A 24-year-old electrician received facial burns following an explosion from a sawmill transformer.  Wearing the correct protective clothing and equipment prevented more serious injuries, though the gear and safety glasses were black and burned. NZ does not have an absolute requirement to wear arc rated faceshields but it is under consideration. Sounds like this company [...]

More than 30 million rubles (approx $101 million USD) was spent on performance of safety mesasures during a 2011 contest for the best state of safety of structural units.  A large part of the funds provided employees with PPE and special clothing, including ones resistant to electric arcing.  Russia has adopted clothing meeting IEC 61482-1-2 [...]

Part three on the series of arc flash standards and safety. This article covers international arc test methods used in South Africa and is written by Zarheer Jooma of e-Hazard. Click here to read full article

HSE is a national independent watchdog for work-related health, safety and illness in Great Britain. HSE has put together a research report on identifying the incidence of electricity- related accidents in Great Britain.  Be sure to click the link below and then download the full report that is available .  If nothing else, read the conclusions [...]

Good article – Part 2 of previously posted article.  This article covers recent changes in South Africa requiring NFPA 70E, ASTM F1506, IEC 61482-1 and IEC 61482-2 among other standards for protecting workers from arc flash, shock and other electrical hazards in South Africa.  This is even a good overview of the standards for non-South [...]

Four electricians and an engineer were working on an electrical installation in an underground mine when an explosion resulted in their death.  The cause of death is still under investigation, but may have been related to methane. From my experience this is VERY likely to have been an arc flash but could have ignited methane. Click [...]

Two West Auckland workers were hospitalized with burns sustained when the 11Kv underground cable they were working on exploded.  Fortunately, although the workers were both hospitalized for treatment of burns, the injuries are not considered life-threatening. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Click here to read more about the New Zealand Arc Flash

The UK Maritime Accident Investigation Branch is warning cruise lines to check their machinery following the September 23rd arc flash explosion on Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2. The explosion occurred when a capacitor failed and the leaking oil sprayed onto high voltage bars resulting in a significant arc flash explosion.  The explosion blew the steel door [...]

We have updated our arc flash best practices information.  Read the article below at OH&S Online Occupational Health & Safety Magazine. Click here for more information on Arc Flash Label Best Practices

A father of two has died from injuries he received from an arc flash incident that occured when he was reclaiming scrap metal from an abandoned workshop.  The surge of electricity from the blast shot metal debris over 5 meters away and caused 28% burns to the worker’s body. It is speculated that the accident [...]