Electrical and Arc Flash Safety

NASCO Rainwear

Workrite

Ullfrotte FR Wool

Neese Industries Rainwear

Dear ArcLetter Member,

The ArcWear™ Electric Arc and Flash Fire Newsletter NOW from e-Hazard.com too.

It is a quick update on Flame Resistant Clothing issues and news from OSHA and standards committees. The newsletter is FREE, reaches over 12,000 people and will bring you up to date on the issues that surround flame resistant clothing for flash fire hazards and the electric arc. For previous newsletters or to sign up, visit http://www.arcwear.com or http://www.e-Hazard.com

Sept 20 – 24
Oct 25 – 29
Nov 21 – 26
Dec 13 – 17

ASTM F1959, ASTM F2178, ASTM F887 fall protection arc testing and mannequin testing at the Kinectrics Lab in
Toronto on the dates above.

Ship materials or clothing to:

Hugh Hoagland
ArcWear.com
13113 Eastpoint Park Blvd.
Suite E
Louisville, KY
40223
PH: 502-314-7158

arctesting@ArcWear.com

We must receive one week before the test date for sample preparation or make arrangements to ship to lab. New and non US/Canadian Customers must make payment before test date.  Testing is offered on a first come/first served basis with priority for consulting customers.  New policy: $100 per material for prep/washing and cutting panels and $150 for international report shipping. No guarantee is made of when testing will occur.

“Inside Business Review“, a TV program hosted by Fred Thompson, ran a 5 minute segment on DRIFIRE brand.  DRIFIRE was selected as part of their series on “Insuring Our Safety and Security Through Innovative Technology”.

The first National airing was Sunday, 8/22 at 4:00 EST, on Fox Business News.  The segment will also air in other media such as CNN and local news over the coming weeks.

The segment will be on the DRIFIRE site as of today.  Hugh Hoagland of ArcWear.com was featured talking about arc rated clothing and t-shirt ignition.

Question: Can I wear poly blends under arc-rated clothes?

Answer: Your company requires that you wear 40 cal/cm2 suits for all work requiring arc rated clothing. This is usually a sign of a company which has not done a proper hazard assessment or who has a preliminary program.

A quality arc hazard assessment doesn’t over-simplify the clothing to the worst case scenario.  It does however attempt to protect all workers from the hazards.

We understand that your normal work clothing (daily wear) consists of a poly-cotton shirt and pant and you are worried that wearing this type of clothing under arc-rated clothing might be a hazard.  Based on clothing tests performed by ArcWear.com, we agree that the combination of poly-cotton blends under arc rated clothing may expose workers to serious burns from possible clothing ignition from a tracking arc or breakopen of the flash suit.

NFPA 70E is very clear about this issue as is NFPA 2113 for flash fire exposure.

Article 130.7(C)(12), , entitled “Factors in Selection of Protective Clothing” states, “Clothing and equipment that provide worker protection from shock and arc flash hazards shall be utilized. Clothing and equipment required for the degree of exposure shall be permitted to be worn alone or integrated with flammable, non-melting apparel.” (Emphasis mine)

NFPA 70E Article 130.7(C)(14), entitled, “Clothing Material Characteristics” goes on to say, “Clothing made from flammable synthetic materials that melt at temperatures below 315°C (600°F), such as acetate, acrylic, nylon, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, and spandex,either alone or in blends, shall not be used.” (Emphasis mine.)

NFPA 70E reiterates this in Article 130.7(C)(15), on page 36, entitled, “Clothing and Other Apparel Not Permitted”states “Clothing ….made from materials that do not meet the requirements of130.7(C)(14) regarding melting, or made from materialsthat do not meet the flammability requirements shall not bepermitted to be worn.”

So, We recommend you use arc-rated undergarments or natural fiber garments UNDER arc flash suits in potential arc hazards.

We further recommend using an arc-rated daily wear, either HRC 1 or HRC2 level and add a flash suit to that.  The simplified two category arc rated clothing system as described in NFPA 70E Annex H, page 83 is also a good option.  Keep in mind, you will be using the tasks as listed in Table130.7(C)(9), page 30 of NFPA 70E. Therefore, your power distribution system short-circuit current capacities and fault clearing times need to meet or be less than as noted in the table notes.

Some companies have helped with heat stress by purchasing an arc flash suit designed to work WITH their daily wear to provide the required protection to avoid OVERDRESSING for the hazard. One plus of this approach is less heat stress and probably a clothing savings.  We prefer arc rated daily wear when possible.  For those rarely exposed to arc flash, natural fibers are allowed by the standard.

Toronto, Ontario

January 24-28, 2011

Most of you are familiar with the Electrical Safety Workshop sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Industry Application Society (IAS). This is by far the best event for electrical safety I attend all year.

The next workshop will be held January 24-28, 2011 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario. The exhibits program will be held on Wednesday, January 26, from 3-6pm.

Visit http://ewh.ieee.org/cmte/ias-esw/ for more information.

The flash poll takes only 2 minutes.

The majority of the 88 respondents so far disagree with me (which is great to know).  Metal snaps on clothing for arc flash MUST be covered on the back to prevent heat transfer but they are currently allowed by ASTM F1506.  One respondent noted that the metal snaps on the cuff would be the most hazard but they are covered by his rubber insulating gloves.

Click here to see the citations and our commentary.