“The regulation at issue requires the physical fire protection of electrical cabling to be independently tested to American Society Test and Measure standards for rating as qualified fire barriers.”
Why should it? They cannot give one single reason. Ooh, nuclear–it must be dangerous. It’s just an electrical system, for Christ’s sake. Get over it. You don’t fireproof every electrical system everywhere, why fireproof the identical system in a nuclear power plant? I can see cables controlling certain systems in areas near ignition sources. But everything? Things with the safety significance of the USB cable to the manager’s office printer?
They cite the Browns Ferry fire in 1975 as the need for any extra fire code at all. How about not allowing some idiot to set insulation on fire with a candle while trying to check flow in a duct? There are better ways to do this than clamping down and building extra layers just for the nice flushing sound of consumers’ money down the toilet.
Filed under Anti-Nuclear Quote of the Day, Physics, Safety
Posted on June 30, 2006 by Stewart Peterson |
