Arc Flash & Electrical Safety News

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

ASTM Issues Standard For Arc Protective Blanket Testing

Arc protective blankets are used in many electrical applications to protect workers who are stationed near energized electrical parts. While these blankets have been used for years, there have been no testing criteria for their evaluation. A new ASTM International standard will be used to determine the effectiveness of arc protective blankets in suppressing the combined effect of an arc flash and an arc blast. The new standard, ASTM F2676, Test Method for Determining the Protective Performance of an Arc Protective Blanket for Electric Arc Hazards, was developed by Subcommittee F18.65 on Wearing Apparel, part of ASTM International Committee F18 on Electrical Protective Equipment for Workers.

"Now companies have the ability to evaluate blankets with a repeatable standard that can be done at many test labs using an electric arc and a high speed camera," says Hugh Hoagland, technical consultant, ArcWear.com and e-Hazard.com, and a member of F18.

"Research showed the most critical factor was the current in amps and the time exposed," says Hoagland. "Now blankets can be compared." Hoagland also notes that, while ASTM F2676 will be initially used by utility companies, many electricity users in heavy industry will also benefit from being able to reference the new standard.

Subcommittee F18.65 is continuing its research in blanket use and care, and it next plans to investigate how blanket installation affects protection and how to further quantify protection. The subcommittee encourages participation, particularly from utilities, in its standards developing efforts.

ASTM International standards are available for purchase from Customer Service (phone: 610-832-9585; service@astm.org) or at www.astm.org. For technical information, contact Hugh Hoagland, ArcWear.com, Louisville, Ky. (phone: 502-314-7158; hugh@arcwear.com). ASTM Committee F18 meets Nov. 8-11 during November committee week in Atlanta, Ga.

Labels: Arc Flash PPE, Electrical Safety

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Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Reduce Arc Flash Accidents Using Totally Integrated Automation

An article in Design World, written by the Design World staff, describes the sad results of several arc flash explosions, and discusses how a Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) architecture created by Siemens can provide information that helps reduce exposure to potential arc flashes. The article states:

"By integrating all the relevant equipment, such as the motors, drives and switchgear, with the communications network in what Siemens calls a Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) architecture, operators are able to monitor and pull diagnostic information, perform trend and root cause analysis and generally better see what the problems are before sending an electrician into the plant to deal with a problem. Over time Richards found that workers were going into the electrical cabinet less and less often."

Read the article here.

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Labels: Arc Flash Accidents, Electrical Hazards, Preventing Arc Flash Accidents

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NFPA Journal - Electrical System Maintenance

The current edition of the NFPA Journal has a good article about electrical maintenance. (Use this link to read the article.)

The article points out that we should not let other priorities distract us from needed electrical maintainance, and it identifies overcurrent devices as being at the top of the list. The article states:

"Although all electrical equipment needs to be maintained, the most important, from a safety standpoint, are the overcurrent devices that trip circuits when a fault occurs. These determine the length of time the overcurrent conditions exist, which determines the amount of heat, energy, and damage that will occur."

But, the article also points out that other areas also need to receive maintenance attention.

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Labels: Electrical Hazards, Electrical Safety, Safety Inspections, Work Place Safety

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OSHA Cites MillerCoors in Golden, CO For Arc Flash Injuries

OSHA has cited MillerCoors LLC in Golden, Colo., with 10 alleged safety and health violations from two investigations involving the death of one and the injury of two workers.

OSHA launched an investigation into the company's safety and health practices following the death of an employee at the brewery Feb. 2. A second investigation opened following an accident April 9 in which two employees were injured.

Together, the investigations disclosed one alleged willful and nine alleged serious violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act's regulations governing electrical hazards. OSHA alleges that workplace conditions contributed to two employees being burned by an electrical arc flash April 9. Furthermore, agency officials allege that inadequate safety measures were in place to protect against electrical hazards at the time of the Feb. 2 accident; however, the Jefferson County coroner's office could not determine if those conditions contributed to the final cause of death.

"Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the worker who died as well as the two injured workers," said Greg Baxter, OSHA's regional administrator in Denver. "At the time of both accidents, the company's procedures for dealing with electrical hazards were inadequate. MillerCoors needs to take the necessary steps to eliminate electrical hazards in its workplaces."

The alleged willful violation stems from the company's failure to ensure the use of appropriate electrical protective equipment when employees were working on or near energized electrical parts. OSHA issues a willful violation when an employer exhibits plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.

The serious violations relate to inadequate safe work practices and failure to ensure adequate personal protective equipment was available and used by employees working on or near energized equipment. OSHA issues a serious citation when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which an employer knew or should have known.

OSHA proposes $128,500 in penalties against the company for the alleged violations.

MillerCoors has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director in Englewood, Colo., or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Related Past Posts
OSHA Citation For Failure To Abate Safety Violations
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Labels: Arc Flash Accidents, Electrical Injuries, OSHA

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