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 ARC Flash
Resources
| Arc flash is a growing
source of concern for manufacturers and other employers,
and OSHA has begun citing companies for arc flash
violations. |
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 Arc
Flash is a
short circuit that flashes from one exposed live conductor to
another, or to ground. The resulting ionized air creates
electrically conductive superheated plasma that can reach
temperatures of 5000°F and above. The explosion takes less than
one second and produces a brilliant flash, intense heat, and a
pressure blast equivalent to several sticks of dynamite.
 Reducing the Risks of Arc Flash with Proper Identification |
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Protect workers! If it’s necessary to work live, follow the
regulations outlined in NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in
the Workplace.
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Perform an arc flash hazard analysis to:
- Determine the Flash Protection Boundary.
- Calculate the hazard category and protective equipment
requirements.
Cover both arc flash and electrical shock hazards in employee
training, work procedures and permits.
Protection from Electric Shock and Arc Flash
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Remember: OSHA only allows work on live electrical parts under
special circumstances: when continuity of service is required, or
when de-energizing equipment would create additional hazards. In all
other cases, lockout / tagout is the law! |
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Arc Flash Labeling Requirements |
- EMPLOYERS, not manufacturers or installers, are responsible
for complying with NEC labeling requirements.
- Switchboards, panel boards, industrial control panels, and
motor control centers must be field marked. Many companies are
also marking conduits, disconnect switches, and any other
equipment where the risk of arc flash exists.
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 Any
equipment installed after 2002 needs to be labeled. For
equipment installed before 2002, labeling must be applied if ANY
modifications or upgrades take place. Smart employers are taking
the safe, efficient approach of labeling all their electrical
equipment, regardless of when it was installed.
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Online Access to NFPA 70E: Electrical Safety in
the Workplace, 2004 Edition
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Seton offers a variety of arc flash label formats to
suit your needs.
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Basic Arc Flash Labels |
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Meets current NEC labeling requirements.
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Industrial-grade adhesive sticks permanently to
a wide variety of surfaces.
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Made of durable B-302 Polyester with
over-laminate to withstand harsh environments.
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Write-On Arc Flash Labels |
- Write-in areas for equipment-specific information such as
flash protection boundary, hazard category, and required PPE.
- B-933 Vinyl can be written on with pen or marker.
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Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) Hazard Categories |
Hazard
Category |
Required PPE |
Min. Arc
Rating
(cal/cm2) |
| -1
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- T-Shirt & Long Pants (natural fibers)
- Safety Glasses
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n/a |
| 0 |
- Long sleeve Shirt & Long Pants
(natural fibers)
- Safety Glasses
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n/a |
| 1 |
- Fire-Resistant Shirt & Pants
(or Fire-Resistant Coverall)
- Hard Hat
- Safety Glasses
- Leather Gloves & Shoes
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4 |
| 2 |
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Cotton Underwear
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Fire-Resistant Shirt & Pants
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(or Fire-Resistant Coverall
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Hard Hat
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Safety Glasses or Goggles
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Arc-Rated Face Shield
(or Flash Suit Hood)
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Hearing Protection
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Leather
Gloves & Shoes
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8 |
| 2* |
Same as 2 EXCEPT Flash
Suit 8 Hood required (no face shield option)
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8 |
| 3 |
- Cotton Underwear
- Fire-Resistant Shirt & Pants (PLUS Fire-Resistant
Coverall)
- Hard Hat
- Safety Glasses or Goggles
- Flash Suit Hood
- Hearing Protection
- Leather Gloves & Shoes
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25 |
| 4 |
- Cotton Underwear
- Fire-Resistant Shirt & Pants (or Fire-Resistant
Coverall)
- Hard Hat
- Safety Glasses or Goggles
- Full Flash Suit with Hood
- Hearing Protection
- Leather Gloves & Shoes
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Minimum Arc Rating indicates the amount of thermal energy the
apparel protects against. It’s critically of arc blast or explosion.
De-energizing and locking out equipment is the best way to protect
workers. important that workers wear natural fibers and fire
resistant clothing, because the most severe burns are caused by
ignited or melted clothing. Additional shields and barriers may also
be necessary to protect workers. |
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Arc flash typically occurs while electrical equipment is being
disconnected, inspected or serviced, and can be caused by a variety
of factors such as: |
- Accidental contact with live parts
- Close proximity of a conductive object, like a metal tool,
with a high-amp current source
- Sparks generated from racking in breakers, replacing fuses,
or even from dropped tools
- Over voltage conditions
- Insulation failure or corrosion buildup on electrical
terminals
- Presence of fumes or chemical vapors that reduce the
breakdown voltage of air
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Comply with the NEC marking requirement for arc flash hazard
protection
- Hazard warning labels are now required by the 2002
National Electric Code (Article 110.16) to help reduce the
occurrences of serious injury or death due to arcing faults
to those who work on or near energized electrical equipment
- Post these durable self-adhesive vinyl labels to
switchboards, panel boards, etc. to warn
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Introduced in the 2002 Edition of the National Electric Code |
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EMPLOYERS, not
manufacturers or installers, are responsible for complying with
NEC labeling requirements.
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Switchboards, panel
boards, industrial control panels, and motor control centers
must be field marked. Many companies are also marking conduits,
disconnect switches, and any other equipment where the risk of
arc flash exists.
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Any equipment
installed after 2002 needs to be labeled. For equipment
installed before 2002, labeling must be applied if ANY
modifications or upgrades take place. Smart employers are taking
the safe, efficient approach of labeling all their electrical
equipment, regardless of when it was installed. |
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OSHA has been
working with the
National Fire Protection Agency
(NFPA), the
Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
and other organizations to develop a set of regulations that
specifically address arc flash.
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OSHA does not
specifically mention arc flash hazards or requirements in its
standards. However, the requirements for protecting employees
working on exposed live parts are described in terms general
enough to include arc flash hazards, allowing OSHA to cite
employers for exposing workers to arc flash hazards.
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OSHA 29 CFR 1910.331 - .335, Electrical Safety-Related Work
Practices is the main standard defining requirements for
protecting workers who may be exposed to electrical hazards.
In enforcing worker safety
procedures, OSHA cites the NFPA 70E standard as the "how to"
source for compliance. NFPA 70E provides guidance on specific
steps that must be taken to comply with the more general
statements made in the OSHA standards.
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| OSHA 1910.133
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NFPA 70E-2004
Standard For Electrical Safety in the Workplace
NFPA 70E can be considered an
offshoot of the National Electric Code. The NEC is concerned
mainly with electrical design, construction and inspection. As
such, it was hard for employers and employees to understand the
electrical safety requirements for working on installed
electrical systems in the work place. Using the NEC and other
documents as a basis, the NFPA 70E was created to provide
clearer instructions for electrical safety in the workplace. As
part of the requirements, employers are required to perform an
arc flash analysis.
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Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers Methods and Equations
These our documented in IEEE
Standard 1584 Guide For Performing Arc Flash Hazard
Calculations. IEEE 1584 equations considered by many to be the
most accurate method for analyzing arc flash hazards, thus is
widely used in the industry. |
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The new NEC Standard, Article 110.16 Flash
Protection states that, "Switchboards, Powerboards, Control Panels
and Motor Control Centers shall be field marked to warn of potential
arc flash hazards." |
- Standard for Electrical Safety
Requirements for Employee Workplaces, NFPA
70E–2004, Annex D, ‘‘Sample Calculation
of Flash Protection Boundary.’’
- Doughty, T.E., Neal, and Floyd II,
H.L., ‘‘Predicting Incident Energy to Better
Manage the Electric Arc Hazard on 600 V
Power Distribution Systems,’’ Record of
Conference papers IEEE IAS 45th Annual Petroleum
and Chemical Industry Conference, September
28–30, 1998.
- Guide for Performing Arc Flash
Hazard
Calculations, IEEE 1584–2002.
- Heat Flux Calculator, a free
software program created by Alan Privette
(widely available on the Internet).
- ARCPRO, a commercially available
software program developed by Kinectrics,
Toronto, ON, CA.
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Appendix F to Subpart V—Clothing
I. Introduction
Paragraph (g) of § 1926.960 addresses clothing
worn by an employee. This paragraph requires
employers to: (1) Assess the workplace for flame and
arc hazards (paragraph (g)(1)); (2) estimate the
available
heat energy from electric arcs to which employees
could be exposed (paragraph (g)(2)), (3) ensure that
employees wear clothing that has an arc rating
greater than or equal to the available heat energy
(paragraph (g)(5)), (4) ensure that employees wear
clothing that could not melt or ignite and continue
to burn in the presence of electric
arcs to which an employee could be exposed
(paragraph (g)(3)), and (5) ensure that employees
wear flame-resistant clothing 1 under certain
conditions (paragraph (g)(4)). This appendix
contains information to help employers estimate
available heat energy as
required by § 1926.960(g)(2), select clothing with
an arc rating suitable for the available heat energy
as required by § 1926.960(g)(5),
and ensure that employees do not wear flammable
clothing that could lead to burn injury as addressed
by §§ 1926.960(g)(3) and (g)(4).
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Disclaimer: All information provided on Seton.com is
provided for information purposes only. The information included in our
Compliance Resource Centers is not intended as legal advice and does not
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consequential damages that may arise out of or result from reliance on
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