Understanding the importance of National Building Codes - A Case Study

Understanding the importance of
National Building Code
A case study on

CONTENTS
1. What has been happening in India
2. What happened in 2016: National Building Code
3. Introduction to National Building Code Chapter 4
4. Suggestions by industry experts to improve the
National Building Code policies
5. The way forward: Copper power cables for a safe and
reliable future

What has been happening in India:
A look back to some of the deadliest fire accidents from
the recent past

February 2013: Kolkata
A major fire broke out at a multi-storey market complex in
Kolkata. At least 19 people were killed and over a dozen
were critically injured
September 2012: Tamil Nadu
A catastrophic explosion in a private fireworks factory at
Mudalipatti near Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu claimed lives of 54
while 78 were injured.
December 2011: Kolkata
In the AMRI hospital of Kolkata 89 people were killed by a
hazardous fire and due to suffocation caused by carbon
monoxide spread across the hospital premises.
September 2005: Bihar
Three illegal firecracker factories in the Khusropur village of
Bihar caught fire leading to deaths of 35 people and left 50
injured in September, 2005.
Not so long time ago!

A recent report, FICCI-Pinkerton’s The India Risk Survey,
2017 ranked natural hazards as the fourth highest risk to
business up from last year’s seventh position.
India was considered at a high risk of natural hazards
with a significant risk to businesses and communities
compared to developed economies.
According to the same survey, fire has been identified
as the fifth major risk for India and it’s economy.
According to National Crime Record Bureau, 18,450
cases of fire accidents were reported in 2015 which
injured 1,193 and killed 17,700.
What reports said:

 Faulty electrical system: This includes an older
electrical system with poor circuit as well as loose wires,
and overloaded plugs. It is part of fire code to make sure
a workplace’s electricity be updated.
 Flammable materials: It is not uncommon to come
across flammable substances and materials in the
workplace. But how they are handled and stored is
where mistakes are made and fires are started.
 Inadequate training of staff: Human error is a major
cause of workplace fires. When staffs are not being
trained properly, they are at risk of making catastrophic
mistakes.
 Negligence: Failure to follow protocols and procedures
as well as failing to update systems so they meet code is
general negligence which can result in a fire.
Causes for such fire
accidents to happen:

What happened in 2016:
National Building Code (NBC)

The National Building Code of India (NBC), a comprehensive
building Code, is a national instrument providing guidelines for
regulating the building construction activities across the
country.
It serves as a ‘Model Code’ for adoption by all agencies, public
or private, involved in building construction works.
The NBC consists of thirty-three chapters on codes that have
evolved around four pillars of safety i.e. structural safety,
health safety, fire safety and public safety requiring
integrated adoption by individuals and agencies involved in
building construction activities in India.
The four essential sections of the Code cover:
 Regulatory norms
 Administrative provisions
 Development control rules
 General building requirement
 Fire safety
About NBC:

Part 8 on Building Services of the Code elaborates on the
essential requirements for electrical and allied installations
in buildings to ensure efficient use of electricity including
safety from fire and shock.
Fire protection and safety requirements are clearly laid out
in Part 4 on Fire and Life Safety. The document talks about
the importance of fire prevention, life safety and fire
protection.
Continued…

Introduction to
National Building Code Chapter 4:
A chapter that talks about fire and life safety

Part (4): National Building Code: Fire and Life Safety
 Part 4 of the National Building Code
deliberates on the provisions towards
ensuring Fire and Life Safety. It discusses on
the three important pillars: fire prevention,
life safety and fire protection
 It specifies the demarcation of fire zones,
restrictions on construction of buildings in
each fire zone, classification of buildings
based on occupancy, types of building
construction according to fire resistance of
the structural and non-structural
components and other restrictions and
requirements necessary to minimize danger
to life from fire, smoke, fumes or panic before
the buildings can be evacuated.
 Critical guidelines with regard to town
planning, usage of ‘fire-retardant’ rated
material, progressive evacuation plan, fire
access panels, clear signage, judicious usage
of man power and support system, amongst
other aspects are clearly laid out in part 4 of
the NBC 2016 to help address fire prevention
and life safety.
 The Code recognizes that safety of life is of
paramount importance and hence provides
adequate attention to fire and life safety
measures to ensure fire safe design of
buildings

Suggestions by industry experts to improve
the National Building Code policies:

Following are a list of suggestions made by industry experts during the Fire Safe India 2019
seminar. These suggestions were made to ensure NBC focuses more on electrical fire safety.
 NBC to help unify the voices of regulatory
authorities, and state and municipal bodies
to ensure proper implementation of NBC
across Industries.
 NBC need to ensure that Indian standards
are followed with regard to electrical
installations during construction activities.
 Key stakeholders across the board, namely
designers, planners, engineers and
consumers, etc. to help generate ample data
to support the upgradation of the current
set of electrical standards
 Third-party audits to be conducted by
regulatory bodies to ensure electrical
protection, robust cabling and strict
adherence to law and standards
 Copper is the go-to conductor for ensuring
the longevity of electrical circuits and
installations across the world and should be
considered by the NBC along with National
Electrical Code (NEC) as a mandate, for all
cabling requirements, inside as well as
outside buildings

The way forward:
Copper power cables for a safe and
reliable future

WAY FORWARD
Safety Reliability Efficiency Quality
This property allows power cables to
continue functioning even in extreme
temperature conditions
HIGH TEMPERATURE
TOLERANT
Copper stands at the lowest position in
the reactivity table. Hence, it protects
the electrical infrastructure from the
likes of short circuit in case it is
exposed to water
RESISTANT TO WATER
This saves a lot of additional cost
and also ensures easy operation
and maintenance
EASY AND LOW COST
INSTALLATION
Better electrical conductivity
is an unique property of
copper that adds to energy
efficiency
BETTER CONDUCTOR OF
HEAT THAN OTHER METALS
This property allows power
cables to survive through fire
accidents and resist from
short circuits.
COPPER POWER CABLES
HIGHEST ELECTRICAL
CONDUCTIVITY

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