Q1 of 5 Cable Management Questions - Which regulations relate to cable management?

BS 7671:2018, the 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations, includes several cable management regulations. It states wiring systems must be selected and erected to avoid during installation, use and maintenance, damage to the sheath or insulation of cables and their terminations (522.8.1).

In addition, BS 7671 states all cables and conductors must be supported in such a way that the level of mechanical strain which naturally exists will not cause either the cable/conductor or the terminations to be compromised (522.8.5). Furthermore, all cable supports and enclosures shall not have sharp edges liable to damage the wiring system, and cable/conductors are not to be damaged by the means of fixing (522.8.11 & 522.8.12). It is important, therefore, that care is taken when selecting for use supports that are appropriate for the cable/conductors.

After several tragedies, Regulation 521.11.201 (AMD 3 BS 7671: 2008) was introduced; its purpose being to limit the risk to firefighters from entanglement by cables when they entered or exited a premises.

This regulation has since been renumbered as 521.10.202 but remains essentially the same except for the removal of any reference to escape routes. It now reads: “Wiring systems shall be supported such that they will not be liable to premature collapse in the event of a fire.”

This requirement should not be confused with the recommendations of standards like BS 5266-1 (emergency lighting) and BS 5839-1 (fire detection and fire alarm systems), which recommend methods of cable support to maintain circuit integrity during a fire.

For more information, check out our SGTV episode on Cable Management Systems at https://youtu.be/9qdwKzCJm6Q