, conformity to Standards must be certified.

“(1) Safety in case of fire The construction works must be designed and built in such a way that in the event of an outbreak of fire: - the load-bearing capacity of the construction can be assumed for a specific period of time, - the generation and spread of fire and smoke within the works are limited. - the spread of the fire to neighbouring construction works is limited, - occupants can leave the works or be rescued by other means. - the safety of rescue teams is taken into consideration”

FAQ on CPD for cables Page 2/4 4. Is this Euroclass Table official? How will this table be applied?

The Euroclass Table of Reaction to Fire of cables was officially published as Decision n° 2006/751/CE published in the EC Official Journal on 27 October 2006. (The Resistance to fire classification was made official in Decision n° 2000/367/EC)

The mandatory application of these Decisions in Member States requires four conditions:  That the relevant National Authorities transpose the classifications in their National Regulations  That the National Regulations indicate which class is applicable in which application  That the necessary standards are issued under Mandate of the Commission and published in the European Official Journal  That the National Authorities notify the Commission the Approval Bodies (third party) approved for the Certification of the particular product.

This process will take time as it will require consultation at various levels and preparation and publication of a number of supporting standards. Until this happens, there can be no regulatory requirement to use product certified in accordance with the Euroclass table.

5. But what is going to happen in practice? What does this mean for the future?

In practice, there needs to be clarity regarding products.

The Euroclass Table sets out very specific tests to determine the performance to be fulfilled by a product to belong in a particular Class.

In order to allow the Certification of a given product according to the Euroclass Tables, a standard must be created by CENELEC on mandate from the Commission. Once this has been done certified products will become available, which will carry CE Marking under the CPD together with a declaration of the achieved Euroclass. Until then, no other marking referring to the CPD will be valid, and any reference suggesting that a cable is ‘CPD approved’ or the like will be incorrect and misleading.

6. Does this mean that today it is impossible to buy any CPD compliant cable?

The framework to certify whether any cable on the market is ‘CPD compliant’ is under development. Work is in progress to have tests conducted to establish how existing cables perform using the fire tests that underpin the Euroclass categories, and cable manufacturers will undoubtedly conduct such tests as part of the process leading to the development of cables meeting the various Euroclasses.

The results of such tests however cannot be used to validate any kind of ‘CPD compliance’. Therefore until CENELEC has completed its work, new standards have been issued, certification bodies notified and new products released and certified accordingly, there will be no such thing as a CPD “CE” marked cable on the market.

FAQ on CPD for cables Page 3/4 7. How will we know that these certified products are fit for purpose?

The Commission has decided that for all the higher performance classes (A, B1, B2, and C), cables require the so called ‘1 + Attestation of Conformity System’. This requires an accredited third party certification organisation to carry out initial type testing and assessment of factory production control, as well as subsequent continuous surveillance including the verification of samples taken at the factory or from the marketplace.

This certification system will help ensure that key parameters affecting safety in the use of cables in fire conditions are properly controlled.

8. How long will it take before these products are available? What happens in the meantime?

The tasks described above are indeed going to take some time to complete. For the moment, the existing products will continue to be used as before.

9. If fire performance products are already available, what are the CPD and new rules and regulations going to contribute?

The Euroclass Table finally takes into account the entire behaviour of cables in fire, dynamically measured against time on real size samples. This is an important step forward in fire safety and allows National Authorities to treat cables in a similar manner to other construction products already covered by the CPD.

Euroclass Table classes are likely to become a standard feature of building regulations in Europe, though they are likely to be applied differently across the EU. Indeed each country, under the principle of subsidiarity, will decide how these classes are to be used in its construction standards and/or regulations. It should be noted that it is not mandatory for classification to be introduced into National regulations; some countries may take the decision to address this issue in other ways.

These classes will however certainly become a point of reference as, whatever their application, they will be common to all countries. The performance level of the products that will eventually be certified under the classes will be clearly understood by all European decision makers. The products brought to market will comply with strenuous testing requirements, and continue to ensure that the safety of persons, animals and goods in fire hazards is protected as much as possible.

10. How will I be informed of further progress with the CPD?

Europacable and its members will endeavour to ensure that regular communication is maintained throughout the electro-technical and construction industries regarding progress achieved in this process.

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