August 25
New Webinar with Hugh Hoagland on NFPA 70E and multi layer PPE systems in arc flash.
I’m co teaching a webinar for ISHN magazine and DRIFIRE on the following:
The 2009 edition of the NFPA 70E Standard has added a new FR requirement for personal protective clothing. The focus of the new requirement is to avoid the natural fibers under layers from igniting. This means, for example, that a cotton t-shirt under and FR outer layer will not necessarily qualify as an HRC 2 garment system. Under the new standard, either the FR outer layer must rate at least 8 cal/cm² or additional FR undergarment layers may be added to bring they system up to the full 8 calories of protection required for HRC 2. The question is, can employees remain comfortable and compliant with increased FR protection? Can an FR garment act as an air conditioner?
Click here to sign up for the class.
Is anyone aware of someone who has some type of protable arc flash equipment, maybe used fo apparel testing, that could be used to do a live demonstration of the effects of an arc blast? I’m not talking about cooking a hot dog or drawing out a an arc for the gernral public as we actually do that ouselves. The audience is linemen who I think would benefit from soemthing more than a video of an arc blast. I’m looking for something that will raise the focus and ensure every step is followed so we never expose an employee to an arc flash.
I think DuPont used to do some live demos on arc flash in a few limited areas. PG&E has a LV facility and their folks might be able to offer guidance. The ASTM standard is pretty robust and can’t easily be duplicated in the field but any 480V transformer can produce an arc flash. You would have to have a fast acting switch to “turn it off”. That’s the key. If it is for demo and not for reproducable testing, it should be pretty easy for a utility to build. Contact us if we can help. My partner has a Master’s in EE and he has worked on two different arc test labs, Kema in Philly and one in Moscow.