What is Arc Flash?
Why the focus on Arc Flash?
As a result of ever-increasing accidents and injuries, Arc flash has received significant industry attention in recent years and OSHA is increasingly aware of the occupational hazards associated with arc flash.
The Stats
- The majority of all hospitalizations due to electrical accident related injuries are from arc flash. Each year more than 2,000 people are treated in burn centers with severe arc flash injuries.
- Five (5) to ten (10) arc explosions occur in electric equipment every day in the United States alone.* This number doesn't even include cases in which the victim is sent to an ordinary hospital or clinic for medical treatment. Instead, these incidents involve injuries so severe the victims require treatment from a special burn unit. Note that these are burn injuries, not electrical shocks. It is not necessary to touch live components to sustain an arc flash injury. *According to statistics compiled by CapSchell, Inc., a Chicago based research and consulting firm that specializes in preventing workplace injuries and deaths
- Electrical arcs produce some of the highest temperatures known to occur on earth, up to 35,000°F (19,426 °C). This is 4 times the temperature of the surface of the sun which is about 9000°F (4982°C).
Facilities are required to protect their personnel and OSHA will cite and fine workplaces that do not meet regulation for appropriate labeling of arc flash hazards.
Because Protecting Personnel is TOP PRIORITY
Arc flash analysis must be performed prior to allowing personnel to work on energized equipment. There are many methods of protecting your workers from arc flash hazards including personnel wearing arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE) or modifying the design and configuration of electrical equipment.
This is where we come in...
RJS Engineering can you provide with you a complete Arc Flash Hazard Analysis, which defines the flash protection boundary distance, the type of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) required, and recommendations to mitigate the hazards in your electrical system.
