IS 3217:2013 was originally published on 27 December, 2013 further to the first edition which was unveiled in 1989 and the second edition in 2008. The standard is produced with the assistance of the National Standards Authority of Ireland Fire Safety Standards Committee that is made up of representatives from the following – ACEI; OPW; IFE; ECA; AECI; LAI; EMDA; CFOA; NDFEM; FIAI; HSA and emergency lighting manufacturers.
Subsequent to the publishing of IS 3217:2013, the committee decided to meet one year later to review the standard and discuss any feedback. There was a considerable amount of feedback and queries into various sections and clauses, most notably Section 10 Central Power Systems and Clause 8.5.2.2. which deals with lift cars and lift shafts. There was also some editorial feedback.
The committee met a number of times to deliberate on this feedback before producing a draft amendment that was then circulated for public enquiry. At the end of the public enquiry period 40 submitted comments were collated and each comment was considered in detail by the committee.
The final draft amendment, which included requirements in line with European standards which had been published since the original publication date, was then approved by the committee and forwarded to NSAI for approval and publication.
The part of the standard dealing with lift cars and lift shafts was amended to include 5 lux minimum in and around the car. In the pit a minimum of 1 lux is required. Details of the siting of the luminaires were specified.
Central Power Systems, Section10 was where most of the amendments were made. The committee completely reviewed this section dealing with cables, wiring systems and circuit requirements. Cabling options have been added with clear guidance to size of cables, survival times and stated applicable standards.
Section 10.2.3: Interconnection of Luminaires was added. This section is about the protection of emergency escape lighting within an escape route where escape lighting is provided by either a single or two or more circuits. It details the cabling, connections to the luminaire, fusing and junction boxes. Annex K was added to demonstrate typical wiring arrangements for single and multiple compartments.
Section.3.3 Joints was amended to comply with Section 10.2.3. Details of the enclosures with survival times of 90 and 60 minutes were added. E90 & E60 enclosures complying with DIN4102-12 are deemed to meet these requirements. These amendments, among others including editorial changes, are now in IS 3217:2013+A1:2017 which is available from NSAI.
The next step for IS 3217 is a complete review of the entire standard which is conducted between three and five years after the publication date. The National Standards Authority of Ireland Fire Safety Standards Committee has already commenced this process.
Contact: NSAI. Tel: 01 – 807 3800; email: info@nsai.ie; www.nsai.ie
