![]() Second, consult Table 130.7(C)(10) to determine what type of clothing/equipment is required based on the category of risk determined. ![]() ![]() First, consult NFPA 70E, Table 130.7(C)(9), to determine to which category of risk a particular activity belongs. Picking the right type of arc flash protective clothing is easy. NFPA 70E interprets that workers within the flash protection boundary (the area where discharged energy is greater than 1.2 cal/cm2) must be qualified and wearing thermally resistant and arc flash protective clothing. NFPA 70E defines necessary steps to be taken to properly prevent serious injury in the event of an arc flash accident. What steps can be taken to reduce the risk? NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces, sets standards and regulations for workers working around energized equipment. Extended medical care is often required, sometimes costing in excess of $1,000,000. It’s not uncommon for an injured employee to never regain their past quality of life. Because of the violent nature of an arc flash exposure when an employee is injured, the injury is serious-even resulting in death. Finally, select personal protective equipment that meets or exceeds the designated ATPV rating.Īlso Read: High-Voltage Electrical SafetyĪrc flash clothes are critically important to keep workers safe. Third, identify what arc thermal performance value (ATPV) rating is necessary. Second, determine what clothing and equipment the hazard risk category requires. A high-amperage arc produces an explosive pressure wave blast that can cause severe fall-related injuries.įour-step hazard calculations: First, establish the job’s hazard risk category. PPE alone, however, is no substitute for thorough safety training, consistently following Lockout/Tagout procedures, keeping electrical equipment well-maintained, and applying engineering controls. Wearing personal protective equipment is necessary for reducing injury from electrical arc flash accidents, but it is no substitute for proper safety training, among other best practices in arc safety.Įvery day, electrical arc flash accidents injure or kill, but wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) minimizes accident frequency and severity. What causes an arcing fault? The most common causes of an arcing fault are equipment failure, human error (improper placement of tools or improper use of equipment), or the conduction of electricity due to foreign particles in the air (usually metal shavings). It is lightning on a smaller, yet still deadly, scale. The air becomes like a piece of copper, conducting the electricity only with the air, you can see the massive discharge of the electrons from the discharging element. That just means that the electricity is flowing through something it should not be in most cases that result in injury, the medium was the air. An arcing fault is the unintended flow of current through a medium not intended to carry the current. 2: An example of a standard that provides information for arc-resistant switchgear referred to in Table 130.7(C)(15)(a) is IEEE C37.20.7, Guide for Testing Metal-Enclosed Switchgear Rated Up to 38 kV for Internal Arcing Faults.The arc flash is the resulting discharge of energy caused by an arcing fault. 1: See Table 1 of IEEE 1584TM, Guide for Performing Arc Flash Hazard Calculations, for further information regarding Notes b through d.
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