Electrical and Arc Flash Safety » Arc Flash/Shock Safety

Ball Jars, Kerr Jars, Diamond Matches, Java Logs maker Jarden Home Brands Cited on Electrical Safety

Hugh Hoagland — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:39:15 +0000

$197,500 in proposed fines. NFPA 70E and NEC training could have prevented most of them.

Click here to read the citation from the OSHA press release.

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OSHA fines Kenton Iron Products $214,500 Electrical Safety Tops the List

Hugh Hoagland — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:06:27 +0000

This iron company was not following NFPA 70E or the NEC fully. External auditing and adequate training goes a long way to catching these things. Most companies don’t have the internal workforce with adequate expertise to do electrical safety. This core competence is missing so much today. Contractors are great but some internal competence is critical.

Click Here to see the full OSHA Press Release on Electrical Safety Fines.

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OSHA now investigating contractor burned at NH co-op in electrical contact.

Hugh Hoagland — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:42:43 +0000

Unclear if clothing ignited or not. Contact injuries can often lead to clothing ignition. A shock in 7200V almost always includes some arc flash burns. IF clothing ignites the injuries are MUCH worse. This is why clothing is so critical. Something many companies don’t think about in a contact injury is that at higher voltages you get tracking (especially in sweat in the shirt in the summer). This can lead to t-shirt ignition UNDER the arc-rated, flame resistant main shirt. This is why NFPA 70E has begun to move away from requiring under garments. We recommend arc-rated t-shirts. They are making a difference in compliance and worker protection. This type of work is regulated under OSHA 1910.269 and covered by the NESC (National Electrical Safety Code).

Click here to read the story in the Union Leader on a worker severly burned by an electrical contact with a probable clothing ignition.

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Arc Flash Incident Rocky Mount, NC. Utility Contractor. Two Hospitalized. Right PPE.

Hugh Hoagland — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:15:39 +0000

According to the article this was probably an arc flash and they WERE wearing flame resistant (arc-rated) clothing. Most likely these folks will live will little long terms effects. When clothing doesn’t ignite workers are typically not hurt badly. The NESC and OSHA 1910.269 apply here so they should be wearing arc-rated clothing and the best practice is to wear enough to prevent most second degree burns. Sounds like a good quality electrical contractor in that they were wearing arc flash clothing and all the right PPE according to the report.

Click here to read the arc flash story in the Rocky Mount Telegram.

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Arc Flash Training: NO Energized Electrical Permit Required in NFPA 70E for Common Safety Tasks

Hugh Hoagland — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:22:11 +0000

Click here to read the NO Energized Electrical Permit Required in NFPA 70E for Common Electrical Tasks article.

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Arc Flash Citation $22K by OH&S in Saskatoon. CSA Z462 could have prevented the incident.

Hugh Hoagland — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:26:12 +0000

Wearing the right PPE is critical but other provisions to prevent arc flashes and lower incident energies in incidents are part of CSA Z462 and NFPA 70E. These provisions prevent many of the incidents in the workplace.

Click here to read the story of the arc flash fine in Canada at OH&S Insider.

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Schneider Electric Cited for Electrical Hazards at Plant following Electrocution

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:03:19 +0000

Schneider Electric (a top NFPA 70E compliance company) cited for electrical hazards after an employee electrocution. It is tough to change the electrical culture. Companies with leading edge technologies and safety programs have a tough time getting the word down to the lower level workers. Electricity can kill you. I’m sure Square-D made changes to prevent this in the future. Test equipment is one of the toughest things to implement NFPA 70E on. There are even some exemptions for research labs but they still have to keep workers safe.

Click here to read the OSHA press release on the Schneider Electric OSHA electrical hazard citation.

More detail on the original incident from the local paper.

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HVAC Worker Dies in Electrocution in Home.

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:43:13 +0000

HVAC system kills one, injures one. One worker dead another with 3rd Degree burns on hands. LO/TO not followed? HVAC workers among the most likely to die of electrocution.

Click here to read the story.

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OSHA Proposes Fines of $59,300 to Sneed Shipbuilding, Channelview, TX for Electrical Hazards Related to Welding

Hugh Hoagland — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:57:12 +0000

These citations most likely relate to NEC wiring issues. The listed examples are definitely NEC issues. Maintaining electrical systems is critical to keeping workers safe. Welding plugs and disconnects in disrepair result in many fatalies annually and more burn and shock injuries. Following the NEC (NFPA 70) and the NFPA 70E standards put companies in compliance with OSHA standards for electrical safety.

Click here to read the OSHA citations on electrical hazards at the Sneed Shipbuilding site in Texas.

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Electrical Injuries Site on WebMD Gives Valuable Info BUT Gets a B- on Arc Flash

Hugh Hoagland — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:39:33 +0000

This is an excellent site I have used for years for my own medical info BUT I give it a B- on arc flash. The electrical shock info is up-to-date and accurate but the arc flash has deficiencies.

Click here to visit WebMD’s Electrical Injuries Article.

WebMD says, “Electrical arcs: Current sparks are formed between objects of different electric potential that are not in direct contact with each other, most often a highly charged source and a ground. The temperature of an electrical arc can reach 2500-5000^o C, resulting in deep thermal burns where it contacts the skin. These are high-voltage injuries that may cause both thermal and flame burns in addition to injury from direct current along the arc pathway.”

Calling arcs “current sparks” is not really understanding a true arc flash. Makes it sound like a spark you see when operating an electric motor. “Ionized gas with current flow” would be a better description. The temp is basically fine and the “deep thermal burns” is an accurate description. Saying they are “high-voltage” injuries is totally inaccurate. They are most often low voltage events and THERMAL injuries. They can have direct current but probably not. This might be somewhat accurate for a “tracking arc” but this isn’t the majority of arc flashes.

WebMD says, “Flame: Ignition of clothing causes direct burns from flames. Both electrothermal and arcing currents can ignite clothing.”

Great to point this out. This is the culprit in most arc flash injuries.

WebMD says, “Flash: When heat from a nearby electrical arc causes thermal burns but current does not actually enter the body, the result is a flash burn. Flash burns may cover a large surface area of the body but are usually only partial thickness.”

This is an arc flash we commonly speak of. Both their electric arc and flash are two types of arc burns but they don’t have to be high voltage.

Good to see a medical site speaking about both “tracking arc” and “arc flash”. Better information about these types of events is needed so workers have good information to aid in prevention.

Click here to read my article on the four types of arcs in the field.

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