A decade after the implementation of Part M of the Building Regulations David Williams, category marketing manager at Schneider Electric explores some of the cable management solutions for the built environment
In 1999 the building industry saw the requirements of Part M of the Building Regulations for the first time ensuring that ‘reasonable provision shall be made for disabled people to gain access to and to use buildings’ and for the construction of homes and businesses to meet with the obligation. At the time the view from many was that if it was legislated that people would comply ensuring everyone has access to and the use of a building and its facilities (Disability Discrimination Act 2005).
For installers Part M outlined some key criteria around the use of switches, outlets and controls within the four key areas; ease of operation, visibility, height and freedom of obstruction. The onus falls onto the electrical contractor to firstly specify the correct electrical accessories and to then install them in the appropriate locations. In total Part M laid down 13 provisions focussed mainly around ease of access and use within premises.
From a cable management perspective, the central requirement is to ensure the installation and control switches provide contrasting colours to their surroundings, providing ease of operation and improved visibility when navigating around a building.
In fact, the legislation requires a minimum 30 point Light Reflectance Value (LRV) difference between surfaces, which in real terms means wiring accessories with contrasting coloured rockers to improve visibility of sockets, colour contrasting grid plates in black and blue as well as the addition of wider gaps between the rockers for ease of operation and grooved sockets to direct the plug into the earth terminal easily.
Other requirements include the use of grey centre lids on cable trunking. Featured in the Ultimate cable management range, this can be found as standard with both the Ultimate 60, as well as the Ultimate 62 trunking, which has room for up to 45 Cat 6 UTP cables. A further advantage for the installer working in the healthcare sector is that this product range is also available in an antimicrobial finish to reduce the risk of bacteria spread and disease.
DDA compliant solutions are also available for the bench trunking offering; providing a robust option for challenging environments such as laboratories, workshops and industrial manufacturing. Featuring DDA plates the trunking also provides a number of installer benefits including optional clip-in trunking dividers for circuit segmentation and are available pre-wired to reduce installation time, if required.
While Part M is the stepping stone and something all electricians and contractors should be mindful of, not forgetting the potential that technology can bring helping to improve the quality of lives in the built environment. With so many product solutions now available within the marketplace, there is no need for installers or end users to have to compromise on performance, flexibility or compliance with the regulations; there is a solution for each and every application.
For further information about Schneider Electric’s Part M compliant products or for a dedicated Part M brochure please visit www.schneider-electric.com/uk or call 0870 608 8608. You can also follow Schneider Electric on Twitter @SchneiderUK
