Choosing the right cable saves lives

Fire safety in buildings: changing standards

Regulations governing public buildings (Etablissements Recevant du Public - ERP) and high-rise buildings (Immeubles de Grande Hauteur - IGH) have changed. At the same time, the NFC 15-100 installation standard is being adapted to incorporate these new considerations. 

Reinforcement of fire safety standards in France

Faced with the growing number of fires in buildings, Europe and France are imposing increasingly stringent fire safety regulations. A new decree concerning low-smoke cables has been published in France for public buildings (Établissements Recevant du Public - ERP) and high-rise buildings (Immeubles de Grande Hauteur - IGH). Of the 30 million homes in France, it has been shown that 20 million have electrical faults, which are one of the main causes of fire outbreaks in buildings.  The majority of fire-related deaths are due to the inhalation of noxious fumes. It is therefore vital to reduce the time of exposure to these fumes by ensuring rapid evacuation with maximum visibility. Halogen-free fire-protection cables significantly slow the spread of flames and reduce the emission of opaque, noxious fumes, enabling faster, safer evacuation of building occupants.

In concrete terms, once the decree comes into force - after a 12-month transition period - it will serve as a benchmark for new buildings and major renovations. The new regulations specify the type of cables that must be installed.

Nexans: Pioneer in fire safety and innovation in electrical cables

Nexans, a leader in the design and manufacture of cable systems and services, has already implemented measures to reduce the risks associated with these electrical anomalies. Nexans is fully committed to the development of electrical cables for tomorrow's buildings. Nexans' experts will help you adopt this new standard with a brand new white paper dedicated to fire safety. 

Guillaume Teixeira, President of Nexans France, said:

“Nexans works in France and around the world to guarantee its customers products that meet the strictest fire safety standards, according to the requirements of the BPRI (Bureau de la Prévention et de la Réglementation Incendie). 
Our teams have been working on cable fire safety for over 20 years, and we have more than 30 active patents on this technology. Our worldwide AmpaCity innovation center in Lyon is developing the electrical cables of tomorrow's buildings: more fire-resistant, more efficient, and functional when exposed to temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees, and providing power to safety devices (alarms, fire doors or emergency lighting) during a fire. 

We have chosen to anticipate this regulatory change, and in January 2023 announced a €40 million investment in our Autun site in Saône et Loire. This investment, the largest in France in decades, will enable us to reinforce our leadership in this halogen-free technology, while supporting our production capacities and the site's recognized competitiveness, and making it fully part of the carbon neutrality ambition of the Nexans Group and, more broadly, of industry in France. This investment also marks our contribution to France's industrial sovereignty, particularly in terms of sustainable electrification.
Nexans is fully equipped to accompany the application of this decree in France, which will have major consequences in the construction sector.”