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Published: 10th April, 2009

Not to be taken lightly...

Millions are spent each year on the UK cable management market, so it would seem extremely remiss if one significant installation aspect was frequently neglected.

According to Richard Shaw, managing director of Ellis Patents, there is one such aspect. He talks to Electrical Times about educating the market as to the dangers posed by incorrectly cleated cables.

“The key issue surrounding cable cleats is that their importance is frequently underestimated. Therefore, instead of being treated as a vital element of any cable management installation they are simply lumped in with the electrical sundries.

What this means in practice is that even if suitable products are specified, they are still seen as fair game for cost-cutting when it comes to companies seeking to keep within tight budgets. This potentially dangerous practice, if allowed to continue unchecked, could lead to the wholly unnecessary loss of a life.

There is no doubt that by eradicating the practice this danger can be drastically reduced, but the big picture also needs to be addressed in order to ensure consistent practice across the board. The only way of achieving this is by educating the electrical industry as a whole about the true importance of cable cleats. And to do this, we need to go back to basics.

In a nutshell, for an installation to be deemed safe, cables need to be restrained in a manner that can withstand the forces they generate, including those generated during a short circuit, and this is exactly
what cable cleats are designed to achieve. Without them, the dangers are obvious – costly damage to cables and cable management systems, plus the risk to life posed by incorrectly or poorly restrained
live cables. ...to read more, click here to download the full article.

Published in Electrical Times, April 2009
www.electricaltimes.co.uk

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