The British Approvals Service for Cables (BASEC) will host a two-day technical training course on the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) which, from 7th July 2015, will cover cables used in buildings and construction. The course is intended for manufacturers and distributors of power, communication and optical cables that fall under the requirements of the CPR for ‘reaction to fire’, in accordance with EN 50575 and related standards. The training course will be held on Tuesday 21st July and Wednesday 22nd July at BASEC’s head office and test laboratory in Milton Keynes, UK.
CPR introduces new testing and certification requirements for manufacturers, importers and distributors supplying cable products to European markets. It applies to any type of cable that is intended to fit permanently into the structure of a building, including power distribution, final circuit wiring, control and instrumentation and data communications (copper and optical). Important information on documentation/declaration requirements and CE marking rules will also be covered.
Dr Jeremy Hodge, chief executive of BASEC explained: “The purpose of the training course is to take a technical look at manufacturers and distributors responsibilities under the new CPR requirements to ensure they know exactly what is expected of them to achieve prompt, comprehensive and cost-effective compliance. The new system is complex and various levels and options exist depending on the performance of the cable in various tests, which is why we have split the training course across two days. Part 1 focuses on classes F, E and D, and Part 2 focuses on classes C, B2, B1 and A.
“It is also important to clarify that it initially only covers ‘reaction to fire’ and does not cover cables offering fire resistance or circuit integrity for which further standards are in development.”
The course has been deemed a useful source of information for manufacturers and traders of cable that already or intend to supply cable into the European market. Cable suppliers into the EU will be expected to satisfy market needs to ensure access to European markets.
As part of the training course, delegates will have the opportunity to tour BASEC’s cable testing laboratory and have an opportunity to examine test equipment relevant to the new regulation. They will also be provided with an information pack containing various CPR documentation and as an optional extra, will have access to a set of hard copy standards.
