Oct 25th, 2023
2 mins
We are currently seeing EV charging points being mounted on composite insulated panels (CIP’s). In some cases, these panels are highly flammable. In the below example vehicle charging points have been fixed directly to the panels by a competent electrician, you will notice how the steel skin protecting the foam core has been breached with electrical cables through. In addition, the voids have been filled with highly flammable expanding foam. Ignition sources such as the vehicle or charger can ignite the exposed core resulting in rapid fire and smoke spread leading to a risk to life and building/business loss.
We remind our members of the guidance produced by NFUM and other insurers advising that ignition sources must be kept away from CIP’s. Lessons learned from the above is that although your installers are competent in terms of electrical competency in some cases they may not competent in fire safety and CIP’S your risk assessment must be reviewed before any installations are carried out. Please see below guidance:
