T-6 J Weigel Imwog Las Vegas Af Seminar Nov 07

Electrical Arc Flash Safety
Joe Weigel
Square D Services
Nashville Tennessee
(615) 844 8656
What is an Arc Flash?
NFPA 70E says an arc flash

hazard is:
A dangerous condition
associated with the release
of energy caused by an
electric arc
A hazard beyond shock and electrocution
Two Types of Major Electrical Faults Can Occur

Bolted faults
Low impedance and high current
Energy is contained by the conductor (bus or cable)
Cleared quickly by circuit breakers or fuses
Arcing is confined within the circuit breaker or fuse
Usually no damage to equipment
Relatively low safety risk to personnel
Arcing faults
High impedance (air) results in lower current
Persist longer and propagate
High release of heat and blast energy
Are very destructive and dangerous to personnel
3
Causes of Bolted and Arcing Faults

What causes these types of faults?
Bolted faults (low impedance and high current)
Commonly caused by
Improper connections after maintenance
Installation errors
Arcing faults (high impedance, lower current)

Commonly caused by
Careless cover or device removal
Foreign object (tool) dropped into equipment
Misalignment of moving contacts (parts failure)
Dirt contamination or dielectric breakdown
Entry of foreign body (rodent, snake, squirrel)
Bolted and Arcing Fault Characteristics

Arcing fault incident energy released is:
Greater at higher bolted fault current levels
Reduced by dynamic impedance (air)
And increased by the time duration of the arc
The most controllable factor in reducing the

incident energy is time
Current flow in a 480V arcing fault is approximately

half that of the bolted fault current (impedance of
air)
Fuses or circuit breakers are the first line of
defense in reducing arcing fault incident energy
Calculating arc fault incident energy is a very
complex engineering task
5
What an Arcing Fault Looks Like
Electrical Arc Facts

Arc is electric current passing through air
Shock potential from contact with arc
Temperature of arc plasma center is greater than

5000F (some say much higher)
Radiated heat burns
Pressure wave generated from arc

Impact to hearing, etc
Gaseous copper is 44,000 times solid
Molten metal expelled from equipment at high speed
Arc fault results from something wrong or out of

place
7
Some arc flash injury statistics

Five to ten arc flash explosions occur in electrical
equipment every day in the United States, according to
statistics compiled by Cap-Schell, Inc., a Chicago-based
research and consulting firm that specializes in preventing
workplace injuries and deaths.
Injuries from arc flash events range from minor injuries to
third degree burns and potential death due to the energy
released.
Other injuries include blindness, hearing loss, nerve
damage, and cardiac arrest.
The average cost of medical treatment for survivors of arc
flash incidents is $ 1,500,000
Total costs including litigation can be $8M - $10M
8
Results of an Arc Flash
Other non-human
consequences
Downtime
Lost revenue
Loss of product
Equipment damage
Regulatory impact
OSHA citation and fines
Applicable Documents
NFPA70 (NEC)
Governs Electrical
Installations
NFPA70E-2004
Governs Employee
Workplace Safety
OSHA 29 CFR
Part 1910
OSHA Standards
(Iowa Shown)
IEEE 1584 -2002
Guide for Performing

Arc Flash Hazard
Calculations
10
New Requirements on Facilities

NFPA 70E and NEC state that facilities must
provide:
Safety program with defined responsibilities
Analysis for arc flash hazard degree
Training for workers
Personal protective equipment (clothing) for workers
Tools for safe work
Warning labels on equipment
Result: Facilities must take steps to comply.
11
Requirements: 2005 NEC

110.16: Switchboards, panelboards, industrial control
panels, meter socket enclosures, and motor control
centers that are in other than dwelling occupancies and
are likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or
maintenance while energized shall be field marked to warn
qualified persons of potential electric arc flash hazards.
The marking shall be located so as to be clearly visible to
qualified persons before examination, adjustment,
servicing, or maintenance of the equipment.
Warning for awareness, to prepare for future work

Field marked - not marked by manufacturer
No mention of values - only warning of hazard
References NFPA 70E, ANSI Z535.4
12
Example Equipment Label
Illustrates minimum requirement. This is an example,

not a recommendation.
13
Present label
DANGER
HAZARD OF
ELECTRIC
SHOCK, BURN
OR
EXPLOSION
This equipment must be

installed and serviced only by
qualified electrical personnel.
Turn off all power supplying this

equipment before working on or
inside equipment.
Always use a properly rated

voltage sensing device to confirm
power is off.
Replace all devices, doors, and

covers before turning on power to
this equipment.
Failure to follow these instructions
will result in death or serious injury.
New label
DANGER
HAZARD OF ELECTRIC
SHOCK, EXPLOSION,
OR ARC FLASH
Apply appropriate personal
protective equipment (PPE)
and follow safe electrical work
practices. See NFPA 70E
This equipment must only be installed and

serviced by qualified electrical personnel.
Turn off all power supplying this equipment before
working on or inside equipment.
Always use a properly rated voltage sensing
device to confirm power is off.
Replace all devices, doors and covers before
turning on power to this equipment.
Failure to follow these instructions will result in death
or serious injury.
14
The Importance of Proper Hazard Warning Labels

What is a failure to adequately warn?
ANSI Z535.4, UL 969, and ISO standards
OSHA always cites to the most current labeling
standards (ANSI Z535.4)
The standards define the colors, symbols,
materials and wording used on labels
Labels should be designed to accommodate
standards changes
From a risk exposure and safety standpoint,
proper labeling is very important
15
Example of Arc Flash Label with Data Values
16
Inadequate labeling example
17
Who is a Qualified Person ?

NFPA 70E and the National Electrical Code (NEC)
define a qualified person as One who has skills
and knowledge related to the construction and
operation of the electrical equipment and
installations and has received safety training on
the hazards involved.
Training on the hazards is required by definition
18
OSHA
29 CFR 1910.333
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.
The fundamental requirement is to de-energize!
When you allow work to be done energized, you
take a risk.
19
Working Energized
Examples of increased or additional hazards
Interruption of:
Life support systems
Emergency alarm systems
Hazardous location ventilation
Examples of infeasible circumstances:
Start-up testing
Trouble shooting and diagnostics
Work on circuits that form an integral part of a
continuous process
Source: NFPA 70E 2004 Article 130 (Working on or near live parts)
20
OSHA
29 CFR 1910.335
Personal Protective Equipment
Employees working in areas where there are
potential electrical hazards shall be provided with,
and shall use, electrical protective equipment that is
appropriate for the specific parts of the body to be
protected and for the work to be performed.
Notice that OSHA does not specifically mention
calculations or NFPA 70E. However, since NFPA
70E is a recognized, published standard available
to the industry, OSHA will always cite using
requirements of NFPA 70E.
21
Limits of Approach
Flash protection
boundary:
An approach limit at a distance
from exposed live parts within
which a person could receive a
second degree burn if an
electric arc flash were to
occur. (NFPA 70E 2004)
It is generally accepted that a second
degree burn results from exposure of
incident energy of 1.2 cal/cm2
NFPA 70E, Fig. C.1.2.4
22
Incident Energy
The amount of energy
impressed on a surface, a
certain distance from the
source, generated during an
arc event.
Incident energy is measured in
calories/cm2 or Joules/cm2.
The incident energy defines the PPE
category required
(Ref: NFPA 70E 2003 ROC, IEEE 1584)
23
Flash Hazard Analysis

A flash hazard analysis shall be done in order to
protect personnel from the possibility of being injured
by an arc flash. The analysis shall determine the
Flash Protection Boundary and the personal
protective equipment that people within the flash
protection boundary shall use (NFPA 70E 130.3)
Desired output for each equipment:

Flash protection boundary distance
Incident energy
Hazard / risk category for PPE selection
24
Determine PPE Hazard Risk Category

Category Cal/cm2 Clothing
N/A
Untreated cotton (Square D uses 2 Cal/cm2)
FR shirt & FR pants
Cotton underwear plus FR shirt & FR pants
25

plus FR coverall
40

plus double layer switching coat and pants
From incident energy calculated value

Output category for Personal Protective Equipment
Note that melt-able fabrics and other similar synthetics are never permitted
Source: NFPA 70E 2004 table 130.7(C)(11)
25
PPE Examples (courtesy Oberon Company)
26

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Electrical Arc Flash Safety

What is an Arc Flash?

NFPA 70E says an arc flash

A hazard beyond shock and electrocution

Two Types of Major Electrical Faults Can Occur

Causes of Bolted and Arcing Faults

Arcing faults (high impedance, lower current)

Bolted and Arcing Fault Characteristics

The most controllable factor in reducing the

Current flow in a 480V arcing fault is approximately

What an Arcing Fault Looks Like

Electrical Arc Facts

Temperature of arc plasma center is greater than

Pressure wave generated from arc

Arc fault results from something wrong or out of

Some arc flash injury statistics

Results of an Arc Flash

IEEE 1584 -2002

Guide for Performing

New Requirements on Facilities

Result: Facilities must take steps to comply.

Requirements: 2005 NEC

Warning for awareness, to prepare for future work

Example Equipment Label

Illustrates minimum requirement. This is an example,

This equipment must be

Turn off all power supplying this

Always use a properly rated

Replace all devices, doors, and

This equipment must only be installed and

The Importance of Proper Hazard Warning Labels

Example of Arc Flash Label with Data Values

Inadequate labeling example

Who is a Qualified Person ?

Flash Hazard Analysis

Desired output for each equipment:

Determine PPE Hazard Risk Category

Untreated cotton (Square D uses 2 Cal/cm2)

FR shirt & FR pants

Cotton underwear plus FR shirt & FR pants

Cotton underwear plus FR shirt & FR pants

Cotton underwear plus FR shirt & FR pants

From incident energy calculated value

PPE Examples (courtesy Oberon Company)

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