What is Section 12?
13th November 2008
If you’ve ever stood waiting for the tube at Bank, Green Park, Goodge Street and Maida Vale – or any sub-surface on the London Underground for that matter – you will have seen Section 12 in action. The fact is, most London commuters will be affected by Section 12 on a daily basis – it involves the paintwork, the station lighting and even the seat covers! But, unless they’ve actually supplied materials for use on the Underground, they’ll probably never know it’s there!
To understand what Section 12 is and why it came about, cast your mind back to 18 November 1987. At around 7.30pm on that fateful day, a fire broke out at King’s Cross on the London Underground, killing 31 people and injuring many more. As well as the fire itself, passengers were exposed to smoke and toxic fumes that could not easily dissipate.
A public inquiry conducted after the incident led to the introduction of the Fire Precautions (Sub-Surface Railway Stations) Regulations 1989. These are also known as the Section 12 regulations – they were brought in under Section 12 of the Fire Precaution Act 1971. As a result, all Section 12 stations – those beneath the ground – now have to meet stringent safety standards covering everything from display boards to electrical cables.
Cable supplied for use in Section 12 locations must meet the requirements of LUL Standard 1-085, which details the fire safety performance of materials used on the Underground. In particular, Section 3.3.3 of the Standard lists the flammability, flame spread and smoke emission requirements for cable. All cables must undergo rigorous testing in order to comply with the regulations.
To find out more, why not take a look at our Section 12 Fire Integrity Cable.
