The IET and BSI (British Standards Institution), which co-publish BS 7671, have now issued the Draft for Public Comment (DPC) for Amendment 2, giving the electrical industry the opportunity to read through the proposed changes and provide feedback ahead of publication. The DPC period runs from September 21 to December 11, 2020.
BS 7671:2018+A2:2022, which is expected to be published in spring 2022, will be the first, full, consolidated amendment to the 18th Edition of the Wiring Regulations, which was published in 2018. It will also include Amendment 1:2020, which was published as a standalone PDF in February 2020.
What are the proposed changes?
New Part 8 – Functional Requirements. This includes Chapter 82: Prosumer’s Low-Voltage Electrical Installations.
Important changes to fire safety requirements are proposed in Chapter 4, covering the design of electrical installations in industrial, commercial and multiple-occupancy homes, as well as new information for ‘protected escape routes’.
Additional changes are also proposed to the following areas:
• Regulation 421.1.7 – further information on the use of Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs)
• Regulation 443.4 – further information on Overvoltages
• A new Normative Annex (542) on Earthing Arrangements
• Multiple changes within Section 7: Special Locations
An overview of all of the changes proposed is included in the ‘Introduction to Amendment 2’ at the beginning of the DPC document.
NAPIT will be hosting a live webinar on September 28 at 6pm, giving members a week to digest the information within the DPC. The webinar will go through the proposed changes and allow members with the opportunity to engage in Q&A with JPEL Committee representatives Frank Bertie, Paul Chaffers and Richard Townsend.
Frank Bertie, Chief Technical Officer, (JPEL/64 member and deputy chair of Sub Committee A) at NAPIT, says, “This Amendment is the result of years of work by the JPEL/64 committee, the committee responsible for BS 7671, with which NAPIT have had strong representation on for over 20 years. It’s important that our electrical members keep up to date with the ever-changing technologies and ways of working to ensure they are working to the safest standards. I urge NAPIT members, likewise the rest of the industry, to read and comment where they feel appropriate on the new DPC”.
To register your interest for the webinar, click here:https://buff.ly/32UlqGJ