Q&A
with Financial Controller Sharon and the Accounts Department
Left to right :- Sharon Woolston, Marnie Wennington, Simon Palmer and David Keene
How many of you are there in the
accounts department?
There are four of us in the team – David
Keene the Financial Director, Marnie
Wennington, Simon Palmer and myself.
What do you all do?
We each have our own specific areas
of responsibility. Marnie looks after the
Sales Ledger including credit control
and ISO9000. Simon handles invoicing,
some call-off orders and is currently on
a three year training course for a
professional accounting qualification.
I take care of the Bought Ledger (paying
our suppliers) payroll and HR admin.
We also look after FSC Global, the
export side of the business. We try to
understand each others jobs so we can
cover during holidays to ensure
everything gets done. It also keeps
things interesting.
Cable Approvals Update
Following on from the article in the last
issue entitled ‘Use Approved Cable or
Die’, BASEC wrote to us to provide
more information on testing and
approvals. They do visit BASEC
approved manufacturers several times
a year and test samples from
production and stock to ensure
compliance.
Both BASEC and FS Cables are
committed to ensuring high quality
products are available to the UK market
and providing information to help you
make informed purchasing decisions.
There is unfortunately a real lack of
understanding in the industry
surrounding standards and approvals
and buyers and specifiers need to be
confident the products they are buying
What about your own role?
I make sure we pay suppliers the right
amount and on time. I work closely with
our purchasing team so I get to hear of
any problems early on, although we
rarely have disputes.
The purchasing people talk to the
factories until the problems are
resolved. We rely very heavily on our
suppliers so it’s only right we pay them
on time.
What about the payroll and HR?
We employ about 35 people and
I handle the monthly payroll and HR
administration. Most of the time it’s
pretty straightforward but occasionally
it gets complicated by things like
maternity pay where it seems
entitlement is constantly changing.
We use the government websites a lot.
are fit for purpose. Independent
national bodies such as BASEC
and other third party verification
bodies play an important
role in this. Please visit
www.basec.org.uk for
more information.
To order
the new little
red book -
return the
reply card
Alban Point, Alban Park, Hatfield Road, St. Albans, Herts AL4 0JX
General Sales: 01727 840 841
Fax: 01727 840 842
www.fscables.com
sales@fscables.com
You said Marnie looks after the
credit control and the ISO9000 – do
they go well together?
In a word – yes. Most ISO9000 issues
also impact on a customer’s account,
so if Marnie is aware of them she
can ensure the paperwork flows
smoothly. Most returns are due to
customers changing their requirements,
but we also make mistakes - normally
sales entry or picking errors although
we work hard to keep these to a
minimum. By monitoring these errors
Marnie can provide detailed information
on which areas we need to improve on.
Is credit control becoming more
difficult?
Yes, it is certainly becoming more time
consuming with some customers.
Fortunately we’ve got a core of
customers who pay like clockwork.
Some companies however both large
and small, delay payment. Marnie’s job
is to ensure we get paid as soon as
possible while still leaving the customer
happy.
Putting people on stop, or court action,
are things we do very reluctantly. Most
problems stem from customers not
taking calls or trying to fob us off.
It rarely works!
Tell me more about Simon’s
training?
Simon joined us in January 2006 and
enrolled in a three year AAT
(Association of Accounting Technicians)
course starting that September.
Little Red Book Issue 9
As we go to press, the finishing touches
are being made to issue 9 of ‘The Little
Red Book’. Expanded to 128 pages a
whole host of products are
now included.
With details of many popular
yet sometimes seen as
specialist cables, ‘The Little Red
Book’ has just got bigger. BS5308
control and instrumentation cables make
OEM Sales: 01727 849 801
Contractor Sales: 01727 849 802
Credit Control: 01727 849 827
Purchasing: 01727 849 805
Marketing: 01727 849 806
It covers a range of subjects including
cash management, final accounts and
taxation and is one day a week at West
Herts College in Watford. Just before we
went to print we were delighted to hear
that he successfully passed his second
years’ exams. One more year to go!
Simon looks after the call-off
orders? Surely that’s a sales job?
We’re all here to look after our
customers and this is a great way of
understanding how important the sales
role can be. Some days Simon will
receive instructions to dispatch cable
and connectors to multiple destinations
to arrive at specific times the following
day. If for any reason that doesn’t
happen our customer would have
people waiting around and this would
cause unnecessary inconvenience.
Simon makes sure goods arrive when
they want them to!
FSC Global Ltd is the export side of
the business, does this take up
much time?
Increasingly so, it’s growing rapidly and
will constitute over a quarter of the
turnover of both companies. We supply
cable all over the world so we are
dealing in many currencies and with
many Letters of Credit.
The individual order size is considerably
larger than in the UK so we have to be
ultra careful that the paperwork is ‘spot
on’ otherwise the shipment could be held
in customs for weeks or even months.
an appearance for the first time as do PV
(photovoltaic) cables for solar panels.
A new section on rail cables and
expanded details on armouring and
oversheathing contain even more useful
information.
Other popular features have been
retained such as the Belden page finder
for cross reference and revised
technical tables to comply with the
17th edition wiring regulations. Also
included are a handy AWG / Metric
converter, stranding charts and guides to
American, European and UK colour
codes.
To be among the first to receive your copy
hot off the press, simply return the pre-
paid reply card enclosed with this issue
and we’ll have it to you in the next week
or two.
17th Edition Wiring Regulations
Confused by the new wiring regulations? Safe-T-Shield hits the nail right on the head
The 17th Edition Wiring Regulations
BS7671: 2008 set by the Institute of
Electrical Engineers (IEE) came into
effect on July 1st 2008 and have
important implications for the electrical
installer. The IEE represents the
professional voice of electrical engineers
and sets the standards and regulations
for safe installation of electrical and
electronic equipment.
According to the Health and Safety Executive
about 1000 electrical accidents at work are
reported annually and about 25 people die of
their injuries. The IEE regulations have an
important role to play in setting standards
for safety and accident prevention.
A key issue tackled by the latest revisions is
clause 522.6 – the danger of accidentally
piercing concealed cables when nailing or
drilling into walls. Many new buildings
now favour shallow mounting in partition
walls and this can pose risks of shock for
installers and end users if a cable is
penetrated, for example when cladding
studwork, fixing sanitaryware or simply
hanging a picture.
In light of this, the IEE has revised the wiring
regulations for cables concealed in a wall or
partition at depths of less than 50mm. These
cables must now either: be enclosed in an
earthed conduit, trunking or duct; have
sufficient mechanical protection to withstand
penetration from nails or screws; be installed
in a ‘protected zone’ (within 150mm from an
edge of the wall or partition); or lastly,
The
Move to
St Albans
A view
from the
warehouse floor
+++ Metal Prices +++ Metal Prices +++ Metal Prices +++
8th September 2008
COPPER £3,962.14
ALUMINIUM £1,475.86
SILVER £6.85
NICKEL £10,606.53
All prices per 1000kg except silver per oz. Exchange rates apply at time of trade
+++ Metal Prices +++ Metal Prices +++ Metal Prices +++
from
incorporate an earthed metallic covering
which will trip a circuit breaker if penetrated.
Safe-T-Shield has been specifically
developed to meet clause 522.6, offering a
tough yet flexible alternative to an armoured
cable, and faster, cheaper installations when
compared to conduits or trunking.
Safe-T-Shield features a heavy aluminium
tape which is in constant contact with the
earthed CPC wire. If the cable should be
pierced, the circuit breaker will trip, reducing
the risk of personal injury.
As well as conforming to the standards of the
new 2008 IEE wiring regulations and the
obvious safety benefits for installers and end
users, there are substantial savings to be
made in installation costs.
Due to its compact design, Safe-T-Shield is
lighter and smaller than a traditional SWA
cable which could also be used to meet
clause 522.6. It is also faster and easier to
install than small armoured cables or
conduit. It is estimated that cost savings of
up to 40 % can be achieved.
As a result, Safe-T-Shield is proving to be an
extremely popular fixed wiring solution for a
range of applications.
Retail installations are common, with the
cable being run along trays in ceiling voids.
Its lightweight construction and savings on
space make it an attractive option for
installers in these environments.
10th March 2008 Change %
£4,165.43 -4.88%
£1,536.74 -3.96%
£9.74 -29.68%
£16,168.30 -34.40%
Summer 2008 Issue 5
Safe-T-Shield reduces the risk of shock upon impact where cables are concealed
in walls or partitions at depths of less than 50mm
Additionally, the benefits of being Low
Smoke Halogen Free (LSHF) throughout
make Safe-T-Shield ideal for installations
where the evacuation of people or property
could be slowed. Hospitals, shopping
centres, prisons, tunnels and airports are just
some examples of areas where rapid
evacuation is not always possible in the
event of fire and where toxic fumes pose the
greatest threat.
These Low Smoke Halogen Free properties
make Safe-T-Shield also ideal for computer
room environments which are another area
where toxic fumes can be disastrous.
When Hydrogen Chloride gas is produced it
coats everything it comes into contact with,
for example circuit boards, in a thin corrosive
film. Over a period of time this can cause
random, unpredictable failure.
Our recent move to St. Albans from London
Colney took the efforts of the whole
company. All staff lent a hand as we
successfully relocated approximately three
miles up the road to a new 55,000 sq. ft
premises. Wired spoke to Warehouse
Manager Kevin Rainbow about his take on
how things went.
Kevin Rainbow: We had been in our
previous premises for just over seven years
and had identified the need for additional
space for some time. None of the neighbours
Continued on page 3
As well as offering mechanical protection, the
heavy aluminium barrier also acts as a
screen – greatly reducing electromagnetic
interference making it the right choice where
EMC is a priority.
Available in 2, 3 and 4 cores, from 1.5mm2
to 6.0mm2, Safe-T-Shield is supplied on
either 100m or 500m reels with a free cut to
length service available on larger lengths.
White is standard but we are also stocking a
black 2 core + earth 1.5mm2 version.
For more information, samples or datasheets,
please call and speak the sales team on
01727 840 841.
More information on the 17th edition wiring
regulations can be found online at
www.theiet.org
In this issue
•
•
•
17th Edition Wiring Regs
The move to St. Albans
What's in a Cable? - Part 3
•
•
Cat-5 duct grade and SWA
Q&A with Sharon Woolston
• The Little Red Book issue 9
• Exhibition review
• In Brief
• Editorial
 In Brief
LSF vs LSHF
Some customers are opting for LSF cable
(Low Smoke and Fume) over standard PVC
cable and as a result we are stocking many of
the popular alternatives to Belden style cables
in LSF. The compounds now widely used in
the market are modified PVC which still emit
poisonous halogens and smoke - just slightly
less of them.
If you buy these products from us or another
supplier please remember they are PVC
based and should be regarded as only slightly
better than standard PVC in the event
of a fire.
In the case of public buildings, areas
containing electronics, or anywhere difficult
to evacuate quickly, you will still need to
choose LSHF cables. They may cost more, but
cheap parachutes which won’t open don’t
represent value for money.
Copper
Although there have been recent falls in
the world copper market these have been
somewhat offset by the weaker pound as
copper is priced in US Dollars on the world
market. Further falls are likely should the
economic slowdown spread worldwide.
Another big influence on cable prices in the
short term is likely to be the current price
of oil which is used in many insulation and
sheathing compounds.
LSHF -
Prysmian join
the debate
We’re extremely pleased that Prysmian
have joined the debate on LSF vs LSHF
(http://tinyurl.com/fsc-lshf ). It is vital
that both specifiers and installers know
what they are buying and the limitations
of the product. If you would like
more information on LSHF cables please
visit www.fscables.com/lshf.php
Correction
In the last issue we dealt with insulation
materials. We used the term thermosetting
compounds when we should have used
thermoplastic. A thermoplastic material is
one that melts and upon cooling, reforms
in its original state - for example PVC.
Apologies for the error, unfortunately it got
through to print before it was spotted.
What’s in a Cable?
Part 3 - The Laying
up Process
Cat-5 Armoured and
Duct Grade in stock
Cat-5 armoured and duct grade available from stock
External data applications for Cat-5 cables
are increasing all the time and so are the
physical demands that these cables are
being asked to cope with. Long gone are
the days when cables were simply
contained in trunking around offices or
under suspended floors.
The FS Cables range of tough, outdoor Cat-
5 cables is designed to withstand most
things an external installation can throw at
it. Cat-5 is now frequently being used to
carry data from CCTV, BMS, environmental
loggers and other external applications.
Nowadays it’s not uncommon for cable to be
clipped externally to masts or buildings or
pulled through concrete ducts. Even direct
burial is not unheard of - although not
necessarily recommended.
FS Cables duct grade or outdoor version has
a hefty polyethylene waterproof jacket
protecting the standard PVC inner sheath
making it easy to strip and terminate. The
overall diameter is increased to a massive
8.6mm making it a truly robust cable.
The armoured version uses the substantial
duct grade as a base with additional 0.9mm
solid galvanised steel wires laid helically
around the cable. This is cased in a heavy
waterproof polyethylene jacket to provide
possibly the toughest Cat-5 cable around.
Both the armoured and duct grade versions
are stocked in 1000m lengths with the usual
FS Cables ‘cut to length service’ offered to
reduce your wastage.
This instalment of “What’s in a Cable”
covers the process of laying up. This
process is used to create the core
bundle once the conductors have been
insulated.
In a simple cable two cores can be laid next
to each other and have a jacket extruded
over them. However, in many two core
cables and all multicore cables it is normal
practice to twist the cores together. This has
a number of benefits. Firstly, it improves
flexibility with each core taking the same
amount of stress as the others. Additional
benefits include easier production (by
keeping the cores together as they pass
through the jacketing extruder) and better
cable uniformity.
Multicore cables have a number of cores
twisted together to form the core bundle.
The ideal core bundle is circular and to
achieve this, dummy or blind cores may be
added. These cores contain no metallic
elements and just act as fillers. In cables
with 12 cores or more, the cores will be
arranged in layers with each layer twisted
in opposite directions. This ensures the
finished cable has the best chance of
remaining circular even if driven over or
trodden on.
Cores can also be arranged into pairs,
triples or quads. This is common for data,
signal and instrumentation applications.
By twisting the cores to form pairs the
problem of crosstalk is reduced. Crosstalk
Exhibition
Review
IFSEC, the International Fire & Security
Exhibition was held in Birmingham NEC for
four days in May. The array of products on
show was mind-blowing with everything
from the humble padlock to the latest in anti-
terrorist equipment.
At our stand, FS Cables staff were busy
talking to people about their cable
requirements. Cat-5 in armoured and duct
grade versions were proving particularly
popular. It’s always good to meet the people
who buy and use our products and hear first-
hand the things that are important to them.
In September we will be exhibiting at
Telecoms 08 at Olympia 2, London, stand
156. It’s a two-day event aimed at those
responsible for specifying and installing
network infrastructure. We hope to see you
there. For more information please visit
www.telecoms08.co.uk
Copper Trivia
• It is estimated that 80% of copper that
has ever been produced is still in use,
having been recycled at least once.
It will continue to be recycled over and
over again without any significant
effect on its properties.
• The melting point of pure copper is
1,083°C ( 1,981°F)
A talcum bath coats the core bundle before jacketing
occurs where the signal on one circuit leaks
over onto another circuit. Analogue signals
in particular can be affected by this.
By creating a twisted pair, the cores
are in limited contact with adjacent
cores and are exposed to equal levels of
electromagnetic interference (EMI). The
process of twisting cores into pairs is
relatively fast with speeds of up to a few
hundred metres a minute. The pairs are
then laid up in the same way as with
multicore cables.
On high performance data cables the
twist rate may vary, for example in Cat 5
cable the twist rate of pairs varies between
18mm and 22mm. On telephone cables this
may extend to one complete twist every
80mm or so which is hardly noticeable.
Termination can be easier and faster on
twisted paired cables.
The Move To St Albans continued from page 1
wanted to sell, so after a chance
conversation with a commercial agent, we
went to see a large refurbished unit on the
east side of St. Albans.
Ten days later a deal was done and two
weeks after that contracts had been
exchanged. The speed was awesome, even
the solicitors were surprised it had happened
so quickly.
The first thing we did was to get all the staff
over to have a look at their new home and
get them planning the move.
Although the building had been refurbished
there was still a lot to do, including removing
walls to make larger offices and install
suitable alarm and CCTV systems – not to
mention the data wiring and racking.
The move started in earnest at the beginning
of February, first just moving the slowest
The new 55,000 sq. ft home of FS Cables
Core identification is normally achieved by
either colouring each core differently (colour
coding) or printing a number on each core.
On twisted pair cables colour coding is
very popular. Number coding on tapes
wrapped around each pair, or a combination
of colour and number coding are also
sometimes used.
Having laid the cores or pairs into a bundle
the next stage is to add a jacket.
There is one vital element prior to
extrusion and this is to create a barrier
between the core bundle and the jacket.
A barrier is particularly important because
if the insulation and jacket are of
similar compounds the jacket could stick
to the insulation.
The most common barrier is talcum or French
chalk which is held in a trough through which
the core bundle is pulled before going into the
moving stock and packaging supplies by a
few loads a day. We vowed to keep trading
until the last minute and cause the minimum
disruption to our customers.
We let customers know there would be no
collections or despatches on Friday 8th
February giving us three clear days to shift
as much as we could including all the office,
computer, telephone equipment and the
contents of the entire warehouse.
We estimate somewhere between sixty and
seventy arctic movements took place
between the two buildings with just under
half using a double-decker trailer!
What then followed was a testament to
teamwork and clear objectives. By Monday
11th February we had shipped all Friday’s
orders and about half of Monday’s.
extruder. Talcum has the advantage of being
both cheap and effective. Editorial
The disadvantage of talcum is that it is difficult
to detect if it has run out or fails to cover the
core bundle properly. This can result in a cable
that is very difficult to strip and has reduced
flexibility. Also, in a small number of
applications the talcum could contaminate the
surrounding equipment, for example with
medical equipment or in clean rooms.
Other release agents can be used, including
silicone oils, but these are more expensive
than talcum and can be difficult to apply.
Other methods include tapes of polyester or
mylar and the non-woven polyester or fleece
types. The latter are ideal for constantly
The economic forecasts for UK are grim
flexing cables as they allow movement.
and I await the next few months with
They are sometimes used between layers in
a mixture of fear and optimism. We are
core bundles or either side of braid screens.
Popular in robotics and audio cables, now entering uncharted territory.
they are increasingly used in more The recessions of the seventies and
general cables where flexibility and
eighties were slow to start in
stripability are important.
comparison to the situation we
find ourselves in today, partly due to
the media now conveying information
so quickly.
Lack of business, or poor credit control
and bad debt are probably the biggest
threats to the survival of most
businesses. We recognise some of
our customers are going to have
difficulties and we will do what we can
A multicore control cable being laid up
to help them.
With credit insurance in place we
recognise we risk losing some orders
By Thursday, less than a week after the move,
we had caught up and had no backlog
because customers have reached their
credit limits or balances are overdue.
of orders and no cut-off point for orders We recently lost more money in
received that day (or any since). one week than we lost in the year
As always if we can ship it the same day as a whole.
we will!
The warehouse was a little untidy but
Things are likely to get worse before
they get better though, and my
customers received their cable on time and
that’s what counted. More racking was put optimism comes from the opportunities
up in July to accommodate the last and challenges that will be created.
remaining stock and hold the increased
stock levels on the fastest moving lines.
With customers needing product
Once again a huge thankyou to all the staff quickly to meet immediate demands,
who put in so much effort and to you the
we are deliberately increasing
customers who made it all possible.
our stock levels to ensure next
As always, if you’re passing by and fancy a
cup of tea please pop in – we’ll be proud to working-day delivery on an even wider
show you around. range of products.
Exports have increased significantly
this year with the hard work of the past
few years on major projects paying off.
We are continuing to expand our sales
force with further recruitment in both
export and UK sales. As always if you
have any comments regarding our
products and services please email
feedback@fscables.com
Regards
Jon Herbert
Q&A
with Financial Controller Sharon and the Accounts Department
Left to right :- Sharon Woolston, Marnie Wennington, Simon Palmer and David Keene
How many of you are there in the
accounts department?
There are four of us in the team – David
Keene the Financial Director, Marnie
Wennington, Simon Palmer and myself.
What do you all do?
We each have our own specific areas
of responsibility. Marnie looks after the
Sales Ledger including credit control
and ISO9000. Simon handles invoicing,
some call-off orders and is currently on
a three year training course for a
professional accounting qualification.
I take care of the Bought Ledger (paying
our suppliers) payroll and HR admin.
We also look after FSC Global, the
export side of the business. We try to
understand each others jobs so we can
cover during holidays to ensure
everything gets done. It also keeps
things interesting.
Cable Approvals Update
Following on from the article in the last
issue entitled ‘Use Approved Cable or
Die’, BASEC wrote to us to provide
more information on testing and
approvals. They do visit BASEC
approved manufacturers several times
a year and test samples from
production and stock to ensure
compliance.
Both BASEC and FS Cables are
committed to ensuring high quality
products are available to the UK market
and providing information to help you
make informed purchasing decisions.
There is unfortunately a real lack of
understanding in the industry
surrounding standards and approvals
and buyers and specifiers need to be
confident the products they are buying
What about your own role?
I make sure we pay suppliers the right
amount and on time. I work closely with
our purchasing team so I get to hear of
any problems early on, although we
rarely have disputes.
The purchasing people talk to the
factories until the problems are
resolved. We rely very heavily on our
suppliers so it’s only right we pay them
on time.
What about the payroll and HR?
We employ about 35 people and
I handle the monthly payroll and HR
administration. Most of the time it’s
pretty straightforward but occasionally
it gets complicated by things like
maternity pay where it seems
entitlement is constantly changing.
We use the government websites a lot.
are fit for purpose. Independent
national bodies such as BASEC
and other third party verification
bodies play an important
role in this. Please visit
www.basec.org.uk for
more information.
To order
the new little
red book -
return the
reply card
Alban Point, Alban Park, Hatfield Road, St. Albans, Herts AL4 0JX
General Sales: 01727 840 841
Fax: 01727 840 842
www.fscables.com
sales@fscables.com
You said Marnie looks after the
credit control and the ISO9000 – do
they go well together?
In a word – yes. Most ISO9000 issues
also impact on a customer’s account,
so if Marnie is aware of them she
can ensure the paperwork flows
smoothly. Most returns are due to
customers changing their requirements,
but we also make mistakes - normally
sales entry or picking errors although
we work hard to keep these to a
minimum. By monitoring these errors
Marnie can provide detailed information
on which areas we need to improve on.
Is credit control becoming more
difficult?
Yes, it is certainly becoming more time
consuming with some customers.
Fortunately we’ve got a core of
customers who pay like clockwork.
Some companies however both large
and small, delay payment. Marnie’s job
is to ensure we get paid as soon as
possible while still leaving the customer
happy.
Putting people on stop, or court action,
are things we do very reluctantly. Most
problems stem from customers not
taking calls or trying to fob us off.
It rarely works!
Tell me more about Simon’s
training?
Simon joined us in January 2006 and
enrolled in a three year AAT
(Association of Accounting Technicians)
course starting that September.
Little Red Book Issue 9
As we go to press, the finishing touches
are being made to issue 9 of ‘The Little
Red Book’. Expanded to 128 pages a
whole host of products are
now included.
With details of many popular
yet sometimes seen as
specialist cables, ‘The Little Red
Book’ has just got bigger. BS5308
control and instrumentation cables make
OEM Sales: 01727 849 801
Contractor Sales: 01727 849 802
Credit Control: 01727 849 827
Purchasing: 01727 849 805
Marketing: 01727 849 806
It covers a range of subjects including
cash management, final accounts and
taxation and is one day a week at West
Herts College in Watford. Just before we
went to print we were delighted to hear
that he successfully passed his second
years’ exams. One more year to go!
Simon looks after the call-off
orders? Surely that’s a sales job?
We’re all here to look after our
customers and this is a great way of
understanding how important the sales
role can be. Some days Simon will
receive instructions to dispatch cable
and connectors to multiple destinations
to arrive at specific times the following
day. If for any reason that doesn’t
happen our customer would have
people waiting around and this would
cause unnecessary inconvenience.
Simon makes sure goods arrive when
they want them to!
FSC Global Ltd is the export side of
the business, does this take up
much time?
Increasingly so, it’s growing rapidly and
will constitute over a quarter of the
turnover of both companies. We supply
cable all over the world so we are
dealing in many currencies and with
many Letters of Credit.
The individual order size is considerably
larger than in the UK so we have to be
ultra careful that the paperwork is ‘spot
on’ otherwise the shipment could be held
in customs for weeks or even months.
an appearance for the first time as do PV
(photovoltaic) cables for solar panels.
A new section on rail cables and
expanded details on armouring and
oversheathing contain even more useful
information.
Other popular features have been
retained such as the Belden page finder
for cross reference and revised
technical tables to comply with the
17th edition wiring regulations. Also
included are a handy AWG / Metric
converter, stranding charts and guides to
American, European and UK colour
codes.
To be among the first to receive your copy
hot off the press, simply return the pre-
paid reply card enclosed with this issue
and we’ll have it to you in the next week
or two.
17th Edition Wiring Regulations
Confused by the new wiring regulations? Safe-T-Shield hits the nail right on the head
The 17th Edition Wiring Regulations
BS7671: 2008 set by the Institute of
Electrical Engineers (IEE) came into
effect on July 1st 2008 and have
important implications for the electrical
installer. The IEE represents the
professional voice of electrical engineers
and sets the standards and regulations
for safe installation of electrical and
electronic equipment.
According to the Health and Safety Executive
about 1000 electrical accidents at work are
reported annually and about 25 people die of
their injuries. The IEE regulations have an
important role to play in setting standards
for safety and accident prevention.
A key issue tackled by the latest revisions is
clause 522.6 – the danger of accidentally
piercing concealed cables when nailing or
drilling into walls. Many new buildings
now favour shallow mounting in partition
walls and this can pose risks of shock for
installers and end users if a cable is
penetrated, for example when cladding
studwork, fixing sanitaryware or simply
hanging a picture.
In light of this, the IEE has revised the wiring
regulations for cables concealed in a wall or
partition at depths of less than 50mm. These
cables must now either: be enclosed in an
earthed conduit, trunking or duct; have
sufficient mechanical protection to withstand
penetration from nails or screws; be installed
in a ‘protected zone’ (within 150mm from an
edge of the wall or partition); or lastly,
The
Move to
St Albans
A view
from the
warehouse floor
+++ Metal Prices +++ Metal Prices +++ Metal Prices +++
8th September 2008
COPPER £3,962.14
ALUMINIUM £1,475.86
SILVER £6.85
NICKEL £10,606.53
All prices per 1000kg except silver per oz. Exchange rates apply at time of trade
+++ Metal Prices +++ Metal Prices +++ Metal Prices +++
from
incorporate an earthed metallic covering
which will trip a circuit breaker if penetrated.
Safe-T-Shield has been specifically
developed to meet clause 522.6, offering a
tough yet flexible alternative to an armoured
cable, and faster, cheaper installations when
compared to conduits or trunking.
Safe-T-Shield features a heavy aluminium
tape which is in constant contact with the
earthed CPC wire. If the cable should be
pierced, the circuit breaker will trip, reducing
the risk of personal injury.
As well as conforming to the standards of the
new 2008 IEE wiring regulations and the
obvious safety benefits for installers and end
users, there are substantial savings to be
made in installation costs.
Due to its compact design, Safe-T-Shield is
lighter and smaller than a traditional SWA
cable which could also be used to meet
clause 522.6. It is also faster and easier to
install than small armoured cables or
conduit. It is estimated that cost savings of
up to 40 % can be achieved.
As a result, Safe-T-Shield is proving to be an
extremely popular fixed wiring solution for a
range of applications.
Retail installations are common, with the
cable being run along trays in ceiling voids.
Its lightweight construction and savings on
space make it an attractive option for
installers in these environments.
10th March 2008 Change %
£4,165.43 -4.88%
£1,536.74 -3.96%
£9.74 -29.68%
£16,168.30 -34.40%
Summer 2008 Issue 5
Safe-T-Shield reduces the risk of shock upon impact where cables are concealed
in walls or partitions at depths of less than 50mm
Additionally, the benefits of being Low
Smoke Halogen Free (LSHF) throughout
make Safe-T-Shield ideal for installations
where the evacuation of people or property
could be slowed. Hospitals, shopping
centres, prisons, tunnels and airports are just
some examples of areas where rapid
evacuation is not always possible in the
event of fire and where toxic fumes pose the
greatest threat.
These Low Smoke Halogen Free properties
make Safe-T-Shield also ideal for computer
room environments which are another area
where toxic fumes can be disastrous.
When Hydrogen Chloride gas is produced it
coats everything it comes into contact with,
for example circuit boards, in a thin corrosive
film. Over a period of time this can cause
random, unpredictable failure.
Our recent move to St. Albans from London
Colney took the efforts of the whole
company. All staff lent a hand as we
successfully relocated approximately three
miles up the road to a new 55,000 sq. ft
premises. Wired spoke to Warehouse
Manager Kevin Rainbow about his take on
how things went.
Kevin Rainbow: We had been in our
previous premises for just over seven years
and had identified the need for additional
space for some time. None of the neighbours
Continued on page 3
As well as offering mechanical protection, the
heavy aluminium barrier also acts as a
screen – greatly reducing electromagnetic
interference making it the right choice where
EMC is a priority.
Available in 2, 3 and 4 cores, from 1.5mm2
to 6.0mm2, Safe-T-Shield is supplied on
either 100m or 500m reels with a free cut to
length service available on larger lengths.
White is standard but we are also stocking a
black 2 core + earth 1.5mm2 version.
For more information, samples or datasheets,
please call and speak the sales team on
01727 840 841.
More information on the 17th edition wiring
regulations can be found online at
www.theiet.org
In this issue
•
•
•
17th Edition Wiring Regs
The move to St. Albans
What's in a Cable? - Part 3
•
•
Cat-5 duct grade and SWA
Q&A with Sharon Woolston
• The Little Red Book issue 9
• Exhibition review
• In Brief
• Editorial