3d amendment metal consumer units a requirement

[Robotstar5]

Don't the lids hang downwards like a lot of the later plastic ones do and unlike a lot of th earlier plastic ones that had to be held up ?

If they were hinged down they could be left open which would remove fire rating

 

[Rocketman]

Back to the original OP's post. Aren't the boxes flame retardant plastic or rather should they have been.

 

[brightspark]

Back to the original OP's post. Aren't the boxes flame retardant plastic or rather should they have been.

yes-there made of polycarbonate -self extinguishing plastic but there not -fireproof and cable inside will melt and set on fire

 

[brightspark]

-prop them open and there pointless. its no-longer fireproof. why would u want to leave them open anyhow , if theres a fault u take the coverplate off -- and work on them for testing ordinary p[unters have no -need whatsoever

 

[Rocketman]

yes-there made of polycarbonate -self extinguishing plastic but there not -fireproof and cable inside will melt and set on fire

Well I guess they originally looked at it with plastic specified up to a certain point and assessed at that point everything else would be on fire. This obviously hasn't played out in truth hence you mentioning the standards now changing.

Though I wouldn't right plastic off completely as better grades of heat and fire retarding is being developed all the time. I guess if you could prove a polymer with additives went to a much higher level things could change again.

 

[oddball90]

We have the ladder rule as well, it was instigated after a BT linelady tragicly lost her life whilst up a pole,a lorry snagged a low wire and brought the pole down in the road with her still attached, high court case and alot of new rules came in very quickly after that.

The problem was BT was replacing the cables and they hadn't got them high enough. HGV traveling at 28mph with a 15ft 10inch trailer has alot of kinetic energy. Ladder didn't kill her but the pole breaking and landing on her did the damage. The driver didn't drive a truck again, know all about this as i used to work with the driver. I had been though the village before BT started that day. He was at first charged with manslaughter because it was thought he hit the pole not the cable, but there wasn't a mark on the truck, and only a slight mark on the front of the trailer,(it didn't even break the glass fibre wind deflector on the front of the trailer).