This is a classic good news/bad news story. Entergy’s Pallisades Nuclear Plant was shut down by an arc flash, electrical fault.  The good news is that “no workers were injured”.  In the past, a worker or two would have been hurt AND the plant would have  been shut down.  What might make spectacular news with [...]

Another grocery store arc flash. This is very sad and the lack of understanding is even worse.  It was a definitely arc flash but also a possible shock.  So many don’t realize the energy in 480V electrical systems in just about EVERY electrical room.  Grocery stores, malls etc. http://www.theday.com/article/20111208/NWS04/111209555/1047/nws

Hugh Hoagland at ArcWear and Debbie Pierce at Miller Pierce now offer Arc Flash Marketing Studies and Stategic Studies for the arc flash market.  Miller-Pierce is a leading marketing company in the US providing market analysis. Click here to read about Miller-Pierce’s Arc Flash Market Strategy.

Three men were injured after a transformer exploded while they were replacing an above ground power vault.   One of the injured is an employee of Anaheim Public Utilities and the other two were under contract with the City of Anaheim. All three were hospitalized.  Police report that their clothing caught fire in the explosion. Oct. 26, 2011 [...]

ThyssenKrupp Industrial Services Canada Inc., was fined $160K for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured. A supervisor was fined $11K.  In 2009, a worker sustained serious electrical burns when a a bare conductor touched the side of of the electrical panel on which he was working.  The Ministry of Labour found [...]

At the National Safety Council this year, Ansell hosted a training event on arc flash with Hugh Hoagland of ArcWear.com and e-Hazard.com.  Hugh is the foremost researcher in arc flash and PPE and sits on IEC 61482, ASTM F18 & F23, ANSI 107, CSA Z462, CSA Z96 and works with NFPA 70E on taskforces.  Hugh discussed [...]

A Jamestown, NY Utility worker was critically injured while working in an underground vault to restore a power outage.  He was badly burned during an arc flash, receiving burns to his hands, face and upper chest.  He was transported to the hospital and listed in critical condition. Click here to read more about Arc Flash [...]

The employee was working as a subcontractor at a construction site when the incident occurred.    The explosion was caused when a main electrical supply cable to the site was cut during its removal.  A 415 volt three-phase temporary supply had been provided to the site. The Court heard that the worker approached his supervisor to explain that the electrical [...]

The two men, who were working for a geotechnical drilling company, where using a penetrometer to test soil density when the penetrometer came into contact with a 6600-volt cable what was buried about 60cm below the surface. One employee suffered burns to his legs and up his front and  the more seriously injured man received burns to ~10% [...]

The lawsuit, filed by a BPU engineer who has been suspended without pay, alleges “significant safety issues” and cites “arc flash” several times in the complaint.  In the last 16 months, there have been two arc flash incidences involving transmission and distribution workers at BPU. Critical burns were suffered by three electricians in last year’s [...]