Arc Flash & Electrical Safety News
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Incident Prevention Magazine - Confused About Arc Flash Compliance?
An article in Incident Preventation magazine reveals that electric power utilities are struggling when it comes to developing implementing arc flash protection and prevention plans. The article states:"A recent survey conducted by Incident Prevention indicated there is no standard method for developing and implementing electric utility arc flash implementation plans. In particular, survey participants identified four areas of uncertainty:
• Selecting and utilizing appropriate engineering software to calculate arc flash data.
• Selecting standard working distances for various types of work performed.
• Developing engineering controls and work rules to reduce energy levels.
• Identifying and developing processes to manage secondary arc flash conditions."
The article looks at each one of these. You can read the entire article at: http://www.incident-prevention.com/component/zine/article/124-confused-about-arc-flash-compliance.html
Labels: Arc Flash Calculations, Arc Flash Training, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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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 |
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Monday, June 08, 2009
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 |
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Friday, September 26, 2008
Eaton Announces Their Participation In Arc Flash Research
Plant Engineeering Live announced that Eaton is a platinum sponsor of the multi-year Arc Flash Collaborative Research Project. The article states:"Eaton is a platinum sponsor of the multi-year Arc Flash Collaborative Research Project that will go a long way toward understanding arc flash events worldwide. The $6 million to $7 million initiative will involve more than 2,000 test protocols that measure the thermal, pressure, sound, shrapnel, toxicity and radiative phenomena generated in arc flashes, and will explore how enclosures affect the energy released."
The article starts with an overview of arc flash and a summary of what the research project will be looking at. It concludes with this summary of some of the anticipated benefits of the study:
"The Arc Flash Collaborative Research Project will give companies the same degree of information about protecting workers exposed to electrical safety hazards that the Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Health and Safety Administration regulations provide for the handling of hazardous chemicals and maintaining safe working conditions, respectively. If OSHA or Congress chooses to implement workplace electrical safety regulations or legislation, project content can serve as the basis for public policy, or may be used verbatim. The same holds true if state agencies or legislatures choose to strengthen on-the-job safety requirements."
You can read the entire article at: http://www.plantengineering.com/article/CA6594344.html
Labels: Arc Flash, Electrical Hazards, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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Thursday, September 04, 2008
IEEE / NFPA joint research update
The IEEE / NFPA Arc Flash Collaborative Research Project is ready to begin testing that, ultimately, should lead to more accurate and effective arc flash standards. An article on the IEEE site provides background on the project.The goal of the IEEE / NFPA joint research is to create rigorously-tested models of arc flash phenomena that can serve as a reference in creating improved formulas and safety codes. In addition to exploring the effects of varying voltages, arc gaps, enclosures, and so forth on incident energy, researchers will be investigating secondary hazards of arc flash such as toxic gases, sound waves, and ultraviolet radiation.
A network of laboratories around the world, carefully vetted by IEEE / NFPA project members over the last year, will be participating in the study. Total costs of the research are expected to be $6.5 million, of which more than half has already been raised. Ben Johnson, project co-chair, stated: "I expect that we’ll gain information that can lead to improved equipment...if we can save just one life, all this is worth doing.”
Labels: Arc Flash Calculations, NFPA 70E, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Daniel Nighting |
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Thursday, November 22, 2007
Arc Flash Electrical Safety Discussion
We are featuring electrical safety videos this week. Today's post features two videos. The first video shows the arc flash that results when a workman touches a live circuit with a screwdriver. I can not tell if he was injured, but he has no PPE.The following presents an arc flash safety discussion.
Labels: Safety Video, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Electric TV.net Discusses Arc Flash
This video, from ElectricTV.net talks about arc flash and arc flash safety.Labels: Safety Video, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Arc Flash Hazards
I'm continually looking for better articles about arc flash that do not duplicate information I have already referenced in this blog. I just ran across a May/June 2003 article published in the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) Magazine. As with most articles it begins with a discussion of the causes of arc flash. But, it takes that discussion to a deeper level than I've seen in other articles. After talking about arc flash in general, it discusses bolted faults vs. arcing faults. It then describes how arc faults can progress to other components as a result of the buildup of ionized material. The article states:"This causes other phases of the electrical system to become involved in the arcing fault, thus increasing the amount of electrical energy feeding into the fault; and increases the extent of the fault and incident."
The article then goes on to discuss the importance of proper arc flash protection, and it does this based on the thresholds of harm for the human body. For example, it discusses the thresholds for injury from burns and pressure--both of which occur during an arc flash.
It then concludes with an excellent section about ways to prevent arc flash injuries based on information obtained from tests conducted by the IEEE Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee.
This article is one of my top five must read articles.
Labels: Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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Friday, December 15, 2006
Easy To Understand Explanation of Arc Flash
Normally I'm looking for detailed information related to arc flash. But at times it may be useful to have a simplified explanation that anyone can understand. When I saw the explanation of arc flash on the Alliant Energy web site, I was impressed. It gives an easy to understand explanation of arc flash and the steps that should be taken to prevent arc flash injury. Clear, easy-to-understand graphics provide visual descriptions of what happens during an arc flash incident.You'll find the Alliant Energy arc flash web page at: http://www.alliantenergy.com/docs/groups/public/documents/pub/p015092.hcsp
Labels: Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Video of Arc Flash Demonstration
What does an arc flash explosion look like? A 480v 3-phrase demonstration of an arc flash was set up in a laboratory and video taped. An arc flash is usually caused by something, most commonly dirt or debris, causing a short circuit. For example, here is a report of an arc flash incident caused by a tool that fell into a breaker panel.In this demonstration the arc flash was intentionally started by placing wires across the three copper bus bars. This created the short circuit normally caused by dirt or debris. Power (480v) was then applied to the bus bars for about 1 second.
Labels: Arc Flash, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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Monday, August 28, 2006
Keys to Understanding NFPA Standard 70E
A detailed article about NFPA 70E is provided in EC&M Magazine (May 2005 issue).It provides an overview of the OSHA regulations and a detailed explanations of terms such as "incident energy" and "fault current". The article is written with the objective of bringing a greater technical understanding of NFPA 70E so as to improve safety, and it accomplishes that goal.
The conclusion of the article makes an excellent recommendation:
"Most contractors acknowledge that the calculations required by 70E are too complex for the everyday work environment. That's why it's recommended that the tables in Section 130 be distributed to each and every field worker and that each worker be outfitted with a minimum Category 2 PPE. Electricians' tools should also be reviewed to make sure they comply with 70E. Just simply knowing 70E guidelines will help reduce the number of arc-flash injuries."
Labels: NFPA 70E, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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Friday, August 18, 2006
IEEE Video - Arc Flash Hazards in Electrical Equipment
IEEE is offering a video, produced by an ad hoc safety committee whose intention was to learn more about electrical arc flash. They "had three main goals in mind: to develop new leanings or validate existing leanings around electrical flash hazards: to produce three training programs for electricians, engineers and general public around electrical hazards: to assimilate and catalog knowledge around all aspects of electrical hazards."The video, along with the IEEE paper documenting all data collected during these tests, and a CD-ROM with more than 90 Microsoft PowerPoint slides with information supporting the tests and testing process, is available for purchase from IEEE.
Labels: Arc Flash Training, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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Friday, July 14, 2006
Do You Need NFPA 70E?
This article from Maintenance Technology is subtitled, "Questions and answers about this set of guidelines for workplace electrical safety."The article provides a brief history of NFPA 70E and discusses in general what NFPA 70E covers. It then introduces the OSHA "general duty clause" and discusses whether compliance with NFPA 70E is mandatory.
Overall this is a good article for those who need to learn about NFPA 70E and arc flash labeling. It concludes with the following points to remember:
• Several of the OSHA regulations are written in general terms leaving the details up to the employer on how to comply. The employer is expected to use consensus standards to help in the selection of the best method to achieve compliance with OSHA regulations. NFPA 70E is a "how to comply" standard for specific OSHA regulations.
• NFPA 70E is not a federal regulation; it is just a national consensus standard like hundreds of other standards that are not laws or regulations. But compliance with 70E will assure compliance with specific OSHA electrical regulations.
• Some OSHA state plans are more restrictive than federal OSHA and as such may have adopted or incorporated NFPA 70E.
• In the event of an injury or death due to an electrical accident, if OSHA determines that compliance with NFPA 70E would have prevented or lessened the injury, OSHA may cite the employer under the "general duty clause" for not using 70E to protect the employee(s)
• It is important to get training on NFPA 70E and to implement it into your electrical safety program.
Labels: NFPA 70E, Understanding Arc Flash
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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