Arc Flash & Electrical Safety News

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

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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

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Wednesday, April 08, 2009

OSHA Citations Issued For Failure To Abate Electrical Safety Violations

OSHA cites Houston-based manufacturing company for failing to abate safety violations
Initial inspection followed electrocution death of a worker.

OSHA has issued failure-to-abate citations to JD Manufacturing Inc., doing business as Arrow Waste, in Houston for a follow-up inspection that revealed previous violations had not been abated.

The initial inspection on Jan. 29, 2008, at the company's facility on 11401 Brooklyn St. in Houston, followed the electrocution death of a worker. Upon re-inspection on Oct. 9, 2008, OSHA's investigation found that the six violations, four alleged serious and two alleged other-than-serious, originally cited were not corrected by the company.

"The employer completely ignored abating the violations while continuing to expose employees to a hazardous working environment. That kind of practice will not be tolerated," said Dean McDaniel, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas. "OSHA standards must be followed to prevent injuries and fatalities."

The serious failure-to-abate violations include failing to have a written program for the control of hazardous energy, not installing the required wiring in accordance with OSHA regulations and failing to adequately mark branch circuits to indicate their purpose. A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

The other-than-serious violations the company failed to correct are not having a hazard communications program in place and not maintaining the required recordkeeping. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.

The initial inspection carried proposed penalties totaling $25,500. The re-inspection carries $108,000 in proposed penalties.

JD Manufacturing, a manufacturing and repair facility for mechanized equipment and roll-off containers such as dumpsters or debris containers, has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's Houston North area director or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Employers and employees with questions regarding workplace safety and health standards can call OSHA's Houston North Area Office at 281-591-2438 or OSHA's toll-free hotline number at 800-321-6742 to report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers.

Labels: Electrical Injuries, Electrical Safety, OSHA, Work Place Safety

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