Arc Flash Regulations & Requirements

1
Welcome
Arc Flash Regulations Requirements
Updated 12/07
2
Arc Flash
Regulations Requirements

• OR
• How to work live without making an ash of
  yourself

Credit to Regional OSHA Training Coordinator
3
What Is Arc Flash?
What is Arc Flash?

• Arc flash is a short circuit through air that
  flashes over from one exposed live conductor to
  another conductor or to ground.

Lightning is an example of a naturally occurring
arc flash.
4
Electric Arc Facts

• TYPICALLY LASTS LESS THAN A SECOND
• EXTREMELY HIGH RADIANT ENERGY
• EXPLOSIVE IN NATURE
• CAN IGNITE AND/OR MELT CONVENTIONAL WORK CLOTHING

5
Slide Courtesy of Oberon
lt 740 mph
IR
Visible
165 db
15000 C
UV
1000 C
2000 psf
50 cal/cm2
6
Arc Flash Injuries
ARC FLASH

• From Arc Flash
• Severe burns from heat and molten metal
• Damage to eyesight
• From Arc Blast
• Loss of brain function due to concussion
• Hearing loss from ruptured eardrums
• Shrapnel wounds from flying metal parts
• Other injuries from force of explosion

7
How Common Is It?
ARC FLASH

• Most hospital admissions due to electrical
  accidents are from arc flash burns, not from
  electrical shocks!
• Of the 350 workers killed by electricity in 2005,
  50 were related to arc flash
• 5 to 10 arc flash incidents occur in the USA each
  day, resulting in an average estimated 1 death
  every other day

8
What Are The Costs?
ARC FLASH

• DEATH
• Or years of medical treatment,
• with costs from 1-5 million for severe burns
• Victim may never return to work
• or enjoy same quality of life!
• OSHA fines, civil lawsuits
• Equipment damage, production loss

9
The First Rule About Working Live
Bottom Line

• DONT! De-energize and Lockout/Tagout instead.
  
• 80 of the electrical fatalities in this country
  occur where the power could have been off.
• Reasons Given For Working Live
• Not wanting to pay overtime
• Slows production down
• Takes too long - inconvenient
• Safety has priority over service
  continuity, equipment damage or
  economics Institute of Electrical and
  Electronic Engineers Buff Book

10
OSHA 1910.333(a)(1) De-energized Parts
Live parts to which an employee may be exposed
shall be de-energized before the employee works
on or near them, unless the employer can
demonstrate that de-energizing introduces
additional or increased hazards or is infeasible
due to equipment design or operational
limitations.
11
What Can Cause Arc Flash?
ARC FLASH

• Accidental contact or even just positioning a
  conductive object too close to high-amp current
• Sparks (dropping tools, racking breakers, etc.)
• Equipment or circuit breaker failure
• Breaks or gaps in insulation
• Dust, corrosion, other impurities
• Fumes or chemical vapors

12
When Are You Exposed?
ARC FLASH

• Installing conduits bus duct switches
• Working on control circuits
• Cleaning starter buckets in a MCC
• Applying safety grounds
• Operating disconnect switches and breakers
• Taking a voltage reading
• Removing, installing circuit breakers or fuses
• Anytime youre inside the Flash Protection
  Boundary

13
Arc Flash Regulations
ARC FLASH

• OSHA 29 CFR Subpart S, 1910.331 335 Electrical
  Safety Related Work Practices
• NFPA 70E-2004 Standard For Electrical Safety In
  The Workplace
• To order call 800-344-3555 or go to
  www.nfpacatalog.org
• IEEE 1584 Guide For Performing Arc Flash Hazard
  Calculations
• To order call 800-701-4333 or go to
  http//standards.ieee.org
• ANSI / NFPA 70-2005 National Electric Code

14
NFPA 70E

• OSHA IS THE SHALL
• NFPA 70E IS THE HOW
• Industry consensus standards, notably NFPA 70E,
  can be used by employers as guides to making the
  assessments and equipment selections required by
  the standard. Similarly, in OSHA enforcement
  actions, they can be used as evidence of whether
  the employer acted reasonably.

15
Regulatory Objectives
Regulatory Objectives

• Objective of arc flash regulations is to limit
  injury to curable 2nd degree burns.
• Adhering to min. requirements does NOT
• Eliminate risk of burn injury completely
• Protect workers from effects of arc blast

16
Incident Energy
ARC FLASH

• Incident energy determined by
• Magnitude of fault current
• Duration of arc fault
• Distance from flash source
• Research shows that incident energy of approx.
  1.2 cal/cm² will cause a 2nd degree burn.

17
Flash Boundary
ARC FLASH

• Flash protection boundary should be set at point
  where incident energy equals 1.2 cal/cm²
• When work on live exposed parts is in progress
• Unprotected workers must remain outside flash
  protection boundary.
• Workers inside boundary must wear proper flash
  protection clothing.

18
Protective Clothing
ARC FLASH

• NFPA 70E defines five levels of arc flash
  hazards
• Category 0 (low risk) through Category 4 (high
  risk)
• Protective apparel requirements shown in table
  130.7(C)(10) of NFPA70E-2004

19
Personal Protective Equipment Requirements
ARC FLASH
Protective equipment requirements are covered in
Table 130.7(C)(10) of NFPA70-2004
20
Flammable Clothing
ARC FLASH
Before arc flash
After arc flash
During arc flash
Untreated cotton shirt (5.7 oz/yard²)
21
Flame Resistant Clothing
ARC FLASH
Before arc flash
After arc flash
During arc flash
DuPont NOMEX IIIA Shirt (4.5 oz/yd²)
22
Determining The Flash Hazard Category
ARC FLASH

• The flash hazard category can be determined in
  either of two ways
• Use table 130.7(C)(9)(a) Hazard / Risk Category
  Classification in NFPA 70E-2004
• Perform flash hazard analysis as described in
  130.3 of NFPA 70E-2004

23
Labeling Requirements
ARC FLASH

• Article 110.16 of the ANSI / NFPA 70-2005
  National Electric Code states
• Switchboards, panelboards, industrial control
  panels, meter socket enclosures, and motor
  control centers that are in other than dwelling
  occupancies and are likely to be subject to
  examination, adjustment, servicing or maintenance
  while energized must be field marked to warn
  qualified personnel of potential arc flash
  hazards. The marking shall be located so as to
  be clearly visible to qualified persons before
  examination, adjustment, servicing or maintenance
  of equipment.

NEC2008 Adds - Electrical equipment such
as - Multiple occupancy dwellings not
exempt
24
New vs. Existing Installations
ARC FLASH

• Labeling is responsibility of owners, not
  equipment manufacturers or suppliers.
• Applies to all new installations and as well as
  any existing installations that are added,
  altered or modified in any way.
• Many companies taking safe (and efficient)
  approach of labeling all existing installations.

25
Generic Labels
ARC FLASH

• Current regulation says only that label must warn
  of arc flash hazards.

3.5 x 5
2 x 4
Bilingual (En/Sp) labels also available
26
Write-On Labels
ARC FLASH

• Many employers including additional info such as
  hazard category and required arc flash PPE
• Others also providing shock hazard information

27
Pre-Printed Labels
ARC FLASH

• Labels with preprinted hazcat and PPE mean less
  writing, less chance of someone making a mistake

28
Custom Printed Labels
ARC FLASH

• Send data in spreadsheet and have Brady print
  for you
• Print using Brady industrial label printing
  systems

29
Facility ID Label Printers
ARC FLASH
MarkWare Software GlobalMark printer
or MiniMark printer
30
Power Management Software
ARC FLASH
Print arc flash labels to Brady industrial
labeling printers direct from 3-party power
management programs such as
SKM
ETAP
ESA EasyPower
31
Electrical Work Permits
ARC FLASH

• Required by NFPA 70E when working live
• Allows relevant hazards and safe work practices
  to be specified on a job by job basis
• Ensures proper mgmt control of high-risk work
  activities

32
Training Tools
ARC FLASH
Promote awareness of the dangers associated with
arc flash accidents And make sure your employees
know how to protect themselves!
33
Protect Yourself!
ARC FLASH

• Lockout before service and maintenance
• Follow approved safe work procedures
• Wear proper protective apparel and equipment
• Use insulated gloves, tools, blankets and
  barriers
• Keep equipment free of dirt and corrosion
• Operate equipment at the rated voltage
• Be careful to avoid generating sparks

34
Stay Safe Brady Can Help!
ARC FLASH

• Other areas where Brady can help
• Lockout / Tagout
• Hazardous chemicals / Right-to-Know
• Slips Trips
• Process equipment identification
• 5S and Lean Manufacturing
• Production tracking and product labeling

35
(No Transcript)