Fire-risk premises (§422, BE2) — the 300mA RCD requirement and non-flame-propagating cabling

The AFDD guide covers arc-fault detection as a recommended (not mandatory) measure against fire caused by serial/parallel arcing within a final circuit. This article covers a different part of the same normative chapter (IEC 60364-4-42, "Protection against thermal effects"): the classification of BE2 locations — premises with an increased fire risk due to the nature of the materials present or processed — and the specific, genuinely mandatory measures that apply there.

What a BE2 location is

§422 distinguishes locations based on the risk that an electrical fault will actually cause a fire, independent of the shock-protection adequacy of that same installation. A BE2 location is a premises with an increased fire risk due to the nature of the materials processed or stored — typical examples are woodworking workshops, paper and textile mills, hay and straw storage on agricultural premises, and storage areas holding large quantities of combustible packaging materials. This is a different classification from the BD classification (escape conditions in an emergency) — a premises can be both BE2 and have an elevated BD class at the same time, but they are two independent risk axes.

The mandatory measures

RCD with I∆n ≤ 300 mA as protection against fire caused by tracking current to earth (a leakage current not large enough to fatally injure a person, but with enough energy to make an insulation fault smoulder and ignite combustible material). This is a different RCD function from the 30mA RCD for additional shock protection — both may be needed in the same installation, for different purposes and with a different sensitivity.
Non-flame-propagating cables and installation materials — cabling that, when heated externally, does not itself propagate the flame along the cable length, in accordance with the relevant cable fire classification (see the cable fire classification (CPR) guide).
Limiting hot-surface equipment and spark generation in the part of the installation located within the BE2 premises — switchgear and distribution equipment is preferably placed outside the BE2 premises itself, or otherwise given a suitable degree of protection against dust and fibre ingress (see the IP ratings guide).

Note: BE2 (increased fire risk due to material) is not an ATEX zone. An explosive atmosphere (dust or gas explosion risk) falls under an entirely different legal framework — see the ATEX explosion hazard guide — with considerably stricter requirements than the BE2 measures in this article.

Why this is not the same as the AFDD recommendation

	§422 BE2 (this article)	AFDD (recommendation)
Nature of the measure	Mandatory upon BE2 classification	Recommendation, no general obligation in NL
Protects against	Tracking current to earth + flame propagation via cables	Serial/parallel arcing within the wiring itself
Core measure	RCD ≤300mA + non-flame-propagating materials	Electronic arc detection in the final-circuit breaker

Both measures can complement each other in practice within the same fire-risk premises, but they are not substitutes for one another: an AFDD does not detect tracking-current fire, and a 300mA RCD does not detect a serial arc fault with a low current amplitude.

Practical relevance

When assessing a business premises (woodworking, agricultural storage, textile processing), it must first be established whether the premises should be classified as BE2 based on the materials present, and if so, whether both the 300mA RCD and the non-flame-propagating cabling are in place — an installation that has only been checked for shock protection (30mA) may be missing the additional fire-protection requirement of §422.

Common mistakes

Installing only a 30mA RCD and assuming this also covers the BE2 requirement — the 30mA RCD protects against electrocution, not specifically against tracking-current fire; a BE2 premises requires a separate 300mA RCD function for fire protection (often in addition to, not instead of, the 30mA protection on final circuits).
Confusing BE2 with an ATEX zone — an increased material-related fire risk is a different, less strict classification than an explosive atmosphere; when in doubt, assume the stricter ATEX framework until a competent person has established the correct classification.
Applying standard cabling without checking the fire classification — in a BE2 premises, not every cable that meets the regular requirements is automatically suitable; the flame-propagation property must be checked explicitly.