The first thing to appreciate about counterfeit cables is that they are almost always substandard, posing a life-threatening risk to installers and end users. The second, and perhaps more harrowing realisation is that these rogue manufacturers are not in the least bit concerned about anyone's welfare; their total focus is on making a profit.
Their game plan does not stretch to protecting their company's reputation, establishing integrity, providing safe products or building a reputable brand. No, it is all about money. Ironically, the very fact that there are standards and regulations that bona-fide cable manufacturers adhere to can help the counterfeiter to dupe the unsuspecting wholesaler, distributor, installer or fire engineer. These rogue manufacturers and suppliers are more than willing to lay claim to standards that are totally fraudulent; unwarranted BS, EN or other acknowledged standards are often to be found displayed on the rogue cable sheathing. So, everyone in the trade - wholesalers and stockists; contractors and installers - need to check very carefully that the cable being supplied does meet the required standards and not merely claim to.
This scenario, understandably, alarms reputable cable manufacturers as it undermines confidence in the standards to which their cables are manufactured and used. But how big is the problem? Although precise figures are difficult to come by, reliable UK industry estimates indicate that as much as 20 percent of the cable being sold and installed in the UK currently is counterfeit, unsafe, or both. Annually, around £30 million of counterfeit electrical products are believed to reach British shores and those with an intimate knowledge of the problem assess that the vast majority emanates from China. Today, cables can be found where the diameter of the copper wire has been reduced, lowering the current rating and increasing the resistivity of the cable.
This could potentially result in overheating, which could lead to fire or reduce the level of safety against electrical shock. There have also been numerous instances where materials other than pure copper, such as steel wire, copper-coated aluminium or badly recycled copper have been used in cables, and instances where the insulation or sheathing is sub-standard are also commonplace. In many instances, of course, it is not easy to detect a rogue cable simply by looking at it. Although it is difficult to assess the precise impact that this is having, it is a fact that, in the UK there is strong correlation between the increase in cable-related fires and the amount of unapproved and counterfeit cable entering the country. According to statistics from the Department of Communities & Local Government, in 2007 there were 4,093 fires in homes and businesses in England alone that were caused by faulty wires and cables.
This equates to 27 percent of all electrical fires. In the past five years 15 people have died in fires due to faulty cable and 1,200 have been seriously injured. Of course, in many major fires the damage is so extensive that often investigators are unable to establish the precise cause of the blaze. So the government's figures may well grossly understate the number of fires that can be attributed to faulty cable. The question, of course, is what can - indeed should - be done? The first thing to acknowledge is that everyone in the industry has to be involved and accept their legal and moral responsibility. While the majority of distributors and installers that have used sub-standard cable have done so innocently, it would be wrong to believe that there are no instances where a "blind eye" has not been turned in the quest to reduce costs.
Certainly, there has been sufficient international publicity about the issue to argue that nobody in the industry can reasonably claim not to be aware of the problem. The first step that needs to be taken may seem obvious: take a very close look at the cable being offered and supplied.
Draka is currently focusing much-needed attention on the absence of cable marking, without which there is no means of establishing the cable's authenticity. In the absence of such marking there is every probability that the quality and performance of the cable is highly suspect and is from a disreputable supplier. Under the banner: "If it's not marked, it's not worth it", the Draka campaign focuses on the fact that there is a legal obligation to include certain information on the cable; the more demanding the specification, the more information is required to be shown. But what markings should a cable carry? To help installers, Draka has published a pocket guide and has an explanatory video presentation on its website. Both are available at www.drakauk.com.
Among the markings that should be clearly visible on every cable are the manufacturer's name and the British Standard number to which the cable claims to conform. Providing the cable has been tested by one, the name of the independent third-party approval organisation should also be included. The next step is always to corroborate that what you are being told or shown on sales literature or websites, and that the markings on the cable itself are not misleading, incorrect, or simply downright dishonest. However, relying on the manufacturer's or supplier's assertions that a cable is manufactured to a specific standard simply will no longer do; ask for copies of test or membership certificates. Better still, use only cable that is supported by independent test certification by fully accredited organisations that, in the UK, are themselves accredited through UKAS, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service.
This is the sole national accreditation body recognised by the government to assess - against internationally agreed standards - organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. The UKAS website contains information on all of the accredited organisations and can be found at www.ukas.com. The importance of this third-party accreditation lies in the fact that the specifier, the trade supplier and the installer can be sure that the cable being supplied today is built to precisely the same standard and specification as the cable that was originally tested and approved. If the cable is from a producer that does not have this third-party accreditation there is, in reality, no guarantee whatsoever that it is manufactured to the standard being claimed for it. This requirement for third-party accreditation is important even when buying cable from a well known manufacturer. Without it, while earlier cable from that supplier may have been up to the standard claimed for it, re-sourcing materials and accepting a different specification, changing the formulation of the coating or sheathing, or modifying the design are just examples of changes that may have affected the performance of the cable.
It is important though to remember that rogue cable manufacturers are every bit as willing to fake third-party accreditation as they are BS or EN standards, so always check with the accreditation organisation that the claim is genuine. They are also quite prepared to misrepresent their accreditation. In one instance, a company's sales literature proudly carried the logo of one of the world's leading product certification organisations. In this particular instance, the company had every right to include the logo, as it had achieved an international quality management standard. However, the way in which it had been included on its literature might easily have been taken as implying that the products themselves had been tested and approved. So surely the message is clear. The more difficult we make the counterfeiter's life and reduce his chance to make easy money, the sooner this scourge will come to an end. But, this will not happen on its own; we must all play our part to the full. Wholesalers and distributors must verify the quality of the cable they are stocking; contractors and installers must be equally diligent and avoid buying cable from suppliers that have shown to be prepared to side-step the issue; and fire engineers and building services consultants should be ever watchful for substandard product substitution.
Mark Froggatt is Marketing Services Manager at Derby-based Draka UK, He can be reached on +44 (0) 1332 345431 or via email at cableuk@draka.com. The company's website can be found at www.drakauk.com. Breaking News:
