SPECIAL FEATURE
FIRE, SAFETY & SECURITY
THE IMPORTANCE OF ARC FLASH PPE WITHIN THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY The electrical industry is full of potential hazards, which means it can be particularly dangerous without thorough training and the correct safety equipment. Here, Health and Safety Specialist, Reece Safety, outlines the importance of arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE), the recent change in safety standards, and why these are required within the electrical industry to minimise risk and protect workers.
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rc flash incidents have remained prevalent due to the demand for electricity and electrical products. To ensure that workers stay protected at all times, it’s important to follow all the safety procedures in place, as the arc flash protective equipment should be a last resort after all safety measures have been followed. An ‘arc flash’ is the light and radiation produced as part of an arc fault, a type of electrical explosion that occurs due to a connection through air to ground or another voltage phase in an electrical system. Arc flashes can cause serious injury and even fatalities should the correct safety procedures not be followed, or the industry standard PPE not be worn. Arc flashes mainly occur during the electrical switching prior to works needing to be conducted in an electrically ‘dead’ environment. Lockout Tagout equipment must be applied to the switches after isolation to avoid accidental re-energisation and avoid the risk of injury or death.
The types of arc flash PPE
Arc flash PPE is essential for all electrical workers
ARC flash new safety standards
What is arc flash PPE?
Every three years the safety standards for arc flash protective clothing are revised and in 2021 the classifications once again underwent some changes. The fifth edition of the CSA Z464 Workplace Electrical Safety Standards have been amended to be closely based upon the NFPA 70E Standards. The changes in regulations will have the biggest impact on the safety procedures as opposed to the protective clothing itself; a thorough read through of the new safety measures is of paramount importance. Some of the main changes to the new safety standards include:
Arc flash PPE is the last line of defence to protect the wearer from serious injuries, especially from heavy burns due to the thermal hazards an arc flash incident can present. Activities to eliminate the risk are carried out before resorting to the PPE alone. This type of PPE is essential for working in the electrical industry and it is critical to have the right PPE for the job at hand. The protection level offered by the PPE must be assessed in advance through an arc flash study; this is a specific study needed to produce the risk assessment, as per the employer’s obligations in The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999.
• Added guidance on methods that may be used to reduce likelihood of occurrence of an arcing event, or the severity of exposure when incident energy is greater than the arc-rating of commercially available arc-rated PPE • A new method for selecting arc flash PPE for AC voltages has been added • The minimum threshold for potentially hazardous energy was changed from 30V to 30V AC or 60V DC • Additional means of training were added to recognise that training may be achieved by any of several methods, provided that it achieves specific, measurable outcomes.
Arc flashes can cause serious injury and even fatalities
Switching suits are the ultimate in protection from arc flash and these range from 28cal/cm2 to 100cal/cm2. Arc flash clothing from Reece Safety is made from flame resistant material such as a modacrylic or treated cotton and nylon blend, which is comfortable and lightweight while providing good insulation. IEC 61482-2:2009 is the standard for protective clothing to protect from the hazards of an electrical arc. Arc flash clothing shows the Calorific Value (cal/cm2) as per tests against the IEC 61482-1-1 Open Arc test method, where the ATPV (Arc Thermal Protection Value) can be used to match the values found during the arc flash risk assessments. Base layers may be worn under switching suits and other arc flash garments to provide the most effective level of protection to the skin, as well as providing extra insulation. Any base layers can only be included in the calculation for protection level if they have been fully tested with the outerwear, as a pair of garments – this is often not fully appreciated and, whilst the protection may be provided, legally speaking the base layer must be ignored. Whilst it has been found that the heat transfer between the outer layer and base layer is not high, it is far safer to wear appropriate fabrics to avoid the risk of other garments melting onto the skin. High visibility, two-tone and single colour arc flash outerwear can also be worn according to the working areas, such as railways, or other industries where standards of colours exist. In conclusion, arc flash PPE is essential for all electrical workers. Layering is a good solution if the layers are fully tested as combined protection. Face and hand protection are paramount and good options are available to suit frequency of use. Reece Safety, reecesafety.co.uk
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