If such hazards are present, or likely to be present, the employer shall select, and have each affected employee use, the types of PPE that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified in the hazard assessment.” The requirement is repeated in the 29CFR1910.132(d) (1) where it states “The employer shall assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). In Article 130.5 of the 70E, it reads “An arc flash assessment shall be performed: 1) To identify arc flash hazards 2) To estimate the likelihood of occurrence of injury or damage to health and the potential severity of injury or damage to health 3) To determine if additional protective measures are required, including the use of PPE.” This standard is on a three-year revision cycle, with the latest revision having an effective date of June 21st, 2020. The most notable being NFPA-70E, The Handbook for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. The requirement for the performance of an arc flash risk assessment is documented in several existing industry standards. Not only does the potential exist, but the danger is just as high in an office building as it is in a factory. Anywhere that electricians or other service technicians are performing energized work, the potential exists for an arc flash incident. Not only is it real, but it is a danger that extends beyond powerplants and industrial sites to office buildings, hospitals, schools, and retail spaces. The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety figures state that between 19 there were over 17,000 arc flash injuries in the United States.Īrc flash is a legitimate concern for anyone working with energized equipment at any voltage level. We have all either been exposed to the dangers ourselves or know someone who has. It is no secret that electricity can be dangerous, those of us who work with electricity with regularity know this to be true. Electricity scares the ever loving hell out of me.The purpose of an arc flash risk assessment is to provide “qualified persons,” who will be performing work on or near energized electrical equipment, with the information they need to protect themselves against the possibility of being injured by the release of energy as a result of an arcing fault. If that thing arced in that tiny room we all would have been dead anyway. I asked didn't they have an inductive meter or ANY technology from this century rather than a nail in a stick? I told them to pound sand I wasn't touching that. Spark stick my ass, it was a nail in the end of a broom handle. I actually was supposed to cut into a 5" feeder cable that was supplying 3rd rail power and the electrician used a "spark stick" to test if the line was powered down. Whole room was humming and arm hairs stood on end. I've also had to work in Transit Authority substations/step up transformer rooms on NYC subway track in between stations. As it was DC I'm glad it didn't actually "grab" me but instead pushed me away. Maybe my muscles tensed up and it was a reaction but it felt like I was thrown. 440 DC and man it was an enormous bright light blue fireball that launched me clear across the room. While not technically arc flashed, or maybe it was IDK, I shorted out an elevator room electrical relay board with a chisel I was carrying at the time.
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