Protecting Against Arc Flash

technical paper

The other electrical hazard

By Daniel Roberts and George Gregory, Schneider Electric Electric shock is the hazard most people associate with electricity, yet the majority of hospital admissions stemming from electrical accidents are due to arc-flash burns, not shocks . In his landmark 1982 paper Ralph H. Lee calls arc flash the other electrical hazard.

Schneider Canada Services

Safe work practices designed to prevent arc flash incidents are contained in NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace 2004 Edition. NFPA 70E is published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), an international codes and standards organization based in the United States. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) currently does not have a standard equivalent to NFPA 70E. In the absence of a Canadian Standard, many companies in Canada are adopting the NFPA 70E standard and modifying it to suit their needs. In the United States the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has begun to aggressively monitor compliance with NFPA 70E. What does Canadian occupational health and safety legislation have to say about arc flash?

Canadian Occupational Health and Safety law and arc flash hazards
Arc flash is addressed legislatively at both the provincial and federal levels. All provincial occupational health and safety acts have a general duty clause requiring employers to take reasonable precautions to ensure their employees health and safety. Additionally, some provinces specifically mandate protection against arc flash. For example, Ontarios Construction and Industrial Regulations require workers to be protected against electrical shock and burns while working on or near the live, exposed parts of equipment or conductors. Albertas Occupational Health and Safety Code requires workers exposed to electrical equipment flashover to wear flame-resistant clothing. Adopting the safe work practices found in NFPA 70E is certainly a reasonable measure for an employer to follow to protect his employees. Federally, as of 31 March 2004, Bill C-45 established a duty under the Criminal Code of Canada for employers, managers and supervisors to ensure workplace health and safety. Under the Criminal Code of Canada as amended by Bill C-45, there is no specific limit on fines against a corporation thats found guilty, and individual representatives of a corporation can receive a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted of criminal negligence causing death. Conclusion? Employers in Canada have a legal duty to protect their workers against arc flash, the other electrical hazard.

So what exactly is arc flash and how can workers be protected?

Defining arc flash
An arc flash occurs when electric current passes through air (arcs) between conductors. An electric arc is one of the hottest things on earth temperatures in the arc can reach close to 20,000C. The incredible temperature of the arc causes an explosive expansion of air and metal around the arc. Concentrated energy radiates outward from the arc in the form of plasma, molten metal and pressure waves. The effects on the human body can range from traumatic severe burns, damaged eyesight, ruptured eardrums, collapsed lungs to fatal. There are two key practices outlined in NFPA 70E that, when followed, protect against arc flash hazards: (1) establishing an electrically safe work condition, and (2) performing a flash hazard analysis.
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Establishing an electrically safe work condition

Neither an electric shock nor an arc flash event can occur if the equipment is at a zero-energy-state or de-energized. Generally speaking, other than for the purposes of testing or troubleshooting, Canadian Occupational Health and Safety legislation requires the power supply to electrical equipment be disconnected and locked out of service before any work is done on or near live exposed conductors. NFPA 70E calls this "establishing an electrically safe work condition." Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) must be used when establishing an electrically safe work condition, or when testing or troubleshooting. The electrical industry has done a good job of identifying and providing the required PPE for shock hazards e.g. class of gloves, safe limits of approach, etc. The next step is to take arc flash to the same level of awareness. This would involve performing what NFPA 70E terms a "flash hazard analysis a study investigating a workers potential exposure to arc flash energy, conducted for the purpose of injury prevention and the determination of safe work practices and the appropriate levels of PPE."

Performing a flash hazard analysis

A flash hazard analysis determines two important things: the flash protection boundary distance and the possible arc flash incident energy. NFPA 70E defines these two terms as: "Incident energy the amount of energy impressed on a surface, a certain distance from the source, generated during an electrical arc event." This energy is generally expressed in calories/cm2. The "surface" of concern "impressed on" is a workers body particularly the head and trunk. Incident energy is calculated using variables such as available fault current, system voltage, expected arcing fault duration and the workers distance from the arc. The data obtained from the calculations is used to select the appropriate flame resistant (FR) PPE, just as voltage level would be used to select a class of rubber gloves. "The flash protection boundary is an approach limit at a distance from exposed live parts within which a person could receive a seconddegree burn if an electrical arc flash were to occur." FR PPE must be worn by anyone that is within the flash protection boundary. See Figure 1 Approach Boundaries. NFPA 70E does not specifically require or exclude any method to perform the flash hazard analysis. IEEE 1584, Guide for Performing Arc Flash Hazard Calculations, provides fairly accurate methods of analysis, as they are based on a large number of tests. When installation data is known, the IEEE spreadsheet calculations are relatively straightforward. Results can be obtained for a variety of circuits or working conditions, but they require detailed information about the installation and a computer, or good calculating skills. Facilities with neither the time nor the expertise can contract third parties to calculate flash protection boundaries and incident energy levels for each piece of electrical distribution equipment in their facility, label the equipment, and train their staff in electrical safety and arc flash hazards. A simpler approach is to use the hazard analysis and PPE selection tables and guidelines within NFPA 70E. They provide enough information to perform the analysis and select the appropriate PPE with no other source material.
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Figure 1 Approach Boundaries

Example:
Determine what PPE is required when operating a 240 Volt fused switch with the cover on.

Use of the three tables can be broken down into a fivestep procedure:
From Table 130.7(C)(9)(a) Hazard / Risk Category Classification: 1. Select the voltage class of equipment to be worked on and the task to be performed. 2. Identify the hazard category. 3. Identify whether or not voltage rated tools and gloves are required. From Table 130.7(C)(10) Protective Clothing and Personal Protective Equipment Matrix: 4. Identify the required personal protective equipment, including FR clothing. From Table130.7(C)(11) Protective Clothing Characteristics: 5. Ensure the FR clothing selected meets the minimum arc rating for the hazard category identified in step two. This relatively simple approach may be satisfactory when either the capability or the time to perform a more focused analysis is lacking (see example). The primary drawback of using the NFPA 70E tables is that values are based on a given level of fault current and duration of the arc event. For values different from that condition, PPE category values can be higher or lower. An important point not generally understood is that incident energy may actually increase in a low fault current situation, which is not reflected in the tables.

NFPA 70E Table 130.7(C)(9)(a) Hazard Risk Category Classification

Hazard/ V-rated V-rated Task (assumes equipment is gloves tools risk energized, and work is done within category the flash protection boundary) Panelboards rated 240 V and below notes 1 and 3 Circuit breaker (CB) or fused switch operation with covers on 0 N N

Step 1 Voltage class = 240; Activity = Switch operation, covers on Step 2 Hazard/risk category = 0 Step 3 Voltage rated gloves and tools = not required

NFPA 70E Table 130.7(C)(10) Protective Clothing and Personal Protective Equipment Matrix

Protective clothing and equipment Hazard/risk category number Untreated natural fiber a. T-shirt (short-sleeve) b. Shirt (long-sleeve) c. Pants (long) FR Clothing (Note 1) a. Long-sleeve Shirt b. Pants c. Coverall Eye protection a. Safety glasses X X X 0

Protective systems for hazard/risk category 1 2 X X X (note 4) (note 6) X X 3 X X X (note 9) 4 X X X X

X X X (note 4) (note 6) (note 9)

X (note 5) (note 7) (note 9) (note 5) X AL AL AL

No substitute for safety

The importance of your electrical safety program addressing arc flash hazards cannot be overstated. Arc flash is a serious hazard that is potentially fatal to those exposed to it. It can also cause lengthy downtime to repair or replace severely damaged equipment. Until such a time as a Canadian Standard exists, the requirements of NFPA 70E can help users of electricity to reduce the probability of an arc flash event and eliminate the resulting injuries.

Step 4 Required personal protective equipment for Category 0 = Cotton long sleeve shirt and long pants + safety glasses

NFPA 70E Table130.7(C)(11) Protective Clothing Characteristics

Typical protective clothing systems Hazard risk Clothing description (Typical number of Arc rating of category clothing layers is given in parentheses) PPE (cal/cm2) 0 Non-melting, flammable materials (i.e., untreated cotton, wool, rayon, or silk, or blends of these materials) with a fabric weight at least 4.5 oz/yd2 (1) FR shirt and FR pants or FR coverall (1) Cotton underwear conventional short sleeve and brief/shorts, plus FR shirt and FR pants (1 or 2) Cotton underwear plus FR shirt and FR pants plus FR coverall, or cotton underwear plus two FR coveralls (2 or 3) Cotton underwear plus FR shirt and FR pants plus multilayer flash suit (3 or more) N/A

1 2

4 8

Daniel Roberts is the safety manager for the Canadian Services Division of Schneider Electric and a subcommittee member for Sections 2 and 24 of the Canadian Electrical Code. He can be contacted at daniel.roberts@ca.schneider-electric.com. George Gregory is manager of industry standards-circuit protection products for Schneider Electric and a member of the NFPA 70E committee. He can be contacted at george.gregory@ca.schneider-electric.com.

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NFPA 70E is a registered trademark of the National fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA 02169

Step 5 Arc Rating of PPE for Category 0 = N/A (ensure clothing fabric weight is at least 4.5 oz/yd2)

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Head office/Sige social 19 Waterman Avenue Toronto, Ontario M4B 1Y2 www.schneider-electric.ca Tel.: (416) 752-8020 Fax: (416) 752-6230 February, 2005

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