Arc Flash & Electrical Safety News

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Arc Flash PPE

Not all PPE is suitable for arc flash protection. PPE must be rated for arc flash use.

An article in Electric Energy T&D Magazine discusses arc flash PPE and includes pictures of what happens to PPE, not rated for arc flash use, when it is exposed to an arc flash.

The article notes:

"There are presently several standards in place to provide for a safe workplace. The NFPA (National Fire Prevention Association) has issued a standard called NFPA 70E-2000, the Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces. NFPA is not an enforcement body, yet OSHA will often refer to this document when evaluating a workplace. This standard calls for the employer to conduct a Hazardous Assessments of work, when voltage exceeds 50 Volts! The worker effectively has two defenses: his knowledge and the PPE he wears."

Although this article does not get into specifics about PPE, the pictures alone make this article worth looking at. They dramatically illustrate that non-arc flash rated PPE will not provide the needed protection.

Labels: Arc Flash PPE