home automation cable conundrum

[bananaspark]

in order to futureproof my living room, i've run:-
12 x cat6 cable for ip phones and pc's, game controllers, ir -relay and such like...
9 x speakerwire, for surround / home cinema,
4 x usb 2.0,
3 x hdmi for flat screens, (one for each usable wall)
1 xscart,
1 x vga
8 x 2.5 mm twin core and earth (old style red & black) for ultra low voltage DC lighting - i had reels of this laying around and know the colours are out of date, but layed it in as speaker cable)

2 x 2.5mm 3 core fire rated/shielded cable reserved for some possible future use,

all these cables run from the broom cupboard [data centre] in the hallway along 3m of concrete floor and into the livingroom.

the floor in the hallway and livingroom is the same (reclaimed pine, 3/4 inch t&g, resting on standard 19mm pine battens (glued to concrete) at 40cm spaces.

an electrician friend of mine saw it and had a laugh, saying I broke all the rules in the book, and that all of this should have gone through metal conduit in case someone drilled through the floorboards by accident.

I stood my ground and said it was all mechanically protected by 3/4 inch of wood, and in any case, none of it was dangerous voltage.

(b.t.w. there is no way i could get this in metal conduit without dramatically weakening the floor supports)

any bets on who is 'right' here? legally and morally?
b/

 

[Chri5]

Since the cables will take signalling / lower voltages then the rules for standard 240v feeds don't really apply.

Generally the standard for Cat5/6/7 cables is to maintain speration of 50mm from any existing 240v cabling. Cross overs between signalling and 240v should be at right angles.

Since the void depth between base and f/board is only 19mm there is a potential for damage via nails / screws etc, although there's no rule I would have provided protection.
Why not buy some steel trunking lid, 100mm and simply lay this over the cables. While at it I would mark the cable sheaths and the lid with some detail on use.

Most will treat TE as 240v, so some sort of marker stating "speaker feeds", "signalling circuit" etc would cover most events. A marker pen and markings on the lidding and every 400mm along the cables would be a good idea.

Mechanical protection should be supplied where the cable passes joists (since that's the danger / nailing boards point). This sort of plate is an easy solution