Transport for London visit BASEC’s UK Cable Test Laboratory
BASEC was delighted to welcome Transport for London (TfL) team members, including building services engineers, to the Milton Keynes Head Office and Laboratory facilities for testing cables.
The team was given a tour of the laboratory to see first-hand the different testing facilities and processes undertaken. This included testing the fire, electrical, material, and mechanical properties of the cables, analytical facilities to investigate the composition and make of the cable, and the dedicated data communications laboratory.
The visit also involved discussions around certification and the product approval process, significantly the difference between a Type Test Report and a Product Approval Certificate, and the role of independent third-party certification bodies for ensuring compliance.
Jonathan Albon, Senior Engineering Leader at TfL, commented:
“It was a valuable experience to visit BASEC, see the cable testing facilities and understand the capabilities further. Cables are crucial to ensuring efficient day-to-day operation of our transport network, and we recognise the value of using third-party tested and approved cable products by bodies such as BASEC to evidence compliance to standards and quality assurance.”
Electrical failures and malfunctions are known to cause fires. The use of fire resisting cable is particularly important within sub surface railways such as London Underground to minimise the potential spread of flame and smoke, in the event of a fire. Cable standards and test methods for both resistance to fire and reaction to the fire were discussed, including the classification system in the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and the requirements of London Underground standard S1085 Fire Safety Performance of Materials – Stations and Tunnel Infrastructure.
Jaya Skandamoorthy, Regional Technical Manager UK and Europe at BASEC said:
“We were delighted to host the TfL team and learn about their plans for exemplar projects across London and the importance of cable quality assurance and compliance to standards. BASEC are keen to support TfL’s plan for higher standards and quality assurance of cables across London’s transport network.”
Find out more about the cable testing BASEC conducts here or contact a member of the team.
