Thursday, June 25, 2009
Arc Blast Video
This is a promotional video, but it also provides an excellent view of the blast resulting from an arc flash.Labels: Arc Flash PPE, Arc Flash Products, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik
| This Arc Flash Post and 0 Comments
|
Add Comment |
links
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Arc Flash Safety: History and Requirements
Scott Harris published a post on the Industrial Risk Management blog yesterday that discusses the history of arc flash and requirements for protecting people from arc flash hazards. The article opens with:"Arc flash was first identified by Dr. Ralph Lee in his 1982 'The Other Electrical Hazard: Electric Arc Blast Burns.' Dr. Lee found that as many as 80% of electrical injuries resulted from arc flash rather than from shock, which had always been thought to be the major risk associated with live electrical work."
After discussing the history of arc flash and code requirements, Mr. Harris points out that labeling of arc flash hazards is required, and in particular a 2006 OSHA interpretation letter. The question posed to OSHA was:
"When work must be performed on energized electric equipment that is capable of exposing employees to arc-flash hazards, does OSHA require the marking of the electric equipment to warn qualified persons of potential electric arc-flash hazards — i.e., as required by NFPA 70E-2004?"
OSHA's answer was:
"OSHA has no specific requirement for such marking. A requirement to mark equipment with flash hazard warnings was not included in the 1981 Subpart S revision. However, paragraph (e) of §1910.303 requires employers to mark electrical equipment with descriptive markings, including the equipment's voltage, current, wattage, or other ratings as necessary. OSHA believes that this information, along with the training requirements for qualified persons, will provide employees the necessary information to protect themselves from arc-flash hazards. "
"Additionally, in §1910.335(b), OSHA requires employers to use alerting techniques (safety signs and tags, barricades, and attendants) . . . to warn and protect employees from hazards which could cause injury due to electric shock, burns or failure of electric equipment parts. Although these Subpart S electrical provisions do not specifically require that electric equipment be marked to warn qualified persons of arc-flash hazards, §1910.335(b)(1) requires the use of safety signs, safety symbols, or accident prevention tags to warn employees about electrical hazards (e.g., electric-arc-flash hazards) which may endanger them as required by §1910.145. "
Read the entire blog post here.
Related past posts:
Arc Flash Labeling Best Practices Guide
Arc Flash Labeling Starter Kit
Labels: Arc Flash Labeling, OSHA, OSHA Standards
posted by Steve Hudgik
| This Arc Flash Post and 1 Comments
|
Add Comment |
links
Monday, June 08, 2009
Relationship between the CE Code and Z462
Another IAEI Magazine article discusses Canadian electrical codes and the relationship between the CE Code and CSA standard Z462. You can read this article here.The article provides a brief overview of the rules that apply to maintenance and operation and also looks at what has changed with the development of Z462.
In the article summary, it states:
"CE Code governs safety requirements for installation of electrical equipment. Such electrical work must be done by the construction electricians under electrical permits and is subject to the inspection services by regulatory authorities. Under no conditions is such work permitted to be done on live equipment"
"However, the CE Code also regulates provisions for maintenance and operation of operating equipment, and although Rule 2-304 does not allow such maintenance on live equipment, it recognizes that sometimes a completed disconnection of the operating equipment is not practicable for certain repairs, alterations or testing."
"For this reason, Rule 2-306 has been introduced into the 2006 edition of the CE Code. This rule mandates installation of warning signs of potential shock and arc flash hazards on electrical equipment. Explanatory Note in Appendix B on this rule leads the users of the CE Code (who intend to maintain live electrical equipment) to NFPA 70E and to IEEE 1584 in order to determine severity of exposure, to evaluate the arc flash hazard distance and incident energy resulting from the arc, and to select personal protective equipment appropriate for the anticipated incident energy — to protect against shock and arc flash hazards."
Related blog posts:
CSA Z462 Workplace Electrical Safety Standard
The Funeral - WSIB Safety Video
Labels: Canadia Electrical Safety, Work Place Safety, Z462
posted by Steve Hudgik
| This Arc Flash Post and 0 Comments
|
Add Comment |
links
Using Technology to Minimize the Arc-Flash Hazard
An article in the IAEI Magazine (International Association of Electrical Inspectors) discusses some of the technologies available to minimize arc flash hazards. The article focuses on current limiting devices and high resistance grounding. The final paragraph summarizes the article:"High resistance grounding systems do not protect against the less frequent but still dangerous phase-to-phase or three-phase arcing faults. However, the combined use of high resistance grounding for protection from ground faults and its ability to prohibit the escalation of the fault and current-limiting fuses or current-limiting circuit breakers for phase-to-phase and three-phase arcing faults is an effective engineering approach to minimizing the arc-flash hazard."
You can read the entire article here.
Related past posts:
Understanding Ground Fault Protection
Electrical Safety In The Workplace
Preventing Arc Flash Injuries
Labels: Preventing Arc Flash Accidents, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik
| This Arc Flash Post and 0 Comments
|
Add Comment |
links
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tips For Property Managers And Electrical Contractors
The current issue of the NFPA Journal includes two tips for electrical contractors and property managers in an article called: "Keeping the Lights On."The first tip is from NFPA 70E Section 110.5, Relationships with Contractors. Here is how the article summarizes this section: "The host employer is required to inform the contractor of any known hazards covered by NFPA 70E that the contractor or the contractor’s employees may not recognize."
The second tip comes from NFPA 70E Section 130.3(C), which requires that all equipment be labeled with an arc flash warning label specific to that equipment and its location.
You can read the entire article here.
Related Posts:
The Fine Print Notes In NFPA 70E
Revised NFPA 70E Clarifies Electical Safety
An Arc Flash Primer
Labels: Arc Flash Labeling, Electrical Safety, Work Place Safety
posted by Steve Hudgik
| This Arc Flash Post and 0 Comments
|
Add Comment |
links
Friday, May 08, 2009
CSA Z462 Workplace Electrical Safety Standard
An introduction to the Canadian Z462 electrical safety standards is provided by an article in the current issue of Canadian Occupational Safety magazine. The article is called "Electrical Safety Gets A Boost." In the article the Z462 standard is summarized as applying:"to contractors and electrical workers, and provides guidance to employers on what qualifications are required for electrical work – and cautions against allowing non-qualified people inside hazard boundaries."
"It’s based on well-established occupational health and safety principles, and recognized across the country as good practice, from manufacturers to contractors to regulators. Z462 deals specifically with hazard communications, controls and safety precautions in the areas of electric shock and arc flash, and includes requirements for training and qualification of electrical workers, as well as personal protective equipment."
This article provides an overview of the creation of the Z462 standards, as well as discussing the need for such standards, without talking about what is included in the z462 standards. It does point out that Z462 differs from NFPA 70e in that it has five annexes not included in NFPA 70e, but it only mentions one of the annexes.
It is interesting that the article makes note that most electrical injuries happen because workers are unaware of the dangers of electricity, don't understand the hazards, and are not aware of the safety measures that should be applied. The article suggests training as the way to communicate the danagers of electricity to workers. I would add that the use of signs and labels, to deliver information at the location where the hazard exists, is also critical. Signs and labels remind workers about what they learned in training... in particular reminding them that electrical hazards are not to be taken lightly.
Labels: Electrical Codes, Electrical Hazards, Electrical Safety
posted by Steve Hudgik
| This Arc Flash Post and 0 Comments
|
Add Comment |
links
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Arc Flash University Offers Online Curriculum
Plant Engineeering Live is offering a series of monthly arc flash webcasts sponsored by GE."We’ve always offered successful webcasts, but the interest and information generated last year by Arc Flash University was unprecedented," said Plant Engineering editor Bob Vavra. "Because of the tremendous demand for this kind of information, we’re putting together four new Webcasts on the topic. We’re especially grateful to GE for again sponsoring this series. It demonstrates their commitment to addressing this important plant floor topic."
Arc Flash University registrants who attend three of the four Webcasts will receive CEU credit, and can qualify to receive Arc Flash University merchandise.
Registration is now open for the 2009 Arc Flash University series at www.plantengineering.com.
Related past posts:
New Curriculum Addresses Electrical Hazards
Web Seminar On Arc Flash Avoidance
Labels: Arc Flash Training, Electrical Safety Training
posted by Steve Hudgik
| This Arc Flash Post and 0 Comments
|
Add Comment |
links
Monday, April 27, 2009
Arc Flash Causes Balckout That Traps 20 In Elevators
An article in today's Boston University school newspaper reports that an arc flash caused the evacuation of a triple tower high-rise dormitory. That arc flash caused $300,000 in damages, but no injuries. The BU Post reported:"Twenty residents of Warren Towers were trapped in elevators for as long as two hours Saturday evening and appoximately 1,600 people were forced to vacate the triple tower high-rise dormitory when an arc flash shut down a transformer in the B Tower electrical room."
"The electrical short, reported to the Boston Fire Department at 7:21 p.m., generated heat and smoke, but no injuries were reported."
You can read the entire article in the BU Post.
Labels: Arc Flash, Arc Flash Accidents, Electrical Hazards
posted by Steve Hudgik
| This Arc Flash Post and 0 Comments
|
Add Comment |
links
NFPA 70E Blog | Arc Flash Labels | Arc Flash Label Printers | DuraLabel Supplies | Free Trials
