Electrical Safety Manual

ElectricalSafetyTrainingfortheManufacturingIndustry
Disclaimer
ThismaterialwasproducedundergrantnumberSH209991060F21fromtheOccupationalSafetyand
HealthAdministration,U.S.DepartmentofLabor.Itdoesnotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsorpoliciesof
theU.S.DepartmentofLabor,nordoesmentionoftradenames,commercialproducts,ororganizations
implyendorsementbytheU.S.Government.
Noguaranteeismadetothethoroughnessofthistrainingprogram.
PhotosandvideosshowninthisprogrammaydepictsituationsthatarenotincompliancewithOSHA
andothersafetyrequirements.
readverbatim
Disclaimer(cont.)
Nolegaladviceisofferedorimplied,andnoattorneyclientrelationshipisintendedorestablished.If
legaladviceorotherexpertassistanceisrequired,theservicesofacompetentprofessionalshouldbe
sought.
ItistheresponsibilityoftheemployeranditsemployeestocomplywithallpertinentOSHArulesand
regulationsinthejurisdictioninwhichtheywork.
readverbatim
ThisTrainingisforAffectedEmployees
WARNING:Thistrainingwillnotteachyouhowtoworkonelectrical
equipment.Itwillnotteachyouhowtobecomeanelectrician.Youwillsee
picturesoftheinsideofelectricalpanelswherearcflashaccidentsstart,but
youshouldneveropenthesepanelsyourself.
readverbatim
ThisTrainingisforAffectedEmployees
Thisisnottrainingforqualifiedemployeeswhoaretrainedtoworkonelectricaldevices
Workerscanbeeitherqualifiedoraffected
Thisisnottrainingforqualifiedemployees.Onlyqualifiedemployeescanworkonelectrical
equipment.
Foreachsituation,anemployeeiseitherqualifiedoraffected.

QualifiedEmployees:
Havetrainingtoavoidthehazardsofworkingonornearanexposedelectricalparts
Aretrainedtoworkonenergizedelectricalequipment
Canlockoutortagoutmachinesandequipment
KnowthesafetyrelatedworkpracticesoftheOSHAregulationsandtheNFPAstandards,including
requiredPPE
Qualifiedemployeeshavethetrainingtoknowhowtorecognizeandavoidanydangersthat
mightbepresentwhenworkingonornearexposedelectricalparts.
Qualifiedemployeesknowhowtolockoutandtagoutmachinessothemachineswillnot
accidentallybeturnedonandhurttheemployeesthatareworkingonthem.
Qualifiedemployeesalsoknowsafetyrelatedworkpractices,includingthosebyOSHAand
NFPA,aswellasknowingwhatpersonalprotectiveequipmentshouldbeworn.
AffectedEmployees:
Canworkonamachineorpieceofequipment
Cannotworkonelectricaldevices
DONOThavethetrainingtoworkonenergizedparts
Ifyouarenotqualifiedtoworkonelectricalequipment,butarestillrequiredtoworknear
electricalequipment,youareconsideredtobeanaffectedemployee.
Safeworkingpracticesforaffectedemployeesarejustasimportantaspracticesforqualified
employees.
Asanaffectedemployee,youwillbeworkingonmachinesandotherpiecesofequipment,but
notonelectricaldevices.Youwill,though,stillbeworkingaroundelectricalpartsthatcankill
you.
Sinceyoudonothavethetrainingtoworkontheseparts,youareconsideredtobeanaffected
employeebecausejustbeingnearsomeofthesepartscanbeverydangerous.
Determinewhetherthefollowingemployeesarequalifiedoraffected.Thesituationinvolvesa
480voltelectricalpanel.
affected
Johnisamaintenanceemployeewhoisoftencleaningworkareasaroundthepanelbox
Kurtisalineworkerwhounloadsboxesnearthepanelbox
Mikeisaproductionworkerwhowalksbythepanelboxeachday
qualified
Sallyisaseasonedelectricianwhooftenneedstoinspecttheinsideofthepanelbox
Timisacertifiedelectricianwhohasbeenmaintainingelectricalequipmentforalongtime

Introduction
1. Recognizeelectricalhazards
2. Avoidarcflashinjury
3. Lesseninjuryifanarcflashoccurs
4. Preventarcflashesfromhappening
Thistrainingwillhelpyoubecomeawareofsomeofthedangersofworkingaroundelectrical
devicesinamanufacturingsetting,especiallyhazardsinvolvingarcflash.
Youwilllearnhowtorecognizeelectricalhazards,howtoavoidinjuriesfromarcflashes,howto
lesseninjurytoyourselfandothersifanarcflashoccurs,aswellashowtokeeparcflashesfrom
everhappening.
Objectives/Agenda
Whatiselectricity?
Electrocutionandshockhazards
Arcflashandarcblast
Protectiveclothing,tools,andlabels
Industrystandards
Asyougothroughthetraining,youwilllearnsomeofthebasicsaboutelectricityandhowitis
relatedtoarcflashhazards.
Youwillthenlearnaboutsomeofthehazardsinvolvingelectrocutionandshock.
Afterthatwewillcoverarcflashindetailhowithappens,whathappensduringanarcflash,
howtokeeparcflashaccidentsfromhappening,andhowtoprotectyourselffromarcflash
accidentsiftheydohappen.
Wewillalsocoverchoosingproperprotectiveclothing,usingtherighttools,andunderstanding
arcflashhazardlabels.
Youwillalsolearnaboutthefourindustrystandardsforpreventingarcflashaccidents.
Whatthreeitemswillbecoveredinthistraining?
yes
Howtoworksafelyaroundelectricalequipment
Howtorecognizehazardouselectricalsituations
Industrystandardsrelatedtoarcflashaccidents
no
Howtobecomeanelectrician
Howtoworkonelectricalequipmentwithelectricityrunningthroughit

WhatIsElectricity?
Electricityisatypeofenergy
Electricityiseverywhere:motors,heaters,lights,speakers
Tohelpyouunderstandwhatanarcflashis,wewillstartbyintroducingelectricity.
Electricityisatypeofenergy.Inyourhomeyoucanseeelectricitybeingusedeverywhere.
Electricitycanmakethemotorsofawashingmachine,refrigerator,orblenderspin.
Electricitycanheatuproomswithaheater,dryyourclothesinadryer,andtoastbreadina
toaster.
Electricitycanalsobeusedtolightuprooms,createsoundsinspeakers,andrunacomputer.
HowIsElectricityUsedInManufacturing?
Lightsinthebuilding
Motors
Welders
Controldevices
Inamanufacturingsetting,electricityisusedevenmore.Electricityprovidespowertopractically
everypieceofequipmentinamanufacturingfacility.
Itisusedtolightthebuildings,providespowertoelectricmotors,givesthepowerneededtorun
awelder,andalsoprovidesthecontrolpowerneededsoanoperatorcanrunapieceof
machineryfromadistance.
Selectthethreesituationswhereelectricityisbeingused.
yes
Turningonaradiotolistentomusic
Operatingalargemachineatapowerplant
Turningonacomputertoplayagame
no
Sittingoutsidetoreadabook
Writinganoteonapieceofpaper

Electricity
Electricityistheflowofenergyfromoneplacetoanother
Aflowofelectrons(current)travelsthroughaconductor
Electricitytravelsinaclosedcircuit
Whenyouthinkofelectricityyoushouldthinkofitasaformofenergythatflowsfromoneplace
toanother.
Electricityinvolvestheflowofelectronsinaclosedcircuitthroughaconductor.Butdontworry
ifyoudontunderstandallofthisyet.Wewillcovereachoftheseitemsandmoreindetailas
weprogressthroughthetraining.
ElectricCharge,StaticElectricity,andCurrentElectricity
Whenanelectricchargebuildsupinoneplaceitiscalledstaticelectricity
Electricitythatmovesfromoneplacetoanotheriscalledcurrentelectricity
Theelectronsthatareinvolvedinelectricityhaveanelectriccharge.
Whenanelectricchargebuildsupinoneplaceitiscalledstatic
electricity.
Wecanunderstandelectricchargebylookingatsomeonetouchinga
staticelectricitygenerator.Inthepictureherhairisstandingup
becauseofanelectricchargethatbuildsupinherhair.
Theelectricitythatbuildsupwhenyouscootyourfeetontheflooron
acool,drydayandshocksomeoneisalsobecauseofstaticelectricity.
Lightningisanotherspectaculardisplayofstaticelectricity.
Electricitythatmovesfromoneplacetoanotheriscalledcurrent
electricity.
http://www.phys.vt.edu/~de
mo/demos/e10.html
Anelectriccurrent,then,istheflowofelectriccharge.Electric
currentsmovethroughwirestomakemotorsspin,lightslightup,andheaterswarmahouse.
http://explainthatstuff.com/electricity.htmlon1132010
Selectwhetherthefollowingrefertoelectriccharge,staticelectricity,orcurrentelectricity
Abuildupofelectrons/abuildupofelectricchargeStaticelectricity
ElectricitythatmovesfromoneplacetoanotherCurrentelectricity
ThisiswhatelectronsprovideinelectricityElectriccharge

Conductors
Conductorsallowtheflowofelectricity
silver
iron
mercury
copper
steel
graphite
gold
brass
dirtywater
aluminum
bronze
concrete
Electriccurrentflowsthroughelectricalconductors.
Aconductorisanythingthatallowstheflowofanelectriccharge.Acommonconductoryou
probablyalreadyknowaboutiscopper.Copperwiresconductelectricity.
Copper,aswellasaluminum,isoftenusedtodeliverelectriccurrenttomachinesin
manufacturingsettingsaswellasanyelectricappliancesathome.
Asyoucanseefromtheslide,mostmetalsaregoodconductors.Someoftheconductorslisted
thatmightsurpriseyouaredirtywaterandconcrete.
Insulators
Insulatorsdonotnormallyallowtheflowofelectricity
glass
porcelain
(dry)wood
rubber
ceramic
plastic
oil
quartz
air
asphalt
(dry)cotton
diamond
fiberglass
(dry)paper
purewater
Aninsulatorisjusttheoppositeofaconductor.Itdoesnotallowtheflowofanelectriccharge
andkeepselectricityfromgettingtounwantedareas.
Theplasticinsulationaroundacopperwireisanexampleofaninsulator.Othersyoumightnot
havethoughtofareglass,oil,andpurewater.
Aswegofurtherintothetrainingwewillfindoutthatelectricitycanflowthroughinsulators
undercertaincircumstances.
Anarcflashisoneofthecircumstanceswhereairactuallyactsasaconductor.
Selectwhetherthefollowingareexamplesofconductors(4items)orinsulators(3items).
conductor
Easilyallowstheflowofelectriccurrent
Copper
Gold
Aluminum
insulator
Doesnotallowtheflowofelectriccurrent
Plastic
Rubber
WaysToMeasureElectricity
Voltage
Current
Resistance
Power/Wattage
Nowthatyouhaveabasicunderstandingofwhatelectricityis,wecanmoveontodiscussing
howelectricityismeasured.
Fourcommonmeasurementsofelectricityarevoltage,current,resistance,andwattage.
Voltage
Voltage:Mosthomesare120and240voltsitgetsmuchhigherin
manufacturing.
Voltageisanelectricalforceorpressurethatpusheselectricity
throughawire.Voltageismeasuredinunitscalledvolts.
Themorevoltageacircuithas,themoreelectricityistryingtomove
throughthepartsinthecircuit.Abattery,forexample,withmore
voltswillmakeaflashlightshinebrighter.
MosthomesintheU.S.runon120and240volts.Voltageinmanufacturingsettingsareoften
muchhigher.
(http://www.explainthatstuff.com/electricity.html)113
Current
Current:ameasureoftheflowofelectricity
Voltageisnotthepartofelectricitythatmovesthroughawire.Thepartofelectricitythat
movesthroughawireiscurrent.
Currentismeasuredinamperesoramps.
Ifyouknowanythingaboutfuses,youknowthatfusesareratedbyhowmuchcurrentcanflow
throughthemwithoutmeltingandthenstoppingtheflowofcurrentbecauseofthebroken,
meltedwire.
Toomuchcurrent,then,willgetwireshotandmeltthem.Inanarcflash,thereissomuch
currentthatpartsnotonlymelt,buttheyvaporizeandexplode.
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/electricity.html)113

Determinewhetherthefollowingitemsrefertovoltageorcurrent.
voltage
Measuredinvolts
Theelectricalforceorpressuretryingtomoveelectricitythroughawire
current
Themeasureoftheflowofelectricity
Measuredinamps
Toomuchofthiswillblowafuse
Resistance
Resistance:ameasureofhowdifficultitisfortheenergytoflow
Toastersuseresistancetotoastbread
Oftenassociatedwithvoltageandcurrentisresistance.Resistanceishowmuchtheelectricityis
beingheldback,orhowdifficultitisforelectricitytoflowthoughpartofacircuit.Resistanceis
measuredinohms.
Differentmaterialshavedifferentlevelsofresistance.Remember
thedifferencebetweenconductorsandinsulators?
Copperandaluminumwireshaveaverylowresistancetotheflow
ofelectricalcurrent.Thatiswhytheyareconductorsofelectricity.
Theplasticaroundacopperwirehasaveryhighlevelofresistance.
Thatiswhyitisaninsulator.Plasticwillnotallowelectricityto
easilyflowthroughit.
Toastersworkonresistance.Whenelectriccurrentpassesthrough
thewiresofatoaster,theresistancecausesthewirestoheatup,
toastingyourbread.
FactorsAffectingResistance
Material
Diameter
Temperature
Length
Fourfactorsdeterminetheresistanceofamaterialtotheflowofelectricity.Thefirstisthetype
ofmaterial.
Asyouhavealreadylearned,conductorsaremadeofmaterials,suchascopperandaluminum,
thatallowtheflowofelectricitybecausetheydonothavemuchresistance.Insulators,though,
aremadeofmaterialswithahighlevelofresistance.
Theshapeofthematerialisanotherfactorthataffectsresistance.
Thediameterofawire,forexample,helpsdeterminetheresistanceofanobjectmorematerial
forcurrenttoflowthroughmeanslessresistance.
Awirethatisverythinhasmoreresistancethanasimilarwirethatismuchthicker.
Temperatureisanotherfactorthataffectsresistance.
Ahotwirewilloftenhaveahigherresistancetotheflowofelectricitythanasimilarwirethatis
cold.
Lengthalsoaffectstheresistanceofawire.
Alongwirewillresistelectricitymorethanashortwireiftheyaremadefromthesame
material,arethesamethickness,andareatthesametemperature.
Determinewhetherthefollowingwireswillhavemoreresistanceorlessresistancethana1foot
wiremadeofcopper.Thewireis1/16thofaninchindiameterandisatroomtemperature.
moreresistance
Awire30feetlonghavingthediameterofahumanhair
Theoriginalwireheatedupinafurnace
lessresistance
A1inchwirewithadiameterof1/4thofaninch
Theoriginalwirecooleddowninliquidnitrogen
Power/Watts
Watts=VoltageXCurrent
Current=Watts/Voltage
0.83amps=100volts/120watts
Voltageandcurrentworkingtogetheriswhatgivesyouelectricalpower.Morevoltageand
currentwillprovidemoreelectricalpower.Electricalpowerismeasuredinwatts.
Theelectricpowerinacircuitisequaltothevoltagemultipliedbythecurrent.Inotherwords:
wattsequalsvoltstimesamps.
So,ifyouhavea100wattlightbulbinyourhousewith120volts,thecurrentwillbearound.83
amps.Thisisbecause100dividedby120equals0.83.
Wewillrememberthis.83ampswhenwegetintoelectricalsafetytoseejusthowdangerous
smallamountsofcurrentcanbe.
(http://www.explainthatstuff.com/electricity.html)113
Determinewhetherthefollowingitemsrefertovoltage,current,resistance,orwattage.
AmeasureoftheflowofelectricityCurrent
AmeasureoftheforceorpressureofelectricityVoltage
AmeasureofhowmuchelectricityisbeingheldbackResistance
Ameasureofpower,orvoltagemultipliedbycurrentWattage/power
Energyused
Measuredinkilowatthours
Itisoftenusefultomeasurehowmuchenergyhasbeenused.Yourelectricbillisbasedonhow
muchelectricityyouuseoveraperiodoftime,usuallyamonth.
Tofindoutthetotalamountofenergyanelectricapplianceuses,youhavetomultiplythe
poweritusesbytheamountoftimeyouuseit.Theresultismeasuredinunitsofpower
multipliedbytime,oftenconvertedintoastandardunitcalledthekilowatthour.
Ifyouuseanelectrictoasterratedat1000watts(or1kilowatt)forawholehour,youhave
used1kilowatthourofenergy.
You'dusethesameamountofenergyburninga2000watttoasterforhalfanhourora100
wattlampfor10hours.
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/electricity.html1132010
Putthefollowingsituationsinorderbydetermininghowmuchapersonselectricbillwillbe.
Kellyalwaysturnsoffthelightsatnight,butbecauseshehas4kids,sherunsherclothesdryer
about2hoursaday.Aboutaverage,$100
Jamestriestosaveasmuchonelectricityaspossible.Hedrieshisclothesonaclothesrackand
neverturnsonalightunlesshehasto.Prettylow,$40
Lindalivesinalargehousethatisveryold.Sherunstheairconditionerconstantlyandrarely
turnsoffherlights.Higherthanaverage,$250
http://openbookproject.net/electricCircuits/DC/DC_1.html1132010
OhmsLaw
V=IxR
I=V/R
R=V/I
Voltage,current,andresistancearerelatedthroughequationsfromOhms
Law.Thesethreeequationsarereallythesame;ifyouknowtwoofthevalues,
youcanfindthethirdvalue.
Inmostsettings,bothathomeandinmanufacturing,voltageoftenremains
thesame.Youroutletsathomearearound120volts,butinmanufacturing,the
voltageisoftenmuchhigher,from480voltsuptoseveralthousandvolts.
TheequationsofOhmsLaware:voltageequalscurrenttimesresistance,currentequals
voltagedividedbyresistance,andresistanceequalsvoltagedividedbycurrent.
Currentiswhatkillsworkerswhentheyareelectrocuted.Lotsofcurrentisalsowhatmakesan
arcflashsopowerful.Theseequationswillhelpyouunderstandwhy.
Whensomeoneisshocked,currentispassingthroughtheirbody.Thesecondequation,then,
withcurrentontheleft,iswhatwewillfocuson.
10
OhmsLaw
I=V/R(highlightequationasitisdiscussed)
100volts/100ohms=1amp
100volts/10ohms=10amps
100volts/1ohm=100amps
Thelevelofcurrentinsomeonesbodywhentheyareshockedorelectrocuted,ortheamountof
energyreleasedinanarcflash,isdeterminedfromthevoltagesuppliedandtheamountof
resistancethatisholdingbacktheflowofelectricity.
Letsgothroughsomeexamplestoseehowthisworks.
100voltsdividedby100ohmsis1amp.100voltsdividedby10ohmsis10amps,and100volts
dividedby1ohmisone100amps.
Asyoucansee,ifthetopnumber,thevoltage,staysthesame,theresult,thecurrent,goesup
asthebottomnumber,theresistance,goesdown.Ifwetakeresistancedownto1/10thofan
ohm,thecurrentwouldthengoupto1000amps.
Ifthelevelofcurrentdependsontheresistance,ahighresistance,similartothetopequation,
willleadtoalowcurrent.
Iftheresistanceissmall,similartothebottomequation,thecurrentwillbedangerouslyhigh.
Sothemoreinsulatedapersonis,themoreresistancetheywillhavetotheelectricity.Themore
resistancethereis,thelesscurrentthatwillflowthroughthebody,lesseningthechanceof
injuryordeath.
VoltageMatters
Highvoltagewillcreatehighcurrentevenwithhighresistance
13,800Volts/1000Ohms=13.8Amps
480Volts/0.1Ohms=4,800Amps
480Volts/0.01Ohms=48,000Amps
Theamountofvoltagepresentisoftenthebiggestfactortoconsiderwhendealingwithshock
andarcflash.
Ifseveralthousandvoltsarepresent,theresistanceofthebodywillhavelittleeffectonthe
amountofcurrentflowingthroughthebody.Thecurrentwillbeenoughtoshockorkillyouno
matterwhat.
Inthefirstexample,noticethatwithahighenoughvoltage,even1000ohmsworthof
resistancewillstillbeenoughtoshockandinjureyou.
Inanarcflash,air(whichisnormallyaninsulatorwithhighresistancetotheflowofelectricity)
breaksdownandlosesitsresistance,becomingconductive.Theverylowresistancecausesthe
currenttobeveryhigh,causingthedangersofanarcflash.
11
Youcanseethisfromthesecondandthirdequations.Withavoltageof480volts(verycommon
inmanufacturingsettings),asharpdropinresistancecanleadtothousands,oreventensof
thousandsofampsofcurrentflowingthroughthecircuit.
Wewilldigdeeperintoarcflashafterwelearnabitmoreaboutelectricity.
Determinethecurrentinthefollowingsituations
example:Voltageis120volts.Resistanceis12ohms.Current,then,is120/12=10amps.
Voltageis120,resistanceis206amps
Voltageis480,resistanceis1480amps
Voltageis1080,resistanceis0.254320amps
WaterExampleforElectricity
Waterpressure(psi)=voltage
Waterflowrate(gpm)=current
Athinpipe=resistance
Sometimeselectricitymakesmoresenseifyouthinkofwaterflowingthroughapipe.
Ifwehaveawaterpumpthatexertspressuretopushwateraroundacircuit,thepipeshave
someresistance.
Ifthepipebecomesverynarrowatonepoint,though,theflowofwaterwillbemorerestricted
andwillslowdown.
Thewaterflowingthroughthepipesissimilartotheelectronsthatflowinacircuittocreate
electricity.
Thewaterpressurecreatedbyapumpissimilartothevoltageofacircuit.
Voltageiselectricalpressure.
Theflowrateofthewaterissimilartothecurrentofacircuit.
Thehighertheflowrate,themorewaterorelectricitywillflow.
Theamountofwaterbeingrestrictedbecauseofanarrowpipeissimilartotheresistanceina
circuit.
Awidepipewillallowmorewatertoflowjustasawirewithverylowresistancewillletlotsof
currentflow.
Tosummarize:Voltage,theelectricalpressureinacircuit,issimilartowaterpressure.Current,
theflowofelectricityinacircuit,issimilartowaterflow.Andresistance,ameasureofhow
difficultitisforelectricitytoflow,issimilartothinpipesinasystemoflargerpipes.
Determinewhetherthefollowingarerelatedtovoltage,current,orresistance.
WaterpressureVoltage
Waterflow(asingallonsperminute)Current
Arestrictedpipe(asinathinpipe)Resistance
12
ElectricityWaterExample
Lotsofwatermovingveryslowly
Atinybitofwatermovingveryfast
Atinybitofwatermovingveryslowly
Lotsofwatermovingveryfast(electrocutionandarcflash)
Herearesomeexamplesthatshowyouhowelectricityislikeflowingwater.Whenyouare
shockedwithstaticelectricity,thevoltageisusuallyveryhigh.Youdontgethurt,though,
becausethecurrentisusuallyverylow.Thisissimilartoalargeamountofwaterflowingvery
slowly.
Whenyoustartyourcar,thevoltageislow,butthecurrentishigh.Thisissimilartoatinybitof
waterflowingquickly.
Theinteriorlightsinyourcararelowvoltageaswell,andthecurrentisalsolow.Thisisthe
sameasatinybitofwatermovingslowly.
Justaslotsofwatermovingquicklycansweepyouawayanddrownyou,lotsofbothcurrent
andvoltagecankillyou.
Duringanarcflash,highvoltageallowstremendousamountsofcurrenttoflow,leadingtoan
explosion.
Matchtheelectricalexampleswiththewaterexamples
Lotsofvoltage,notmuchcurrentHighwaterpressurebutonlyafinemistofwater
LotsofvoltageANDlotsofcurrentHighwaterpressure,highflowrate
Notmuchvoltage,butlotsofcurrentLotsofwater,butmovingveryslowly
NotmuchcurrentORvoltageLowpressureandjustafewdropsasecond
ChangesinVoltage,Current,andResistance
Ifresistancestaysthesame,thenvoltagedeterminescurrent
Ifvoltagestaysthesame,thenresistancedeterminescurrent
Currentisdependentonthevoltageandtheresistance
Stayingwiththesimilaritiesbetweenelectricityandwater,letsseewhathappenswhenvoltage
andresistancechange.
Whenvoltageinacircuitchanges,withresistancestayingthesame,currentchanges.
Ifyouhookupalightbulbtoa1.5voltbattery,andthenchangethebatteryoutfora9volt
battery,thelightwillshinebrighterduetomorecurrentflowingthroughthecircuitbecauseof
thehighervoltage.
Theresistancecomesfromthelightanddoesnotchange.
Similarly,ifyouincreasewaterpressureinapipe,morewaterwillflowthroughit.
13
Whenresistanceinacircuitchanges,withvoltagestayingthesame,currentchanges.Inanarc
flash,resistancedropsclosetozeroonahighvoltagecircuit,leadingtocurrentdrastically
increasing,andcreatinganexplosion.
Similarly,ifyouaccidentallycutintoahighvolume,highpressurewaterpipe,thesudden
explosionofwatercouldharmyou.
Currentisdifficulttocontrolinacircuit.Thatiswhyitissoimportanttobeawareofarcflash
hazards.Therapidlyincreasingcurrentinanarcflashcancauselifealteringinjuriesandeven
death.
ChangesinOhmsLaw
I=V/R
I=V/R
I=V/R
I=V/R
I=V/R
So,tosummarize:Inacircuit,iftheresistancestaysthesame,thevoltagewilldeterminethe
current.Ifvoltagegoesdown,currentgoesdown.Ifthevoltagegoesup,thecurrentwillgoup.
Theychangeinthesamedirection.
Ifthevoltagestaysthesame,thentheresistancewilldeterminethecurrent.Iftheresistance
goesdown,currentgoesupandifresistancegoesup,currentwillgodown.Thesemovein
oppositedirections.
Inanarcflash,resistancegoesdownandcurrentgoesupasinthislastequation.
(http://openbookproject.net/electricCircuits/DC/DC_2.html)11/5/2010
Matchthefollowingsituationswithhowvoltageandresistanceareaffectingcurrent.
Iftheresistancetowaterflowstaysthesameandthepumppressureincreases,theflowrate
mustalsoincrease(morewaterpressure,morewaterflows)voltagegoesup,currentgoes
up
Ifthewaterpressurestaysthesameandtheresistanceincreases(changingoutlargepipesfor
thindiameterpipes,makingitmoredifficultforthewatertoflow),thentheflowratemust
decrease:resistancegoesup,currentgoesdown
Iftheresistancetowaterflowstaysthesameandthepumppressuredecreases,theflowrate
mustalsodecrease(lesswaterpressure,lesswaterflows)voltagegoesdown,currentgoes
down
Ifthewaterpressurestaysthesameandtheresistancedecreases(changingoutthinpipesand
puttinginwiderpipes,makingiteasierforthewatertoflow),thentheflowratemustincrease:
resistancegoesdown,currentgoesup
14

Circuits
Continuousloop
Electricitysource
Conductor
Circuitsareopenorclosed
http://openbookproject.net/electricCircuits/DC/DC_1.html1132010
Sincewehaveagoodunderstandingofhowacircuit
issimilartowaterflowingthroughpipes,wecan
nowseehowasimplecircuitisconstructed.
Thisisimportantwhenlearningaboutarcflash
because,inanarcflash,acircuitiscompleted
throughtheair.
Acircuitisacontinuouspaththatallowselectronsto
flowaroundandaround.Asourceofpowerand
somethingthatneedspowerarealsoneeded.
Abattery,somewire,andalight,then,areallthatareneededtocreateacompletecircuit.
Ifacircuitis"broken,"thatmeansitsconductors,usuallywires,nolongerformacompletepath,
andcontinuouselectronflowcannothappen.
Electricitywillnotbeabletoflowinacircuitthatisbroken,nomatterwherethebreakinthe
circuitis.Ifyoublowafuseinapieceofequipment,thecircuitisbroken,butyoucaneasily
replacethefusetocompletethecircuit.
Somecircuitsarebrokenonpurpose.Alightswitchisabreakinacircuitthatismadeon
purpose.Itallowsyoutostoptheflowofelectricitytoturnalightoff.
Acircuitwithnobreakinitiscalledaclosedcircuit.Acircuitthatisbrokeniscalledanopen
circuit.
Inanarcflash,anopencircuitisaccidentallyclosed,creatingashortcircuitthatcausesan
explosion.
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_1/3.html11/3/2010
15

Determinewhetherthefollowingcircuitsareopenorclosed
open
Thelightswitchisturnedon,butthefilamentinthelightbulbisbroken,sothelightdoesnot
work.
Aflashlightthatisturnedoff
closed
Afullycompletedcircuitwithnobreaks
Abattery,somewires,andalightbulbthatareworkinginacircuittolightaroom
DangerousCircuits
Wiresarenotalwaysneeded
Aircanconductelectricityandcreateacircuit
Lightingandarcflashesareexamplesofthis
Youdon'talwaysneedwirestomakeacompletecircuit.Thereisacircuitformedbetweena
stormcloudandtheEarthwhenlightningstrikes.Theairisactingasaconductorinthecircuit.
Nownormallyairdoesnotconductelectricity.However,ifthereisabigenoughelectrical
chargeinthecloud,itcancausetheairtoactasaconductor,workinglikeaninvisiblecable
linkingthecloudaboveandtheearthbelowcompletingthecircuit.
Thesamethinghappensinanarcflash.Inanarcflashelectricitytravelsthroughtheair,with
littleresistance,betweenthecoppercablesinanelectricalpanelorotherelectricaldevice,
leadingtoahighcurrentwithdisastrouseffects.
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/electricity.html11/3/2010
ShortCircuit:
I=V/R
Onethingyouwillfindinallsafelycompletedcircuitsisaloadofferingresistancetotheflowof
electricity.Alightbulb,forinstancehasresistance,andwhenthecurrentpassesthroughthe
bulb,itglows,lightinguptheroom.Thelightbulbistheloadinthecircuit.
Ashortcircuit,however,isacircuitofferinglittletonoresistancetotheflowofelectricity.With
littletonoresistance,theflowofcurrentgoesup.
Shortcircuitsaredangerousbecause,withhighvoltagepowersources,thehighcurrents
encounteredcancauselargeamountsofenergytobereleased.Theenergyreleasedisthe
explosionofanarcflash.
Rememberfromearlierinthetrainingthatwhenvoltagestaysthesameinacircuit,adecrease
inresistanceleadstoanincreaseincurrent,sowithlittletonoresistance,thecurrentcan
increasefarbeyondsafelimits.
16

Identifythefollowingterms.
Thiscircuithasverylittleresistance,leadingtotoomuchcurrentShortcircuit
ThecircuithasbeenbrokenbyaninterruptioninthepathforelectronstoflowOpencircuit
Acompletecircuit,withgoodcontinuitythroughoutClosedcircuit
AdevicedesignedtoopenorcloseacircuitundercontrolledconditionsSwitch
OtherElectricalTerms
Directcurrent
Alternatingcurrent
Frequency
Phases
Thereareafewmorethingsweneedtocoverbeforereallygettingintoarcflashhazards,so
letsgooverthemnow.
Directcurrentiselectricitythatflowsinonedirection.Directcurrenthasasteadyflowthat
doesnotreverse.Abatteryprovidesdirectcurrent.
Alternatingcurrentiscurrentthatreversesdirectionatasteadyrate.Youhavealternating
currentcomingoutoftheoutletsatyourhouse.Therateatwhichalternatingcurrentreversesis
calleditsfrequency.
Frequencyisthenumberoftimespersecondalternatingcurrentswitchesbackandforth.
FrequencyismeasuredinHertz.ElectricitygeneratedintheUnitedStatesis60cyclesper
secondor60Hertz.
Inmosthomes,electricityis120and240voltsinglephase,butinmanufacturingsettings,
electricityisoftensuppliedinthreephasesatamuchhighervoltage.
Threephasepoweristhreesinglephasesofelectricity,allatdifferentpointsontheirfrequency
curve.
Whilethedefinitionofphasesseemscomplicated,thereasonthreephasepowerisusedin
manufacturingisthatthreephasemotorshavehigherstartingpower,runmoresmoothly,and
aremoreefficientthansinglephasemotors.
ElectricitythatflowsinonedirectionDirectcurrent
ElectricitythatreversesdirectionatasteadyrateAlternatingcurrent
Thenumberoftimespersecondalternatingcurrentswitchesbackandforthindirection
Frequency
TwotypesofACpower:single_____orthree_____Phases
17

ElectricalDevices
Switch
Circuitbreaker
Controlsystem,Switchgear,Buckets
Energized/deenergized
Aswitchisusedtostartorstoptheflowofelectricityinacircuit.Inourwaterexample,avalve
wouldbeaswitchthatstartsorstopstheflowofwater.
Acircuitbreakerisanautomaticallyoperatedelectricalswitchdesignedto
protectacircuitfromdamagecausedbytoomuchcurrentorashortcircuit.
Acircuitbreakerautomaticallyopenswhencurrentgetstoohigh.Youhave
circuitbreakersinyourhousethatsometimesopenwhenyouhavetoo
manythingspluggedintoanoutlet.
Acontroller,oracontrolsystem,controlstheelectricityinmanufacturingsettings.Theyoften
workalongwithswitchgearandbucketstooperateelectricalequipment.
Althoughyoudontreallyneedtoknowhowthesework,youdoneedtoknowthatarcflash
accidentscanoccurnearthesedevices.
Knowingthedifferencebetweenanelectricaldevicethatisenergizedwithelectricityandone
thatisdeenergizedisimportantifyouaregoingtoworkonelectricalequipment.Whileonly
qualifiedemployeesaretrainedtodeterminewhethersomethingisenergizedordeenergized,
youstillwillneedtoknowwhattheymean.
Ifanelectricaldeviceisenergizeditisconnectedtoapowersourceandvoltageispresent.Ifitis
deenergized,thenitisfreefromanelectricalconnectiontoasourceofvoltageorcharge.
Butremember,manyelectricaldevicesarecomplicatedand,justbecauseyoucutthepowertoa
device,doesnotmeanthatitissafe.Energycanstillbestoredinsomepartsandcancause
shock,electrocution,andarcflashes.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_breaker)11/5/2010
AdevicethatcontrolstheflowofelectricityinacircuitSwitch
AdevicethatautomaticallyopensthecircuitwhencurrentgetstoohighCircuitbreaker
ArcflashaccidentscanoccurinornearthesethreedevicesControlsystem/Switchgear/
Bucket
ApieceofelectricalequipmentthathasnoremainingsourcesofelectricityinitDeenergized
Apieceofelectricalequipmentthatstillhasasourceofelectricalpowerconnectedtoitorstill
hasaremainingchargeeventhoughtheenergysourcehasbeendisconnectedEnergized
18

ElectricalDevices
Fuse
Ground
Fault/groundfault
Receptacle
Plug
Afuseisaprotectivedevicethatcanopenacircuitifthereistoomuchcurrentflowingthrough
it.Sinceafusemeltswhenthereistoomuchcurrent,itprotectstherestofthecircuitfrombeing
damaged.
Ideally,thefusewillbetheweakestpointinthecircuitandwillbetheonlyplacethatacircuit
willmelt.
Ifacircuitisgrounded,itmeansthatthecircuitisphysicallyconnectedtoearthgroundbya
conductor.Thisconnectiontotheactualground,ordirtoutside,allowsunwantedelectricityto
flowtotheearth.
Beinggroundedcanpreventthebuildupofstaticelectricityandcanhelppreventelectricshock
fromfaults.
Afaultistemporary,unexpectedcurrentinaconductor.Ashortcircuitisatypeoffaultthat
allowsdamagingamountsofcurrenttoflowthroughacircuit.
Anarcflashisatypeofshortcircuit.
Areceptacleisanoutletforelectricity.Youhavethesealloveryourhouseandplugitemssuch
asironsandvacuumcleanersintothem.
Aplug,then,iswhatgetspluggedintoareceptacle,allowinganelectricaldevicetoget
electricity.
AprotectivedevicethatcanopenacircuitifthereistoomuchcurrentflowingthroughitFuse
AcircuitthatisphysicallyconnectedtoearthbyaconductorGround
Atemporary,unexpectedcurrentinaconductorFault/groundfault
AnoutletforelectricityReceptacle
Whatgetspluggedintoareceptacle,allowinganelectricaldevicetoworkPlug
19

ElectricalDevices
Load
Personalprotectiveequipment(PPE)
Panelboard
Transformer
Aloadisanydevicethatconvertselectricalenergyintolight,sound,motion,orheat.One
examplewouldbealightbulb.
Aloadgivesresistancetothecurrentinacircuit.
Alightbulbisaloadinacircuitthatconvertselectricityintolight.
PersonalProtectiveEquipment,orPPE,isclothingandotheritemsthatareworntohelpkeep
yousafewhenworkingneararcflashhazards.PPEprotectsyoufromtheintenselight,heat,
sound,andexplosionofanarcflash.
ThetypeofPPErequiredisdeterminedbytheamountofvoltageandcurrentavailable.Wewill
coverdeterminingwhattypeofPPEisneededlaterinthetraining.
Apanelboardisacabinetcontainingagroupofcircuitbreakers,fuses,andshortcircuit
protectiondevicesforlighting,appliances,orothercircuits;itisusuallyplacedinoronawall
withaccesstothefrontthroughapaneldoor.
Youhaveanelectricalpanelinyourhousewherethecircuitbreakersarelocated.
Transformershelpelectricitytraveloverlongdistanceswithoutlosingmuchenergy.
Transformersaretheonlywaytogetelectricitycheaplytoyourhouse.
Transformersallowelectricitytogettoyourhousebytakingthehighvoltage,lowcurrent
electricityfromthepowerlinesandturningtheelectricityinto120volt,highercurrent
electricity.
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=electricity_sciencebasics11182010
Transformersareimportantwhenlearningaboutarcflashbecauseoneofthekeycomponents
ofhowbadanarcflashwillbeishowmuchcurrentisavailablefromthetransformersupplying
theelectricity.
Identifytofollowingterms.
Adevicethatconvertselectricalenergyintolight,sound,motion,orheatLoad
TheclothingthatkeepsyousafewhenworkingaroundarcflashhazardsPersonalprotective
equipment(PPE)
Acabinetcontainingcircuitbreakersorfuses,usuallyplacedinoronawallPanelboard
Thisdevicetakeshighvoltage,lowcurrentelectricityandchangesittotheelectricityyouusein
yourhomeoratworkTransformer
20
21

Identifythefollowingterms.(nobackbuttonsincethisisareviewquestion)
TheamountofelectricalpressureinacircuitVoltage
HowmuchelectricityisflowinginacircuitCurrent
AmeasureofelectricalpowerWatts
SomethinginacircuitthatoffersresistanceLoad
Adangerouscircuitwithvoltage,butnoload(resistance)ShortCircuit
ThreeBasicHazards
Shock/Electrocution
ArcFlash
ArcBlast
Nowthatyouhaveafairlygoodideaofwhatelectricityis,letsgooversomeofthehazards
involvedinworkingaroundelectricaldevices.
Theyincludeshock,electrocution,arcflash,andarcblast.
Thesehazardsarepresentinanycircuitsover50volts.
DangersofShockandElectrocution
Electricitycankillyou
Mostdeathsarepreventable
Whileelectricityisuseful,itcanalsohurtorkillyou.Accidentsfromelectricityhappenfarmore
oftenthanyouwouldliketothink.
Electricityhaslongbeenrecognizedasaseriousworkplacehazard,exposingemployeesto
electricshock,electrocution,burns,fires,andexplosions.
Ifapersoniskilledbygettingshocked,thentheyareconsideredtohavebeenelectrocuted.
In1999,278workersdiedfromelectrocutionsatwork,accountingforalmost5percentofall
onthejobfatalitiesthatyear,accordingtotheBureauofLaborStatistics.
30,000victimseachyearareluckyenoughtoonlygetshockedandnotkilled.
Whatmakesthesestatisticsmoretragicisthatmostofthesefatalitiesandinjuriescouldhave
beeneasilyavoidedbyusingsafeworkpracticessuchasmakingsurethatelectricalequipment
islockedout,taggedout,anddeenergized.
www.osha.com11/15/2010
Identifythefollowingterms
WhencurrenttravelsthroughyourbodyShock
WhencurrenttravelsthroughyourbodyandKILLSYOUElectrocution
WhenashortcircuitleadstoanexplosionArcflash
22
ScarePictures
Whilenoonelikesseeingpicturesofinjuries,wedoneedtoshowyoujusthowdevastating
electricalinjuriescanbe.ThesenextfivepicturesarefromOHSAswebsite.
EntranceWound
Whenyouareshocked,electricitytravelsthroughyourbody.Severeinjuries
canshowupwheretheelectricityentersandleavesyourbody.
Thispictureshowshowtheresistanceofthebodyturnselectricityintoheat.
Thismanwasluckytosurvivesincetheelectricityenteredhisbodysocloseto
hisspinalcord.
ExitWound
Hereisapictureofwhereelectricityexitedamansfoot.
Thecharredholeisjustthesurfaceofthewound.Astheelectricity
traveledthroughhisfoot,itcreatedlotsofheatandburnedtheinside
ofhisfootsomuchthatthedoctorshadtocutthefootoffafewdays
aftertheinjury.
InternalInjuries
Inthispicture,theworkerwasshockedbythemetaltoolhewasusing,
suchasapairofpliers.Theresistanceofthemetalmadeitheatup,
causingtheburntskinbelowhisthumb.
Thevisiblepartofthewoundlooksbad,butthereweresevereinternal
injuriesthatwerenotimmediatelyvisible.Theseinternalinjurieswere
fromthecurrentflowingthroughhishand.
InternalInjuries
Thisisthesamehandafewdayslater.Asyoucanseetherewasso
muchdamagethatskinhadtobeslicedopentomakeroomforallthe
swelling.
Theinjurybelowtheburnfromthemetaltoolwascausedfromheat
aswell,buttheheatintheseareaswasfromthecurrentgoing
throughhishand,nottheheatofthetool.
23

InvoluntaryMuscleContraction
Inthispicture,aworkerfellandgrabbedapowerlinetocatchhimself.
Therewassomuchcurrentinhishandthathisfirsttwofingerswere
mummifiedandhadtoberemoved.
Hishandisbentlikethisbecauseasthetendonsinhishandwere
cooked,theyshrunk,painfullydrawinguptheworkershand.
Identifythefollowingterms
AvisibleinjuryattheplacewhereelectricityentersthebodyEntrancewound
AvisibleinjuryattheplacewhereelectricityleavesthebodyasitcompletesthecircuitExit
wound
Sometimesnotimmediatelyvisible,thistypeofinjurycanoccurinsidethebodywherecurrent
passesthroughInternalinjuries
GettingShocked
Youbecomepartofthecircuit
Thecurrenttravelingthroughyourbodycankillyou
Mostpeopleknowwhatanelectricalshockis.Thepicturesgaveyouagoodideaofwhatcan
happenwhenyouareshocked,butletsgooversomeofthedetailsofshockandelectrocution
somemore.
Electricshockscanbeharmlesslikegettingshockedwhentouchingadoorknobafterwalkingon
carpet,orashockcanbedeadly.
Anelectricshockoccurswhencurrentpassesthroughthebody.Thecurrentcancausedamage
tomuscles(includingheartmuscles),thenervoussystem,andotherpartsofthebody.
Gettingshockedmeansyourbodyisbecomingpartofthecircuit.Youbecomeaconductor
becauseofthecurrentrunningthroughyourbody.
CausesofElectricShock
Twodifferentlivewires
Alivewireandagroundwire
Therearemanywaysthatapersonsbodycanbecomepartofanelectricalcircuitandget
shocked.
Youwillgetanelectricshockifyoutouchalivewireandanelectricalgroundorifyoutoucha
livewireandanotherwireofadifferentpotential.
So,ifyoutouchanylivewireandthentoucheitheradifferentlivewireoragroundwire,you
cangetshocked.
24
Manyhavebeenshockedathome,butattheworkplace,voltageandcurrentaremuchhigher
creatingagreaterchanceofgettinghurt.
Selectthethreedangeroussituationswhereaworkercouldgetshocked.
Helenisworkingonlivewiresandisnotwearingelectricalgloves
Tochecktoseeifthecircuitbreakerhasopened,Philplaceshisscrewdriverontwowiresina
threephasesystem
Jimisinahurry,sohedoesnotturnoffpowertothemillbeforeworkingonit
Randyproperlylocksouttheconveyormotorandcheckstoseeifitisstillenergizedbefore
workingonit
Kellyseesanopenpanelboxwithexposedwiressoshestaysawayandalertshersupervisor
immediately
Electrocution
Electrocutionmeansdeathbyelectricity
Lessresistanceleadstomorecurrentpassingthroughthebody
Affectedemployeesmustpayspecialattentiontoelectricalhazardsthatcancauseelectrocution
becausetheyoftenworknearelectricalcircuits.
Electrocution,then,occurswhenapersonisshockedwithenoughcurrentthattheydie.Thisis
becausethelargeamountsofcurrentflowingthroughthebodycancausesevereinternaland
externalinjuries.
Thechancesofbeingelectrocutedgoupwhenworkingaroundwaterorwhenyouaresweating
ORwhenyouarenotwearingtheproperprotectiveclothing.
Selectthethreetruestatements.
Whenapersondiesfrombeingshocked,theyaresaidtohavebeenelectrocuted
Gettingshockedmeansyourbodyhasbecomepartofthecircuit.
Electricshockcanstillcausedeaththroughindirectaccidentssuchasfalling
Wearingrubbershoeswillalwayskeepyoufromgettingshocked
Electrocutionisusuallyharmless
VideoExampleofShock
Toletyouseehowapersonsbodybecomespartacircuitwhenshocked,watchthisvideo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1pSHzdahc
25

ShockCanOccurWithoutTouchingLiveParts
Circuitscanbecompletedthroughtheair
Ifyouthinkyouhavetoactuallytouchlivewirestogetshocked,youwouldbewrong.Justas
staticelectricitycanshockyouevenbeforeyoutouchadoorknob,electriccurrentscanreach
outandshockyouifyourbodygetsinapositionthatitcouldbecomepartofthecircuit.
Thiswillbeimportanttoknowwhenlearningaboutarcflashbecause,inanarcflash,thecircuit
iscompletedthroughtheair,notjustthroughwires.
Thisisbecause,eventhoughairhasinsulatingvalues,ithasitslimits.Ifthereisenoughvoltage,
thecircuitcanbecompletedjustbygoingthoughtheair.
Forexample,withlivepartsat72,500volts,youmustkeepbodypartsandothergrounded
itemsmorethantwofeetawaytoavoidcurrentflowingthroughyoubecauseatthathighofa
voltage,thecircuitcanbecompletedeventhroughafootofair.
HowShockIsMeasured
I=V/R
Tounderstandhowelectricshockcanhurtyou,letsgobacktotheequationfromOhmsLaw
thathadcurrentontheleftside,IequalsVdividedbyR,orcurrentequalsvoltagedividedby
resistance.
Rememberthatvoltagewilloftenstaythesame,sothecurrentwilldependonhowmuch
resistancethereisinthecircuit.
Ifresistanceishigh,theshockwillnotbeasbadasiftheresistanceislow.Higherresistance,
then,isbetter.
Resistanceisreducedifyouarewetorsweaty,orarenotwearingtheproperglovesorshoes,
makingcurrent(thepartthatkillsyou)muchgreater.
Trueoffalse?
Whentryingtostaysafearoundelectricalhazards,keepingworkareasdryandwearingproper
clothingcanhelpkeepyourbodysresistancehighandhelpkeepyoufromgettingshocked.
true
26

HowShockIsMeasured
Condition
Resistance(ohms)
Dry
Wet
FingerTouch
40,0001,000,000
4,00015,000
HandHoldingWire
15,00050,000
3,0006,000
FingerThumbGrasp
10,00030,000
2,0005,000
HandHoldingPliers
5,00010,000
1,0003,000
PalmTouch
3,0008,000
1,0002,000
Handaround11/2pipe
1,0003,000
5001,500
HandImmersed
200500
FootImmersed
100300
Asyoucanseefromthischart,wet,sweatyconditionscanbemuchmoredangerousthandry
conditionsbecausewaterandsweatdecreasetheresistancetoelectricity,allowingmore
currenttoflowthroughthebodywhensomeoneisshockedorelectrocuted.
Italwaysmakesgoodsensetostayawayfromenergizedparts,butespeciallysowhen
conditionsarewet.
Thisiswhyelectriciansarerequiredtowearglovesandusespecialtoolswhenworkingon
electricalequipment.Theproperclothingandtoolskeeptheresistancethroughtheirbodyhigh
enoughtokeepfromgettingshocked.
Otherfactorsotherthanwaterorsweatwilldeterminetheresistanceofsomeonebeing
shocked.
Resistancewilloftendependonthepathofthecircuitthroughthebody.Ashockfromone
fingertoanotherfingeronthesamehandwillprobablyprovidelessresistancethanashock
travelingfromonehandtotheotherorfromahandtothegroundthroughafoot.
Inanysituationwherethecircuithasachancetogothroughtheheart,thedangerscanbelife
threatening.
Asyourelookingoverthechart,noticehowthewetsituationsofferlessresistancethanthedry
situations.Thisisbecausecurrentwillflowthroughdirtywaterandsweatmuchmoreeasily
thanthroughairanddryskin.
Also,grabbingawirewouldbemuchmoredangerousthanjustbarelytouchingawirebecause
moreofyourskinwouldbeincontactwiththewire.
27
Regularmetaltoolsalsoincreasethechanceofgettingshocked.Thisiswhyelectriciansoften
havespecializedtoolsforworkingonelectricalequipment.
28

Determinetheresistanceeachsituationwouldprovide
Afootinwater100to300ohms
Adryhandarounda11/2inchpipe1,000to3,000ohms
Awetfingertouchingawire4,000to15,000ohms
Adryhandholdingpliers5,000to10,000ohms
DeterminantsofShockSeverity
ElectricCurrent PhysiologicalEffect
(1secondcontact)
Voltagerequiredtoproduce
thecurrentwithassumed
bodyresistance
100,000
ohms(dry)
1,000ohms
(sweaty)
1mA
Thresholdoffeeling,tingling
sensation.
100V
1V
3mA
Painfulshockwhichmaycause
indirectaccidents
300V
3V
5mA
Acceptedasmaximumharmless
current
500V
5V
1020mA
Beginningofsustainedmuscular 1000V
contraction("Can'tletgo"
current.)
10V
30mA
lungparalysisusuallytemporary 3000V
30V
50mA
Possibleventricularfibrillation
5,000V
(heartdysfunction,usuallyfatal)
50V
100300mA
Certainventricularfibrillation,
fatal
10,000V
100V
4Amps
Heartparalysis,severeburns
400,000V
400V
5Amps
Fleshburns,defibrillation,
temporaryrespiratoryparalysis
500,000V
500V
Thischartshowsushowdifferentlevelsofcurrentaffectthebody.
5milliampsisconsideredthelimitforharmlesscurrent.Harmlessdoesnotmeanthatthe
shockdoesnothurt,justthattheshockshouldnotcauseanylastinginjury.(NEC)
Aswegothroughtheseexamplesandothers,rememberthattheamountoftimeyouare
shockedalsoplaysaroleonhowbadlyyouarehurt.
29
Thelesstimeyouhavecurrentgoingthroughyourbody,thebetter.
Wewillalsoexplainthatthepaththecurrenttakesthroughyourbodyisimportant.
Ifwejuststickwithtwogeneralsituations,dryandwet,wecanseeinthischarthowdifferent
typesofvoltageswillaffectyouifyouareshocked.
Hopefullynoneofyoutakingthistraininghavebeenshocked,butasyoucansee,evenwhen
youaredry,a120voltoutletatyourhousecanstillshockyou.
Withwetsituations,the120voltoutletsatyourhousehaveenoughcurrenttokillyou.
At480volts,acommonvoltageusedinmanufacturing,ashockcanturnintoanelectrocution
andseverelyburnyouasitkillsyou.Inthesesituations,youwillnotonlydiebecauseofashock
acrossyourheart,yourskinandinternalorganswillactuallybecookedandcharred.
Ifyoulookatthe30milliampand50milliamprowsinthechart,youwillseethattheseamounts
ofcurrentscancausedeathbyparalyzingthelungsandstoppingtheheart.Thishappenswhen
thepartofthecircuitthattravelsthoughthebodyactuallytravelsthroughthechest.
Ifthecircuitgoesthroughthepalmofonehanditcouldstillcauselifethreateninginjuries.Butit
ismuchmoredangeroustohavethecircuitgothroughtheentirebodysinceonlyasmall
amountofcurrentisrequiredtocausedeathwhenthecurrenttravelsthroughthechestand
heart.
Answerthequestionsbelow
Thisvoltagewilltemporarilyparalyzeyourlungsevenwhenthesurroundingsaredry.3,000
volts
Thislevelofcurrentisusuallyfatal50milliamps
Thisvoltage,inwetsurroundings,willcausedeath100volts
ExamplesofShock
I=V/RorCurrent=Voltage/Resistance
IfE=120volts,and
R=1,500Ohms,HoldingPliersWet(1,0003,000fromchart)
I=120/1,500=0.08
I=80ma,PossibleHeartFibrillation,usuallyfatal
Letsgothroughacoupleofexamplestoseejusthowdangerousgettingshockedcanbe.
Letsassumethataworkerisusingdamppliersona120voltcircuit.Fromthepreviouschart,
wecanalsoassumethattheresistancewillbeabout1,500ohms.
Thecurrenttravelingthroughthebody,ifshocked,willbeabout80milliampssince120volts
dividedby1500ohmsis.08amps.
Iftheworkerisshockedandthecircuitpassesthoughthechest,possiblyfromthepliersinthe
righthandthroughthebodytothelefthandgrabbingapieceofgroundedmetal,the80
milliampcurrentwillprobablykillhim.
30
ExamplesofShock
I=V/RorCurrent=Voltage/Resistance
IfE=120volts,and
R=7,500Ohms,HoldingPliersDry(5,00010,000)
I=120/7,500
I=16ma,muscularcontractions
Thisexampleissimilar,butthistimethepliersaredry,providingaround7,500ohmsof
resistance.
Luckilythe16milliampsofcurrentinthisexampleshouldnotkilltheworker,butifheisona
ladder,themusclecontractionscouldcausehimtolosehisbalance,falloff,andgetkilled
anyway.
Thesetwoexamplesshowyoujusthowimportantitistoworksafelyaroundelectricalhazards.
ExamplesofShock
71/2wattlightbulb
7.5/120=0.0625amps
0.0625amps=62.5milliamps
Justtoseehowmuchcurrentisneededtokillyou,letslookata7andahalfwattlightbulb
pluggedintoa120voltoutletinahome.Sincewattageequalsvoltagetimescurrent,current
canbefoundbydividingthewattageofthebulbbythevoltageoftheoutlet.
Thiswouldbe7.5dividedby120,or62.5milliamps,wellabovethe50milliamplimittostop
yourheartifitweretogothroughyourchest.
Rememberthatwhenyouhavea100wattlightbulbinyourhousewith120volts,thecurrent
flowingmustbe.83amps.Thisisbecause100dividedby120equals0.83.0.83ampsisthe
sameas830milliamps.Ifyouhad830milliampsofcurrentgoingthroughyourbody,what
wouldlikelyhappen?
Wouldnotfeelanything
Justasmalltingle
Maybeapainfulshock
Lungsandheartwouldstopandinternalorganscouldcook
31

HowtoAvoidShockHazards
Donotworkonenergized(live)equipment
Avoidworkingaroundwaterorwetlocations
Stayawayfromelectricalwiresontheground
Keepworkareascleanandtidy
Neveropenanelectricalpanel
Thebestwaytokeepfromgettingshockedistostayawayfromelectricalshockhazards.
Obviouslyyoushouldneverworkonliveorenergizedelectricalequipment,notonlybecauseitis
dangerous,butalsobecauseyouarenotqualifiedtoworkontheequipment.
Anotherhazardinvolvesliveelectricalwiresinthewrongplace.Soifyouseewireslyingonthe
ground,donotgonearthemandtellyoursupervisorimmediately.
Sinceyouwilloftenhavetoworknearelectricpanels,makesuretoneveropenthem.Opening
thepanelincreasesthechancesofgettingshockedorsettingoffanarcflash.
Anotherhazardiswater.Althoughsometimesitmaybeunavoidable,trytoneverworkinwet
areasthatarenearelectricalequipment.
Keepingyourworkareacleanandorganizedcanhelpyouspotelectricalhazardsthatyoumight
otherwisemissinamessyworkarea.Ifyouneedtocleanaworkareathatisdisorganizedand
dirty,beverycarefulsonounseenhazardswillhurtyou.
HowtoAvoidShockHazards
Neveruseadamagedoutlet
Neveruseadamagedelectricalcord
Neveruseacordwiththegroundprongmissing
Donotplugtoomanythingsintooneoutlet
Stayalert
Evenwhenyouarenotworkingaroundhighvoltageequipmentorelectricalpanelboxes,shock
hazardsstillexist.
Damagedoutletsshouldneverbeused.Ifyouseeadamagedoutletorsuspectanoutletmight
bedamaged,stopusingitandnotifyyoursupervisorimmediately.
Thesamegoesforcordsandplugs.Ifyouseeanelectricalcordthatlookswornout,itmight
haveexposedwires.Alsoplugsthataredamagedmightnotbeproperlygrounded,increasing
thechancesofgettingshocked.
Anotherpossiblehazardishavingtoomanyitemspluggedintothesameoutletoronthesame
circuitbreaker.Mostoften,thecircuitbreakerwillsafelyopenthecircuit,butthesuddenlossof
electricitytoelectricalequipmentcouldstillcauseinjuries.
32
Aboveall,juststayalert.Alwaysbeonthelookoutforhazardsandbepreparedtostopworking,
protectthosearoundyou,andgethelptotakecareofthesituationasfastandassafelyasyou
can.
Selectthethreesafeworkingsituations.
Johnkeepshisworkareaclearsincethereareelectricalhazardsnearhisstation.
Kellyseesawireonthegroundthatwasnotthereyesterday.Shehassomeonemakesureno
onegoesnearitwhilesheimmediatelytellshersupervisor
Howardisaskingaqualifiedelectricianforhelpsinceheseessomespilledwateraroundan
electricalpanelbox
Renaldoistoobusytomakesurethemotorcontrolsaredeenergizedbeforecleaningthemout
Stanisnowdeadsinceheopenedanelectricalpanelbox,causinganarcflash
50milliampsofshockcanstopyourheart
120voltoutletsatyourhousecanbedeadly
Theamountoftimeyourbodyispartofthecircuitisafactorinhowbadyouarehurtwhen
youareshocked
Itisokaytoworkonenergizedequipmentifyouarereallyinahurry
5,000milliamps,or5amps,isnotenoughcurrenttohurtyou
ArcFlash
WhatIsAnArcFlash?
Nowthatwehaveagoodideaaboutelectricityandshock,wecanfinallygetintowhatanarc
flashisandjusthowdangerousitcanbe.
Anarcflashisashortcircuitthroughtheairinanelectricalpanelboxoranyotherpieceof
energizedelectricalequipment.Air,asyouhavealreadylearned,isnormallyaninsulator,but
withahighenoughvoltage,aslippedtool,orapanelboxthatisdirty,thecircuitcanbe
completed,causingashort.
Whentheshorthappensandthecircuitiscompletedthroughtheair,theairbreaksdownto
whereitofferslittletonoresistancetotheflowofelectricity.
Remember,thisiswhatashortcircuitis.Ashortcircuitwillhavealmostzeroresistanceandwill
haveveryhighlevelsofcurrent.Thehighcurrentiswhatisresponsibleforthearcflash.
Thetremendousamountsofenergyreleasedinanarcflashmakeforaverybright,veryhot,and
veryloudexplosion.
33

ArcFlashvs.SafelyCompletedCircuits
Higherthannormalcurrents
Nowinasafelycompletedcircuit,suchaswhenamotorturnsonamanufacturingline,the
circuitiscomplete,justlikeinanarcflash,butasafelycompletedcircuithasaloadonthe
circuitofferingresistance.
Soinasafelycompletedcircuit,theresistanceaffectsthecurrentinthecircuit,keepingthe
currentunderdangerouslyhighlevels.
Thinkofalamppluggedintotheoutletofyourhouse.Whenyouturniton,thecircuitis
completed,butthelightbulbhasresistance,sothecurrentstayswithinsafelimits.
Ifyouweretostickapaperclipinanoutlet,thecircuitwillalsobecompleted,butthistimeit
willbeashortcircuitbecausethemetalpaperclipoffersverylittleresistancetotheflowof
electricity.
Bytheway,NEVERstickapaperclipintoanelectricaloutlet.Itisdangerous,andifyoudoityou
willreceiveanelectricshockorworse.
DangerousBehavior
Justsoyouwonthavetodothistoseewhatwouldhappen,watchthisvideo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu0AOCu5bFQ&feature=related
HighVoltageShortCircuit
Ashortcircuit,asshowninthisnextvideo,doesnothavealoadprovidingresistance.Thearc
thatformsgoesrightthroughtheairwithlittletonoresistance.
Thesamethinghappensinanarcflash.Thecircuitiscompletedstraightthroughtheair.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXiOQCRiSp0&feature=related
Selectwhetherthefollowingrefertoasafelycompletedcircuitorashortcircuitthatcouldlead
toanarcflash.
safelycompletedcircuit
Turningonalightinanoffice
Startingamotorcontroldevice
shortcircuitthatcouldleadtoanarcflash
Accidentallytouchingthewiresinapanelboxwithascrewdriver
Splashingwateronenergizedhighvoltageelectricalequipment
34

WhereDoesAnArcFlashOccur?
Electricalpanelbox
Coppercables
Lowvoltage,highcurrent
Tounderstandhowanarcflashoccurs,letscreateanimaginaryarcflash.
Tocreateanarcflash,asmallpieceofcopperwireisplacedbetweentwoofthewirescoming
intoathreephasepanelbox.Whenthepoweristurnedon,thesmallmetalwirequickly
vaporizesbecauseofthehighcurrentandallowstheairtobreakdownbetweenthetwocopper
cables,decreasingtheresistanceandallowingdangerouslevelsofcurrenttoflowinacircuit
evenafterthesmallwireisgone.
Thelargercoppercableswillalsovaporize,addingtotheexplosivepowerandbrightnessofthe
arcflash.
Arcflashescanoccuronanyhighvoltageelectricalequipment,notjustinpanelboxes.
ArcFlashTestVideo
Inthisnextvideo,youwillseehowscientistscreatearcflashesinordertostudythem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq7U7tFsvQ
WhatCausesAnArcFlash?
Slippedtoolsorhands
Animals
Fallingparts
Sometimesthereisnoknowncause
Dust,water,corrosion,oil
Whenarcflashesoccurbyaccident,theycansometimesbecausedmuchlikethewaytheyare
madeonpurpose.
Anaccidentalslipofatool,aloosepart,orevenyourhandtouchinglivepartscanprovidethe
startthecurrentneedstojumpfromonecabletothenext.
Looseconnectionsintheelectricalequipment,improperinstallation,andpartsthatbreakand
fallareotherpossibletriggers.
Dust,water,impurities,contamination,corrosion,oil,andgreasecanalsoprovideastarting
routefortheshortcircuit.
Evenanimalsorbugscangetintoelectricaldevicesandstartanarcflash.
Typicallythereisareasonforarcflashaccidents,althoughwemaynotalwaysknowwhatit
was.
35
Theunpredictablenatureofarcflashaccidentsiswhyitissoimportanttoknowaboutthem
andstayawayfromdangeroussituations.
Selectthreeofthecausesofarcflashaccidents
Atoolthataccidentallytouchesexposed,liveparts
Partfallinginanenergizedpanelbox
Accidentallygettingwateronaexposedelectricalpartsofhighvoltageequipment
Makingsuretoneverworknearliveelectricalequipmentthatposesarcflashhazards
Stayingawayfromarcflashhazards
AvailableCurrentandAmountofTime
Muchoftheseverityofanarcflashcomesfromtheamountofcurrentthatisavailableandthe
amountoftimetheshortcircuitexistsbeforethecircuitisbroken.
Determiningthemaximumcurrentavailableandtheamountoftimethearcflashwillbeactive
requirescomplexcalculationsandhelpfromcomputerprogramsandeventhen,expertswill
stilldisagreeontheactualexplosivecapabilitiesofanarcflashwhenappliedtoanactual
setting.
Thereisonethingallofthemwillagreeonthoughitisnotgoodtobeanywherenearanarc
flashwhenitoccurs.
Whatarethetwomainfactorsthatdeterminehowbadanarcflashis?
Theavailablecurrenttothepieceofequipment
Theamountoftimetheshortcircuitexists
Thecoloroftheequipment
HowlongtheCBCrelayhasbeenmonitoringthesystem
WhatHappensDuringAnArcFlash
ArcFlash
MoltenMetal
35,000 F
PressureWaves
SoundWaves
CopperVapor:
SolidtoVapor
Expandsby
67,000times
Shrapnel
HotAirRapidExpansion
IntenseLight
Wehavealreadymentionedsomeofthedangersofanarcflash,butletscoverthemmorefully
now.
Anarcflashisbrighterthanthesun,hotterthanthesun,sendsmetalpiecesflyingawayfrom
theexplosionatover700milesperhour,andislouderthanajet.
36
http://www.jade1.com/newsletter/2009/04/niosh_WA.html111610
BrightLight
Skindamage
Blindness
Thebrightlightfromanarcflashcancausesevereskindamage,althoughyoumightnotnotice
itsinceyourskinwouldprobablybeburnedsomuchfromtheextremeheat.
Youreyes,though,evenifwearingsafetyglasses,canreceiveenoughblindinglightinthatshort
instantthatyouwillneverbeabletoseeagain.
Goingblindisjustthefirstofmanyinjuriesanarcflashcangiveyou.
HotTemperatures
Weldingarc=3,000F
Sun=9000F
ArcFlash=35,000F
Whenanarcflashoccurs,itgetsreallyhot,someofthehighesttemperaturesknowntoman.
Justtoshowyouhowhotthe35,000degreesFahrenheitofanarcflashare,letslookata
coupleofitemsweknowarehot.
Thetemperatureofweldingarcis3000F.Thatishotenoughtomeltandfusetogethermetal.
ThetemperatureoftheSunis9000F.Thatishotenoughforatomicfusion.
Thetemperatureofanelectricalarcflash,though,canreach35,000F.Itisdifficulttoreally
understandhowhotthatisandhowdestructiveitcanbe,butluckilyarcflashesdontlastvery
long.
Butyoucangetsevereburnsfromtheheatofanarcflasheventhoughitlastsonlyfora
fractionofasecond.
Thechancesofgettingseverelyburnedcanbereducedbywearingtheproperprotective
clothing.Wewillgoovertheselectionofpersonalprotectiveclothing,orPPE,laterinthe
training.
Selectthetemperaturesassociatedwiththefollowingitems
Anarcflash35,000F
Aweldingarc3,000F
Thesun9,000F
37

LargeExplosion
Vaporizedcopperexpandsto67,000timesitsoriginalsize
Metalfliestowardyouat700milesperhour
Theintenseheatfromanarcflashcancausesolidcoppercablestochangetoliquidandthento
vaporalmostinstantly.
Whencoppervaporizes,itexpandsto67,000timesitsoriginalsize,thisleadstothelarge
explosionaverylargeexplosion.
Theexplosioncreatesapressurewavesendingshrapnel(suchasequipmentpartsflyinglikean
explodinggrenade)hurlingathighspeed(over700milesperhour).
VeryLoud
Youcanloseyourhearing
Earplugsmightnothelp
Sincetheexplosionhappenssofast,thequicklymovingaircandamageyoureardrums,causing
aworkerneartheblasttobecomedeafneverbeingabletohearagain.
Severearcblastswillhaveanoiselevelofmorethan140decibelsatadistanceoftwofeet
away.
Mostearplugsprovideeffectiveprotectionuptoabout105dB.Regularearplugs,then,donot
provideadequateprotectionfromarcflashaccidents.
Selectfourofthethingsthathappenduringanarcflash
Temperaturescangethotterthanthesun
Thebrightlightcancauseyoutogoblind
Theloudnoisecancauseyoutogodeaf
Theheatcancharyourskin
Theinjuriesusuallyarenotreallythatbad
Arcflashisamyth
ArcFlash/ArcBlast
Theyalwaysoccurtogether
Anarcflashalwayscausesanarcblast
Youwilloftenhearthetermsarcflashandarcblastusedtogetherbecausetheyalwayshappen
together.
Thebrightlightandhightemperatureisthearcflash.Theexplosionandtheloudblastisthearc
blast.
38
Forthistraining,though,wewillcontinuetousearcflashfortheentireevent:light,heat,
sound,andexplosion.
ArcFlashVideos
Letslookatacoupleofvideosofactualarcflashaccidentstosee
justhowfasttheycanhappenandhowexplosivetheycanbe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Im7PLduwc
Asyoucanseethedoorsareopenonthisenergizedequipment.
Thesecircuitbreakersarenormallymotorized.Inmostcasesthedoorsareclosedwhenopening
andclosingabreaker.
Ifthedoormustbeopen,thebusorbusbar,whichisathickstripofcopperoraluminumthatis
usedtocarryverylargecurrentsordistributecurrenttomultipledeviceswithinswitchgearor
otherequipment,shouldbedeenergizedbeforeworkingonit.Theworkerdoesnothavethe
properPPEtobeworkingnearexposedliveequipment.
Noticethepieceoftestequipmentonthefloor.Theremustbeaproblemwiththemotor,andit
looksliketheyaretryingtoclosethebreakermanually.
Thesecondworker,possiblythesupervisor,givestheworkertheOKtoproceedjustbeforethe
explosion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busbar11.29.10
ArcFlashVideos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h10ALIpD0R4
Inthisvideo,theworkersseemtobeinthebackofthepanel
whereallthebussesarelocated.Theyshouldnotbeworking
insidetheenergizedpanel.
Theworkeronthegroundisinanespeciallyhazardousposition.
Theworkeronfireapparentlyhassomeflameresistantclothingonbecauseitdidntburnfor
verylong.
Hedoesntappeartobebadlyinjuredandnoticethathisshirtisstillwhite.Theothertwo
workersdonotappeartobeinjuredbadlyeither.
Luckily,eventhoughtheywereworkinginadangeroussituation,theirclothingprotectedthem.
Whataresomeofthethingswecanlearnfromthetwopreviousvideos?Select2.
Flameresistanceclothingcanhelpprotectyoufromarcflashburns
Openpanelsincreasethehazardofanarcflash
39
Workersareneverharmedfromarcflashaccidents
Workinginsideanareawithenergizedpartsisusuallysafe,sonoPPEisrequired
ArcFlashTest
ARCFLASHRESULTS
> Indicates Meter Pegged
Sound
141.5 db @ 2 ft.
T2
>225 C / 437 F
T3
P1
>2160 lbs/sq.ft
T1
> 225 C / 437 F
50 C / 122 F
Toseejusthowanarcflashaffectsthebody,theInstituteofElectricalandElectronics
Engineers,orIEEE,publishedareportonaseriesofteststhatweredonein1996onatraining
dummytomeasurethesound,temperature,andpressurethebodywouldexperiencefroman
arcflash.(Jonesandal2000)
http://www.bussman.com/library/docs/stagedtests.pdf11/29/2010
Thesetestsweredonetoincreaseawarenessofarcflashhazardsinelectricalequipment.Inthe
testwewillexamine,anarcflashwasstartedbyplacingasmallwirebetweentwoofthewires
ina480volt,threephasesystem.Sensorswereplacedonthedummytoseehowhot,howloud,
andhowstrongtheexplosionfromthearcflashwouldbe.
Sensorswereplacedonthedummyschest,neck,andhands,andasoundsensorwasplaced
closetotheear.
Hereisthedatafromthefourthtest.Inthreeofthemeasurements,thetemperatureand
pressurereadingswerebeyondthelimitsofthesensor.
Thetwotemperaturesensorsthatwereoverthelimit,T,andT2,wentover437F.
40

ArcFlashTest
Skin
TimeofSkin DamageCaused
Temperature Temperature
110F
6hours
Cellbreakdownstarts
158F
1second
Totalcelldestruction
178F
0.1seconds
Curableburn
200F
0.1seconds
Incurable3rddegree
burns
Letslookatthischarttoseejustwhatthatmeansforyourskin.Ifyourskingetsupto178F
justforatenthofasecond,youwillbeburned,butyouyourskinwillhealanyhigherorlonger
thanthatanditmightnot.
Rememberthatwaterboilsas212degreesFahrenheit,so178degreeswillnotfeelgood.
Ifyourskingetsupto200Fforjustatenthofasecond,youwillbeburnedsobadlythatthe
damagewillnotheal,so200Fistheupperlimitonthischart.
Selectthetwotruestatementsaboutthechartabove.
Stickingyourhandinboilingwatercancauseincurablethirddegreeburns
Thelengthoftimeyourskinisatahightemperaturedetermineshowbadtheburnis
Thirddegreeburnsusuallyhealfast
Placingyourhandonahotskilletfor3secondswillonlygiveyou2nddegreeburns
ArcFlashTest
ARCFLASHRESULTS
Sound
141.5 db @ 2 ft.
T2
>225 C / 437 F
T3
P1
>2160 lbs/sq.ft
T1
> 225 C / 437 F
50 C / 122 F
SincetheT1andT2sensorsmeasuredbeyond427degreesF,thereobviouslywouldhavebeen
massivethirddegreeburnsifthiswereanactualaccident.Thisshouldnotbesurprisingsince
thearcflashitselfcangetupto35,000F.
Theneckandhandsofavictiminthistypeofarcflash,aswejustsaid,wouldhavesuffered
incurable3rddegreeburns.
41
ButlookatthesensorlabeledT3.Itonlygotupto122F.Prettyhot,butnothotenoughtoburn
aworker.Thisisimportant.
ArcFlashTest
WhatmakesT3lower,andsafer,isthatthesensorwasunderclothing,asshowninthispicture.
Youcanalsoseethatthedummyschestwasfurtherbackthanhishands,butsincethesensor
ontheneckgotashotastheoneonthehand,theclothingmademoreofadifferencethanthe
distancesincethedummywassoclosetothearcflash.
Sincetheclothingcoveringyourskinissoimportantinprotectingyoufromanarcflash,wewill
coverpersonalprotectiveequipmentlaterinthetraining.
http://nicolet.asse.org/docs/Nicolet%20ASSE%2011.11.09%20Presentation%20(Arc%20Flash).p
df1120
ArcFlashTest
ARCFLASHRESULTS
Sound
141.5 db @ 2 ft.
P1
T2
>2160 lbs/sq.ft
>225 C / 437 F
T3
T1
> 225 C / 437 F
50 C / 122 F
Whataboutthenoisefromthearcflashinthistest?Wellat85decibels,hearingdamagecan
occurifthatlevelofnoiseiscontinuedoverthecourseofaworkday.
141.5decibelsiswellbeyondthatlimit,andanyexposuretosoundsthathighcanleadto
permanenthearingloss,evenforjustafractionofasecond.
Pressurewasanothervariablethatwasmeasured.Thepressuremeasuredover2160psi
beyondtheupperlimitof1728poundspersquarefootforpossiblelungdamage.
Whatallofthesetestresultsmean,ofcourse,isthatarcflashisdangerous.Itgetsveryhot,itis
veryloud,andtheexplosionissubstantial.
Youshoulddoeverythingyoucantostayawayfromthem.
42

ArcFlashIsUnpredictable
Everyworkershouldassumetheworst
Anotheritemthetestacknowledgedisthehighlyunpredictablenatureofarcflashaccidents.
ThereportstatedWorkersandequipmentmaybeatriskfromelectricalarc,evenattimes
whencodes,standards,andproceduresareseeminglyadequatelyaddressedmeaningthat
evenifeverythingisdoneright,anarcflashcanstilloccur.
Theyalsoadvisedthatworkersshouldassumetheworstanduseavailablepersonalprotective
equipment.
http://www.bussman.com/library/docs/stagedtests.pdf11202010
Arcflashaccidentscanhappenevenifalltherulesarefollowed.
Protectiveclothingcanhelpreduceareflashinjures
Thepressurewaveinanarcflash/blastcancauselungdamage
Ifyourskingetsupto430degreesFforatenthofasecond,yourskinwillbeOK
WorkersshouldassumethebestandnotworryaboutwearingPPE
WhatInjuriesCanOccur?
arcflashexplosionpichttp://www.missouriinsurancelawyerblog.com/arcflash_1.png
Sinceweshowedyousomeofthepicturesinvolvingshockandelectrocution,letsnowlookat
somepicturesofarcflashinjuries.
Wewillalsoplayavideoofsomeonewhosurvivedanarcflashinjury.
SevereBurns
Hereyoucanseethesevereburnsthathappenwhensomeoneisnearanarcflashanddoesnot
haveanyprotectiveclothingorequipmenton.
43
Youcanseehowthearcflashwashotandlastedforonlyamoment.Theskinthatwasburned
wasnotjustreddenedandblistered,butvaporizedandcharred.
http://www.prlog.org/10074699arcflashinjuriesoccur2000timesyear.jpg
11292010
SevereBurns
Inthispicture,bothhandswereinjuredinthearcflash.
Itlookslikemostoftheheatwascenteredonthethumbs,butrememberfromtheelectrocution
andshockpicturesthattheinjuriesoftenlookworseafewdaysaftertheaccident.
Itsverypossiblethatthisworkerendedupwithsevereinjuriesand3rddegreeburns.
ArcFlashBurns
Thisworkerwasnearanelectricalpanelboxwhenanarcflashoccurred.Even
thoughhedidnottouchthebox,electricityarcedthroughtheairandentered
hisbody.Thecurrentwasdrawntohisarmpitsbecauseperspirationisvery
conductive.
Rememberthatpurewaterisaninsulator,butthesaltinsweatmakesforapotentiallyvery
dangerousconductor.
Atfirstthispicturedoesnotlooktoobad,butbecauseofthehighcurrent,theaccidentmight
havecausedsubstantialinternalinjuriesthatarenotseeninthispicture.
InjuriesfromBurningClothing
http://www.ebranders.com/images/arc_flash/image9.jpg11292010
Althoughthisisnotapictureofarealarcflash,itdoesdepictwhatcanhappentoyourclothes
rightaftertheexplosionoccurs.Notonlycantheinitialarcflashhurtyou,buttheheatfrom
burningclothingcancontinuetocausedamage.
Thatiswhyitissoimportanttoselectandweartheappropriatepersonalprotectiveequipment,
orPPE.Hopefullyasanaffectedemployeeyouwillnothavetobeinsituationswhereyouneed
towearPPEforworkingneararcflashhazards,butifyoudo,makesuretowearthem.
EvenifaseasonedelectriciandoesnotwearhisPPE,youshouldstillwearyoursifrequired.
Rememberthattwodeadbodiesarealwaysworsethanone.
InjuriesfromBurningClothing
44

Inthispicture,currentexitedtheworkerathisknees,catchinghisclothingonfireandburning
hisupperleg.
ProperPPEinthissituationmightnothavekeptthearcflashfromhappening,butitcouldhave
savedtheworkerthefrombeingoffworkgettingbetterandthepainoftheburns.
Selectthethreetruestatementsaboutarcflashinjuries.
Anarcflashcanquicklyburntheskin
Afteranarcflashisoveryoucanstillbeburnedfromclothingthatisonfire
Anarcflashcanstartwithoutyourbodyactuallytouchingliveparts
Arcflashburnsaremuchlikethoseyouwouldreceivefromahotiron
Arcflashtreatmentsareusedinbeautysalonstoremovedeadskin
DonniesAccident
Thatsprobablyenoughpicturestoshowyoujusthowdangerousanarc
flashcanbe.Hereisavideoofanarcflashsurvivor.
Justsoyouknow,thereisahappyending.Hedoeslive,butImsurehe
wouldneverwanttogothroughitagain.Thestoryistoldfromthewifesperspective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMb5zhtR8hw&feature=fvwrel
ThisisagoodvideoaboutarcflashbecauseDonniesurvived.
Oneimportantcommenthemadeabouthisvideoisthatifhedbeenwearinghisgear,meaning
therightpersonalprotectiveequipment,hewouldhaveprobablyonlyneededtogotothe
hospitalforacheckupinsteadofbeinginacomaandseverelyinjured.
Onethingthatwillprobablynevergoawayisthepainandsufferingheandhisfamilywent
through.Keepthisinmindanytimeyouareworkingwithoraroundelectricity,youmustrespect
itforwhatitcandotoyou
YoumightthinkyouwontreceivetheinjuriesDonniedidsinceyouwillnotbeworkingonlive
electricalequipment,butyoustillcouldbeworkingaroundliveequipment.
Soyoucouldstillbecloseenoughtoanarcflashtohavebadenoughinjuriesthatyouwillbein
acoma,havetogetskingrafts,andgothroughthepainDonniedid.
SelectsomeofthethingsDonniewentthrough.
Coma
Skingrafts
Pain
Amputation
Death
45

Approachboundaries
Flashprotectionboundary
Limitedapproachboundary
Restrictedapproachboundary
Prohibitedapproachboundary
NFPA70E,whichwewillgooverinmoredetaillater,requiresthreeshockboundariesanda
flashprotectionboundarythatmustbeknownandobserved.
Theshockboundariesarecalculatedbasedontheamountofvoltagebeingsuppliedtothe
equipment.Theflashprotectionboundaryrequiresmoredata.
Whiletheamountofcurrentandthehowlongthearcflashlastsarethetwobigfactorsto
considerwhenfiguringouthowsevereanarcflashwillbe,howbadyougethurtalsodepends
onhowcloseyouaretoit.
Justafewinchescouldbethedifferencebetweenlifeanddeathwhenclosetoanarcflash.
Ifaverylargearcflashaccidenthappensandnooneisnearit,noonegetshurt.Thisiswhyarc
flashboundariesaresoimportant.
Thefourcommonboundariesaroundelectricalhazardsaretheflashprotectionboundary,the
limitedapproachboundary,therestrictedapproachboundary,andtheprohibitedapproach
boundary.
Whatarethethreemainfactorsthatdeterminehowbadlyyouarehurtifyouarenearanarc
flash?
Howlongthearcflashlasts
Howfarawayyouarewhenthearcflashhappens
Thepoweravailabletotheshortcircuit
Thedayoftheweek
Thetypeofshoesyouarewearing
46

Arcflashprotectionboundary
Thearcflashprotectionboundaryisthepointwhereapersoncouldreceive2nddegreeburnsif
anarcflashoccurred.
2nddegreeburns,bytheway,arenotatallpleasant,sodontthinkthisboundaryisthe
distancewhereyouarecompletelysafe.Itsjustthedistancethatyourinjurieswillprobably
healifthereisanarcflashaccident.
Thisagainshowsjusthowimportantitistoweartherightprotectiveclothing.
Thetextbookdefinitionofanarcflashprotectionboundaryisthedistancefromthearcflash
whereheatenergyonthesurfaceoftheskinwouldbeabout1.2calories/cm2.
Wewillcovercaloriespercentimetersquaredinthesectiononpersonalprotectiveequipment.
Wheretheflashprotectionboundaryisdependsonastudyofthehazard.Calculationsusethe
amountofpowerthearcflashcouldhaveandhowlongthearcflashwouldprobablylast.
Themorepowerfultheexplosionandlongerthearcflashwillbeinacompletedshortcircuit,the
fartheroutthearcflashprotectionboundarywillbe.
Intheory,arcflashexplosionsexplodeinalldirectionsequally,butwhatusuallyhappensisthat
thepanelboxorpieceofelectricalequipmentcontainssomeoftheexplosioninonedirection
andsendstheentireforcetowardtheopeningofthepieceofequipment,usuallyfacingtoward
thevictim.
Thebestthingyoucandowhenyouseeahazardlikethisistostayaway,evenwellbeyondthe
boundaries.
Remember,thefartherawayyouarefromanarcflashwhenithappens,thebetter.
Whatdetermineswherethearcflashprotectionboundaryis?
Awildguess
Itisalways10feetawayfromthehazard
Thetypeofloadonthesafelycompletedcircuit
47
Acarefulstudyofthepowerandtimeofthearcflash
Thenextboundarywewilllookatisthelimitedapproachboundary.
Thelimitedapproachboundaryisthedistanceatwhichashockhazardexistsandisbasedon
voltage.
Thelimitedapproachboundarydefinesaboundaryaroundexposedlivepartsthatmaynotbe
crossedbyunqualifiedoraffectedpersonnelunlessaccompaniedbyqualifiedworkers.
Affectedemployees,then,shouldneverenterthelimitedapproachboundaryalone,andifyou
arerequiredtogoinwithaqualifiedworker,makesureyouarewearingtheproperPPE.
Furtherinfromthelimitedapproachboundaryistherestrictedapproachboundary.
Therestrictedapproachboundaryisthedistancewherethereisanincreasedriskofelectric
shockduetoanaccident.
Theseaccidentscouldbefromslippedtools,losingyourbalanceandgrabbingaliveparttohold
yourselfup,orjustaccidentallywalkingtooclosetoanenergizedpart.
48
Therestrictedapproachboundarycanonlybecrossedbyqualifiedpersonsusingappropriate
shockpreventiontechniquesandequipment.
Thismeansyoushouldneverbeintherestrictedapproachboundarywhenequipmenthas
electricityhookeduptoit.
Althoughthishasmoretodowithgettingshockedorelectrocutedthanitdoeswithanarcflash,
thisisusuallywellinsidetheareathatwouldgiveyouincurablethirddegreeburnsifanarc
flashwastooccur.
Justbybeinginthisarea,youcouldcauseanarcflashtohappen.Andifyouwerenotwearing
therightPPE,youcouldbebadlyinjuredorevendie.
Eventhoughyouwouldnevertouchliveelectricalwires,youmightthinkbeingcloseisOK,butit
isnot.
Beingintheprohibitedapproachboundaryisjustasdangerousastouchingtheenergizedparts.
Thisisbecauseelectricitycanarcthroughtheair,completingthecircuitthroughyourbody.
Atthisdistanceitisconsideredthesameatmakingcontactwiththepart.Thisisavery
dangerousareatobein,andasanaffectedemployee,youshouldnothavetoworryabout
havingtobeinthisareawhenequipmentisenergized.
Theprohibitedapproachboundarycanonlybeenteredbyqualifiedpersonsusingthesame
protectionasifdirectcontactwithlivepartsisplanned.Thisisdeterminedbyacalculation
usingvoltage,justlikeinthelimitedandrestrictedboundaries.
Toentertheprohibitedapproachboundary,theworkermust:bequalified,haveaplanthat
justifiestheneedforconductingthelivework,beawareofpotentialrisks,usePPEonallbody
partsinthespace,andmarkoffa4footx4footboundary.
Ifyouseeapersonworkingintheprohibitedspace,makesuretostayawaysoyouwillnot
causeanyaccidentsthatcouldharmyouorthequalifiedemployeedoingthework.
49

Selecttheboundarieseachitemisreferringto.
Beinginthisareaisasdangerousasactuallytouchingliveparts.Prohibited
Inthisareathereisanincreasedriskofelectricshockduetoanaccidentfromtheworker.
Restricted
Thedistancewhereashockhazardexistsandaffectedemployeesmustbeaccompaniedbya
qualifiedemployeeLimited
Thisisthepointwhereapersoncouldreceive2nddegreeburnsifanarcflashoccurredArc
flashprotection
ArcFlashBoundaryTable
HereisanexampleofsomeshockboundariesfromtheNationalFireProtectionAssociation,or
NFPA,soyoucangetafeelforhowfarawaytheseboundariesare.
Noticethatat480volts,theprohibitedboundaryisonlyoneinch,butifthevoltagegetsupto
765,000volts,theprohibitedapproachboundarygrowstomorethan15ft.
Thatmeansthatatthislevelofvoltage,being15feetawayisjustasdangerousastouchingthe
energizedconductors.
50
SpecificRestrictedAreasandBoundariesfortheCompanyInvolved
Thiswillchangeforeachcompanyandwillbe5to10minuteslong,orwillbedeletedifthecompany
requestsso.
Letslookatafewplaceswhereyoumightbeworkingthatcontainsanarcflashorshock
hazard(addcustomcontentfromeachcompany)
Qovercompanyspecifichazards
CalculatingArcFlashHazards
Availablecurrentandvolts
Time
Distance
PPE
Wehavealreadymentionedfourthingsthatcontributetohowbadyouarehurtinanarcflash
accident:theavailablecurrentandvoltage,howlongthearcflashlasts,howfarawayyouare
fromthearcflash,andwhattypeofpersonalprotectiveequipment,orPPE,youarewearing.
YouareresponsibleformakingsureyouarewearingtherightPPE,butthearcflashboundaries
willalreadybecalculatedforyouandputonalabel.
Theintensityofthearcflashcanrangefromasmallflashoflighttoanexplosion.Theavailable
currentandhowlongittakesfortheshortcircuittobebrokenarethetwofactorsusedin
calculatingtheflashprotectionboundary.
JustAFractionofASecond
Arcflashesdontlastverylong,buttheyarestillpowerfulenoughtokill
Sincealternatingcurrentiswhatmanufacturingcompaniesusetopowermostoftheir
equipment,arcflashincidentsaresometimesmeasuredincycles.
Ifacompanyisusing480volt,threephaseACat60hertzandtheshortcircuitstayscomplete
forsixcycles,thenitlastedonetenthofasecond.
Thisiseasilyenoughtimetoallowanexplosionlargeenoughtokillyouevenifyouareupto10
feetaway.
Sojustatinyamountoftime,then,isneededforanarcflashtocausehorribleinjuriesto
affectedworkersnearapieceofelectricalequipment.
Theincidentcanbesorapidthatyouwillnothaveanytimetoreactortogetaway.Theevent
occurstoofast.
51

CalculatingArcFlashHazards
TheNFPA70Eformulastocalculatearcflashboundaries:
or
Dc=
FlashProtectionBoundary(Distanceofpersonfromanarcsourceforajustcurableburn
[inft.])
MVAbf=Bolted3phasefaultMVAatpointinvolved
1.73XvoltageLLXavailableshortcircuitcurrentx106
MVA=
MVAratingoftransformer(FortransformerswithMVAratingsbelow0.75MVA,
multiplythetransformerMVAratingby1.25.)
Timeofarcexposureinseconds
Hereareacoupleofformulasthatcanbeusedtofindoutthearcflashboundaryaroundapiece
ofelectricalequipment.
ThefirstonesaysthatDsubC,ortheflashprotectionboundary,infeet,isequaltothesquare
rootoftheproductof2.65,thebolted3phasefaultmeasuredinmegavoltamps,andthetime
thearcflashwilllast.
Whatthatmeansisthatyoutake2.65andmultiplyitbythepoweravailableandthetimethe
arcflashwilllast.Youthentakethesquarerootofwhatyoufindtogetthearcflashboundary
infeet.
Thesecondequationisalmostthesame,exceptthisequationusesthepowerofthetransformer
supplyingpowertotheequipment.
TheMVA,ormegavoltampsinbothequations,isameasureofthepoweravailabletoanarc
flash.Oneismeasuredatthepointwhereanarcflashcanhappen.Theotherismeasuredfrom
thetransformersupplyingenergytotheequipmentwhereanarcflashcouldoccur.
or
52

FlashProtectionBoundaryExample
40,896amps
480volt,3phasesystem
About34MVAbf
0.1seconds
Letsgothroughanexamplewiththefirstequationtoseehowtheseboundariesarecalculated.
Thisisnottheonlymethodofcalculatinganarcflashprotectionboundary,butgoingthrough
thisexamplewillhelpyouunderstandtheboundarybetter.
http://www.arcflash.me/ieee1584arcflashcalculations.php11292010
Ifyouhave40896ampsofavailableboltedfaultcurrentona480voltthreephasesystem
(whichisabout34megavoltamps),andatenthofasecondtoopentheshortcircuitofthearc
flash,youwillhaveaflashprotectionboundaryat3feet.
Insituationswhereadetailedanalysisisnotneeded,4feetistheminimumboundarysetbythe
nationalfireprotectionassociation,orNFPA.
Youwillnothavetodeterminetheseboundaries,butyoustillneedtohaveanideaofhowthey
arecalculated.
Youcanseethat,ifpowerortimegoesup,thearcflashboundarywillbefartherout.
Whathappenstothearcflashprotectionboundarywhenthefollowingchange?
Flashprotectionboundaryincreases
Arcflashlastslonger
Morepowerisavailable
Flashprotectionboundarydecreases
Arcflashisshorter
Lesspowerisavailable
Megavoltampsisameasureof______.
Power
Time
Speed
Distance
Current
53

PersonalProtectiveEquipment(PPE)
Youcanseehowimportantclothingistoprotectingyourbodyfromanarcflashbytakinga
pieceoffabric,sayfromatshirt,andputtingitoveryourfingerandtouchingitquicklytoahot
iron.Youwillprobablynotfeelanyheatsinceyoutoucheditforjustafractionofasecond.
Ofcourseifyouheldyourfingerthereformorethanasecondortwoyourfingerwouldget
burnedandblister,butthisisnotwhathappensinanarcflash.
Inanarcflash,thetemperatureismuchhigher,buthopefullylastsonlyashortamountoftime,
sortoflikequicklytouchingahotirononlyattensofthousandsofdegreesforthearcflash
insteadofacoupleofhundredofdegreesfortheiron.
Whenthislevelofheatisinvolvedforsuchashortamountoftime,thepartofclothingorskin
thatdoescomeincontactwiththeheatwillbecompletelydestroyed.Hopefullyitwillbeyour
protectiveequipmentandnotyourskinthatisdestroyedinthearcflashaccident.
Thisisoneofthereasonswhywearingpersonalprotectiveclothingissoimportant.Ifsomething
isgoingtogetburnedanddestroyed,youwantittobeyourclothingandnotyourskin.
Calories
Caloriesmeasureenergy
1.2caloriespercentimetersquared
Sameasholdingyourfingerovertheflameofalighter
Whendealingwithpersonalprotectiveequipment,orPPE,youwilloftenhearthewordcalorie.
Thiscalorieisthesameyouareusedtohearingwhentalkingaboutfood.
ItsformaldefinitionistheenergyrequiredtoraiseonegramofwateronedegreeCelsiusat
oneatmosphereortheamountofenergyittakestoheatupafewdropsofwateronedegree.
Youwillgetseconddegreeburnsat1.2caloriespercentimetersquaredpersecond.
Thismightbealittlehardtograsp,butthinkofitthisway:Onecaloriepercentimetersquared
persecond,islikeholdingyourfingeroverthetipoftheflameofacigarettelighterforone
second.
Thiscouldeasilygiveyouaseconddegreeburn.
Whatmighthappenifyouheldyourhandoverthetipoftheflameofacigarettelighterforone
second(thesameas1.2caloriespercentimeterpersecond)?
Youwouldnotfeelanypain
Ifmightfeelwarm
Itwouldhurtandyoucouldgetseconddegreeburns
Yourhandwouldexplode
54

WhenYouNeedToWearPPE
Ifyou
Openelectricalpanelsthathaveenergized(live)conductorsinside
Workon,install,ormaintainenergizedconductorsorequipment
Standwithinabout4ft.ofanopenelectricalpanel
youneedtobequalifiedandweartheproperPPE
LetslookatsomesituationswhereyouwouldneedtowearPPEforarcflashhazards.
Thefirstisifyouneedtoopenelectricalpanelsthathaveenergizedorliveconductorsinside.
Asanaffectedemployee,youwillnothavetodothis.
YouwouldalsohavetoweartherightPPEifyouworkon,install,ormaintainenergized
conductorsorelectricalequipment.
Again,onlyqualifiedemployeesneedtodothistypeofwork.Asanaffectedemployee,youwill
notdothistypeofwork.
Whataboutthenextone?Standingwithinfourfeetofanopenelectricalpanel.
Nowyoumightbedoingthis,soalthoughyouwillnotbeworkingonliveequipment,youstill
mightneedtoworkinanareathatwillrequireyoutoweararcflashpersonalprotective
equipment.
Asanaffectedemployee(remember,youareanaffectedemployeeandnotaqualified
employee),whenwouldyouneedtowearpersonalprotectiveequipment(PPE).
Whenyouneedtoopenelectricalpanelsthathaveenergized(live)conductorsinside
Whenyouneedtoworkon,install,ormaintainenergizedconductorsorequipment
Whenyouneedtostandwithinabout4ft.ofanopenelectricalpanel
WhatPPEDoINeedToWear?
Clothing
Fullprotectionsuits
Voltageratedgloves
Insulatedblankets
Faceshields
Safetyglasses
Earplugs
Belowisfromhttp://www.arcflash.me/arcflashPPE.php11292010
Personalprotectiveclothingincludesnotjustcottonclothingandflameresistanceclothing,but
alsoincludesvoltageratedgloves,faceshields,fullcoverageflashsuits,andinsulatedblankets.
Rememberthatanytimeyoucrossthearcflashprotectionboundary,youneedtowearthe
properPPE.Thisdoesnotmeanyouwillneedtodressupinthefullcoverageflashsuitevery
timeyoucrosstheflashprotectionboundary,butyouwillneedsomelevelofprotection.
55
Whenyougotowork,youneedtomakesuretoalwayswearcottonclothing.Materialslike
nylonoracetatewilligniteandmeltonyourskinifanarcflashoccurs,causingsevereburns.
Youshouldalsoalwayswearsafetyglassesandearplugsifyouareworkingnearmovingparts.
Letslookoversomeofthedifferentlevelsofprotectiontoseewhatyouwouldneedtowearin
differentsituations.
PPERequirements
Risk/Hazard
Category
IncidentEnergy
(cal/cm2)
ExamplesofPPERequired*
2 or lower
Non-melting clothing
2-4
FR shirt and pants
4-8
FR shirt and pants, cotton underwear
8-25
FR shirt and pants, FR coveralls, cotton

underwear
25-40 and higher**
FR shirt and pants, full-coverage flash suit, cotton

underwear
Herearesomeexamplesofriskandhazardcategoriesalongwiththeirassociatedenergiesin
caloriespercentimetersquaredandPPErequirements.
DeterminingtheappropriatelevelofPPEisimportant.ToolittlePPEexposesaworkerto
potentiallylethalinjuries.
Ontheotherhand,highlevelsofPPEareextremelybulky,andmayrestrictvisionand
movement,increasingthechanceofanaccidentaswellasincreasingworktimeanddifficulty.
NFPA70Edefinesfiverisk/hazardcategorieswhichdeterminetheproperlevelofPPEforagiven
task,zerothrough4.Theseriskcategorieswillbevisibleonarcflashlabels.
Therisklevelforagiventaskisdeterminedeitherbyconductinganarchazardanalysisorby
consultingPPEtablesfromNFPA,theNationalFireProtectionAssociation,orItripleE(IEEE),
InstituteofElectricalandElectronicsEngineers.
http://nicolet.asse.org/docs/Nicolet%20ASSE%2011.11.09%20Presentation%20(Arc%20Flash).p
df11172010
IdentifythefollowinglevelsofPPE
Level02cal/cm2orlower
Level124cal/cm2
Level248cal/cm2
Level3825cal/cm2
Level42540cal/cm2
56

PPELevel0
2cal/cm2orlower
Longpants
Nonmeltingclothing
Safetyglasses
Longsleeveshirt
Earplugs
Leathergloves
LevelzeroPPEisrequiredwhentheenergylevelsofanarcflashare2caloriespercentimeter
squaredorloweratadistanceof18inchesfromthesourceofthearcflash.
NFPArequiresnonmeltinglongsleeveshirts,longpants,safetyglasses,hearingprotection,and
leatherglovesinthissituation.
Noticethatifanaccidentweretooccur,aworkersfacecouldbebadlyburned.
PPELevel1
24cal/cm2
Flameresistantclothing
Arcratedlongsleeveshirt
Arcratedlongpants
Arcratedcoveralls
Arcratedfaceshieldorsuit
hood
Arcratedjacket
Earplugs
Leathergloves
Leatherworkshoes
Hardhat
Safetyglasses
Iftheenergyinanarcflashcangetupto4caloriespersquarecentimeterat18inches,level1
personalprotectiveequipment,orPPE,isneeded.
Thebigdifferencefromlevelonetoleveltwoisthatnowtheclothesmustnotonlybenon
melting,buttheymustbeflameresistantandarcrated.
Theworkerwouldalsoneedtoaddarcratedcoveralls,anarcratedfaceshieldandjacket,a
hardhat,andleatherworkshoestowhathewaswearingatlevelzero.
57

PPELevel2
48cal/cm2
Arcratedlongpants
Arcratedcoveralls
Arcratedfaceshieldorsuit
hood
Arcratedjacket
Earplugs
Leathergloves
Leatherworkshoes
Hardhat
Safetyglasses
Iftheenergyinanarcflashcangetupto8caloriespersquarecentimeter,level2personal
protectiveequipment,orPPE,isneeded.
IfyoulookcloselyattheprotectiveclothingandPPEtableintheNFPA70E,youwillnoticethat
theonlydifferencebetweentheleveloneandleveltworequirementsarethearcflashratingsof
theclothing.
Leveltwosituationsrequireclothingwithaminimumprotectionfroman8calorieper
squarecentimeteraccident.
PPELevel3
825cal/cm2
Arcratedflashsuitpants
Safetyglasses
Arcratedflashsuithood
Earplugs
Arcratedjacket
Arcratedgloves
Arcratedlongpants
Hardhat
Leatherworkshoes
Arcratedcoveralls
Flameresistanthardhat
liner
Arcratedflashsuitjacket
Iftheenergyat18inchesfromthearcflashgetsupto25caloriespersquarecentimeter,level3
PPEisneeded.Whenthislevelisreached,thearcratedsuithoodisrequiredoverjusttheface
shield.
Theworkerwillnowbewearingthefullspacesuit,assomeworkerscallit,andallPPEwillbe
ratedat25caloriespersquarecentimeterorhigher.Thisincludestheflashsuitjacket,pants,
andhood.
Glovesmustnowbearcratedandtheworkeralsoneedsaflameresistanthardhatliner.
58

PPELevel4
2540cal/cm2
Arcratedflashsuitjacket
Flameresistanthardhatliner
Arcratedflashsuitpants
Safetyglasses
Arcratedflashsuithood
Earplugs
Arcratedlongpants
Arcratedjacket
Arcratedgloves
Arcratedcoveralls
Hardhat
Leatherworkshoes
Insituationswheretherecouldbeover25caloriespersquarecentimeterofenergyreleased,
levelfourPPEisneeded.
Justaswithlevel3,theworkerwillbeinthefullspacesuitandallPPEmustberatedat40
caloriespersquarecentimeterorhigher.
Ifenergiescangetover40caloriespersquarecentimeter,specialcautionisneededto
deenergizetheequipmentsincecompaniesdonotalwayshavePPEraterover40.
Selectthethreetruestatementsbelow.
Allworkersneedsomelevelofprotectiveequipment,suchasleathergloves,safetyglasses,
andhearingprotection
Level3and4PPEhaveworkerswearingthespacesuit
Level4situationscanbemoredangerousthanlevel1situations
Youcanwearnylonandacetateclothingwhileworking
Level4PPEisjustjeansandatshirt
PPECareandInspection
TheemployeewearingtheprotectiveclothingandPPEmustinspectthemeachtimetheyneed
towearthem.
IfyounoticeanydamagetoanyofthePPE,reportitimmediately.DonotusethedamagedPPE
anddonotenteranyflashprotectionboundariesuntilthePPEisrepairedorreplaced.
Remember,ifyouarerequiredtowearPPE,itisyourresponsibilitytomakesureitisinsafe
workingorder.
SinceyouwillprobablynotbetrainedinhowtoinspectPPEproperly,youwillhavetoaskfor
helpifyouneedtoinspectarcratedPPE.
BUTTON
WhoisresponsibleforinspectingPPEpriortowearingit?
Theemployee
Thesupervisor
Thecompany
Theemployer
59

PPETestingVideo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFlBLQjOAJI&feature=related
HereisavideoofdifferentlevelsofPPEbeingtested.Youseeeasilyseefromthisvideothat
choosingthecorrectPPEisveryimportant.
AppropriateToolsforSafeWorking
Toolsareoftenmadeofmetal,andmetalisagoodconductor.
Thismakesmetaltoolspotentiallyverydangerousaroundelectricalhazards,unlessthetools
areproperlyinsulated.
Insulatedtools,then,mustbeusedwheneverworkingonenergizedelectricalequipment.
Hereisapictureofsomeinsulatedtoolsforworkingonliveparts.Noticethedoubletriangle
symboltoshowworkersthatthisisaninsulatedscrewdriver.
Sinceyouwillnotbeworkingonenergizedequipment,youwillnotneedtouseinsulatedtools,
butyoushouldknowwhattheylooklikesinceyoumightseethemonthejob.
http://www.miwea.org/docs/ArmstrongT%20
%20What%20you%20don%27t%20know%20can%20hurt%20you%20%5BCompatibility%20Mod
e%5D.pdf11152010
Whyaremetaltoolsdangerouswhenworkingnearelectricity?
Metaltoolsconductelectricity
Metalisaninsulator
Allmetaltoolsareprohibitednearliveparts
Metaltoolsraisevoltage
60

ArcFlashLabels
Requiredonallnewandmodifiedequipment
Youmustknowwhattheylooklikeandhowtoreadthem
BoththeNationalElectricCodeandtheNationalFireProtectionAssociationrequirelabelson
hazardouselectricalequipment.
Allhazardousequipmentinstalledormodifiedafter2002mustcarryawarninglabel.This
includesswitchboards,panelboards,industrialcontrolpanelsandmotorcontrolcentersthat
arelikelytorequireexamination,adjustment,servicing,ormaintenancewhileenergized."Many
companieschoosetolabeladditionalequipmentformaximumsafety.
Althoughyoumightnotknowwhateachofthesepiecesofequipmentare,youwillbeexpected
toknowwhatanarcflashhazardlabellookslikeandhowtoreadit.
Equipmentisnotlabeledbythemanufacturer,butbytheemployerattheplacewhereitwillbe
working.Thisisbecauseequipmentcanbeinstalledinmanydifferentwaysandcanoffer
differentlevelsofdangerforeachsituation.
Asyougothroughthenextfewslides,paycarefulattentiontowhatthelabelslooklike.Inany
hazardoussituation,thelabelwillbeplacedwhereyoucaneasilyseeitsoyoucanstayoutof
thewayandnotgethurt.
Selectthefollowingthreetruestatements.
Labelingistheresponsibilityofthecompanyoperatingtheequipment.
Labelsmustbeplacedandsizedsoastobevisibletoworkers
Youarerequiredtoknowwhatanarcflashlabellookslike
Youneedtoknowhowtooperateandinstallallhazardousequipment
Arcflashlabelsdonotneedtobevisible
61

ArcFlashLabels
Warninglabels
Dangerlabels
Flashhazardanalysisisneededfirst
Arcflashlabels,aswehavealreadymentioned,arewhatyouwillseethatletsyouknowthat
thereisanarcflashhazardonapieceofequipment.
Thelabelsyouseewillbeeitherorangeandblackwarninglabelsorwhiteandreddangerlabels.
Thereisadifferencebetweenthetwo,butbeforewecoverthat,letsgothroughhowanarc
flashlabelisfilledout.
Whenitisdeterminedthatanarcflashhazardispresentonapieceofelectricalequipment,an
arcflashhazardanalysisisrequiredtofigureouttheinformationthatneedstogoonthelabel.
http://www.graphicproducts.com/tutorials/arcflashlabels.html11292010
Anarcflashhazardanalysisisastudytofindouttheforceofthearcflashtodeterminesafe
workingpracticesandsetupboundariesaroundtheequipment.
Thecalculationsinanarcflashhazardanalysiswillbemuchmoreinvolvedthantheexamplewe
wentthroughcalculatingthearcflashprotectionboundary.Specializedarcflashcalculation
softwareisusedtocomeupwithmoreaccuratedetailsofthehazards.
Thesoftwarepackagewillfigureoutandprinttheflashprotectionboundary,thethreeshock
approachboundaries,thePPElevelneeded,andthetypicalprotectiveclothingthatisrequired.
62

InformationontheLabel
Equipmenttype/name
Voltage
Availableboltedcurrent
Grounding
Typicalworkdistance
Incidentenergyattypicalworkdistance
Flashprotectionboundary
Pressureofarcblast
PPElevel/Hazardriskcategory
Typicalprotectiveclothingneeded
Requiredgloverating
Allequipmentthathaspossiblearcflashhazardsmustbelabeled.Atypicallabelwillusually
containsomeofthefollowing:thetypeofequipment,thevoltagesuppliedtotheequipment,its
availableshortcircuitcurrent,howfarworkersusuallyarewhentheyareworkingonthe
equipment,andtheenergylevelincaloriespersquarecentimeteratthetypicalworkdistanceif
anarcflashweretohappen.
Alabelwillnotincludeallofthisdatabecauseitwouldmakethelabeltoohardtoreadquickly.
Theimportantinformationwouldbelostinalltheotherinformation.
Whataresomeofthevaluesthatcouldbeprintedonanarcflashhazardlabel?Selectthree.
Thetypeofequipmentthatislabeled
Thevoltagesuppliedtotheequipment
ThePPElevelrequired
Thetemperatureoftheequipment
Thedayoftheweektheequipmentoperates
63

SampleArcFlashHazardLabel
Letslookatafewlabelstomakesureyouknow
whattolookforwhenyouneedtoworkneara
pieceofelectricalequipmentthathasalabelonit.
Thisisalabelfora600voltswitchgear.70,000
ampsofboltedfaultcurrentisavailable,andwith
theotherinformationgatheredfromthearcflash
hazardanalysis,atwofootarcflashprotectionboundarywascalculated.
Withinthisboundary,levelonepersonalprotectiveequipment,orPPE,needstobeworn.This
willincludearcratedprotectiveclothingandafaceshield.
Thelabelinthepreviousexampledidnothaveanyshock
boundarieslisted,butthislabeldoes.
Rememberthatwhilelabelswillnotlisteverypieceof
informationfromanarcflashhazardanalysis,theywill
havetheinformationyouneedtostaysafewhenworking
aroundtheequipmentthatislabeled.
Thislabelisfora480voltmotorcontrolcenter,orMCC,
andhasa15inchflashprotectionboundary.ThePPElevelneededintheflashprotection
boundaryislevelzero.
Thiswillrequireyoutowearwhatyoumightbewearingtoworkanyway:nonmeltinglong
sleeveshirts,longpants,safetyglasses,hearingprotection,andleathergloves.
Theshockboundarieslistedareforwhenthecovertotheequipmentisremoved.Whenthis
happens,thereisathreeandahalffootlimitedapproachboundary,aonefootrestricted
approachboundary,andaoneinchprohibitedapproachboundary.
Withtheseboundariessetup,youshouldnotbewithinthreeandahalffeetofthemotor
controlcenterwithoutbeingescortedbyaqualifiedemployeeandyoushouldneverbewithin
onefootoftheMCCifthecoverisremoved,exposingenergizedparts.
64

Thisthirdlabelisonapieceofenergized
electricalequipmentwithan8.3incharcflash
hazardboundary.Whenworkingthisclose,you
wouldneedlevelzeroPPE.
TheNFPA70E2009,whichwewillcoverina
fewminutes,requiresthatoneoftwospecific
piecesofinformationappearonallarcflashlabels:theavailableincidentenergyorrequired
levelofPPE.Thislabelhasboth.
Moreinformationisusuallyprovidedthantheminimum.
Answerthequestionsaboutthelabeltotheright.
Whereistheflashprotectionboundary?11inches
awayfromthehazard
WhatlevelofPPEisneededinsidetheflashprotection
boundary?Level0
Whatisthevoltageoftheequipment?480voltsAC
Howfarcouldanaffectedemployeegettothehazard
withoutaqualifiedescort?3feet6inches
WarningLabelorDangerLabel
Asyouworkneararcflashhazards,youmay
seetwodifferentkindsoflabels.Oneisthe
orangewarninglabelandtheotheristhered
dangerlabel.
Mostoften,thedangerlabelisonlyusedwhen
arcflashenergylevelscanreachover40
caloriespersquarecentimeter.Abovethese
levels,thedangerissogreatthatsome
employersdonothavethePPErequiredfor
situation.
Althoughyoushouldbecarefularoundanyarc
flashhazardlabel,youshouldbeespecially
carefularounddangerlabels.
65

Answerthefollowingquestionsaboutthedangerlabelshownabove.
Whatistheflashprotectionboundary?18feet
Whenisashockhazardpresent?Whenthecoverisremoved
WhatlevelofPPEisrequired?Level4
Would40cal/cm2PPEbeenoughtoworkaroundthishazard?No,atleast60isneeded
WorkingSafely
Lookforlabels
Lookforunlabeledhazards
Assumeallequipmentisliveandenergized
Lookforlockoutsandtagouts
Weartherightclothingtowork
UsePPEwhenneeded
Nowthatyouhaveagoodideaaboutwhattolookforwhenyouseeanarcflashhazardlabel,
letsgothroughsometipstomakesureyoucontinuetoworksafelyaroundthesehazards.
Alwaysbeonthelookoutforhazards,whethertheyarelabeledornot.
Assumethatallequipmentisfullyenergizedwithelectricity.Donotthinkthatjustbecause
someoneisworkingaroundanelectricalhazardthattheyhavedeenergizedtheequipment.
Alsobeawareofanyequipmentthatislockedoutortaggedout.Lockingoutandtaggingouta
machinemakessurenoonetriestoenergizeapieceofequipmentwhilesomeoneelseis
workingonit.
Ifyouseeatagliketheoneshowninthepicture,donottrytoremoveit.Onlythepersonwho
lockedoutthemachinehastheauthoritytoturnitbackon.
Also,weartherightclothingtowork.PPEwillbeprovidedbytheemployer,butyoushouldwear
yourownnonmeltingclothing,workboots,andsafetyglasses.
AtRiskBehaviors:
Accidentsareusuallypreventable
Rememberthatover95percentofallindustrialinjuriesarecausedbyunsafebehaviors.That
meansthattheinjuriesarepreventable.
Whenworkingaroundelectricity,evenasanaffectedworkerwhowillnotbeworkingonlive
electricalequipment,youstillneedtobecareful.
Dontwearconductivejewelrytowork,includingrings,necklaces,andmetalwatches.Dontuse
damagedequipment,includingpowertoolsthemselvesortheircords,anddontcarryanything
conductivenearelectricalhazards,includingaluminumladdersandnoninsulatedhandtools.
66

Selectthefoursafeworkingpractices
Stayawayfromhazardoussituations
Weartheproperprotectiveclothingtowork
WeartherightPPEwhenneeded
Donttrytoremovelocksonlockedoutequipment
Touchliveexposedwiresifyouneedto
Usedamagedequipmentifyouareinahurry
Carryconductivealuminumladdersneararcflashhazards
Entertheprohibitedshockapproachboundarywhenyouneedto
SpecificHazardsforCompany
Thiswillbecompanyspecific
Qovercompanyspecifichazards
WhatToDoIfAnArcFlashOccurs
Tosomeoneelse
Toyou
Stayawayfromtheexplosion
Getawayfromtheexplosion
Gethelp
Gethelp
Staycalm
Staycalm
Ifyouarenearanarcflashaccidentandseesomeonewhoisinjured,dontfollowyourinstincts
torushinandsavethem.Youmightsetoffanotherarcflashandbekilled.Youwillnotbeable
tohelpifyouaredead.
Whatyoushoulddoisgethelprightaway.Thetimeittakesforacriticallyinjuredpersontoget
helpiscrucialinhelpingthemsurvivetheaccident.
Letotherworkersknowabouttheaccidentandgetsomeonetocall911.Ifyouarenottrained
ingivingmedicalattention,donottry.Waituntilsomeonewhoistrainedshowsuptohelp.
Ityouaretheonewhoisinjuredinanarcflashaccident,trytogetawayandgethelp
immediately.Whatwillmostlikelyhappenisthatyouwillautomaticallytrytogetawayifyou
arestillconsciousandwillprobablynotremembermuch.
Also,staycalm.HopefullyyouwillbewearingtherightprotectiveclothingandtheproperPPE.
Ifnot,youmightbeinthe95percentofallaccidentsthatcouldhavebeenpreventedby
workingsafetyandwearingtherightprotection.
67

ArcFlashSurvivorVideo
Hereisaninterviewwithsomearcflashsurvivorsandhowtheyreallydidnot
remembermuchabouttheactualeventjusttoshowyouhowdevastatingthe
blastcanbe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H6lLBIkuzg&feature=related
Whataresomeofthethingsyoushoulddoifyouseesomeonegetinjuredbyanarcflash?
Selectthree.
Staycalm
Gethelp
Call911
Rushinandtrytogetthemawayfromthehazard
Walkawayanddonttellanyone
FourIndustryStandardsAssociatedArcFlash
OSHA29CodeofFederalRegulationsPart1910SubpartS
NFPA70E2009StandardforElectricalSafetyRequirementsforEmployeeWorkplaces
NFPA702008NationalElectricalCode
IEEEStandard15842002GuideforPerformingArcFlashHazardCalculations
Fourcommonindustrystandardsareassociatedwitharcflash.Letsgooverhowtheyaffect
you.
TheOSHA29CodeofFederalRegulationsPart1910SubpartScoverselectricalsafety
requirementsthatarenecessaryforthekeepingemployeessafe.
Itincludesdesignstandardsforelectricalsystems,safetyrelatedworkpracticesand
maintenancerequirementsaswellassafetyrequirementsforspecialequipment.
TheNFPA70Egoesoverworkplacesafetyrequirementsconcerningelectricalequipment.
Italsocoverssafetyrelatedworkpractices,maintenancerequirements,andsafety
requirementsforspecialequipment.
Thenationalelectriccode,orNECisasubstantialbookofelectricityrelatedregulationsthat
coverswiring,communicationsystems,generaluseequipment,safetystandards,andpower
systems,justtonameafew.
Lastly,theIEEEstandard15842002providesaguidetocorrectlyperformarcflashhazard
calculations.
Whensoftwareprogramscalculatearcflashboundaries,theywillusetheregulationsspecified
intheIEEEstandard.
68

Summary
Electrocutionisashockthatkills
Purewaterisaninsulator,sweatisaconductor
Arcflashesareshortcircuitswithlowresistanceandhighcurrent
ArcflashlabelswillhelpyoustayawayandweartherightPPE
Thanksforbeingsoattentivetoday.Toquicklysummarizesomeofthethingsyouhavelearned
today,letsgothroughafewfinalpoints.
Electricityispowerfulandcanbedangerous.Becarefularoundit.
Electrocutionsareshocksthatkillyou.Stayawayfromshockhazards,especiallywhenyouare
sweating,sincesweatisaconductorofelectricityeventhoughpurewaterisnot.
Arcflashesareshortcircuitsthathappenwhennoloadorresistanceisinacircuitandthecircuit
iscompletedthroughtheair,causinganexplosion.Theexplosionisbright,loud,andhot.
Sinceanarcflashsintensityisdeterminedbytheavailablecurrentandhowlongitlasts,arc
flashhazardstudiesaredonetofigureoutsafetyboundariesandPPElevelsforeachhazard.
ThelabelswillbeplacedwhereyoucanseethemsoyoucanstayawayorweartherightPPEso
thatthePPEisdestroyedinanarcflashinsteadofyourskin.
69

PRE/POSTTEST
1.Whichofthefollowingisaninsulatorofelectricity?
Gold
Copper
Sweat
Purewater
2.Whichofthefollowingwouldincreasetheamountofcurrentinacircuit?
Heatinguptheconductors
Decreasingthevoltage
Decreasingtheworkdistance
Decreasingresistance
3.Whatmakesashortcircuitdangerous?
Alargerloadonthecircuit
Littletonoresistance
Lessvoltage
Decreasedcurrent
4.Whatiselectrocution?
Anelectricshockthatkillssomeone
Alightshock
Anarcflashthatinjuresaworker
Electricitythatresidesincapacitors
5.Allofthefollowingaboutarcflasharetrueexcept:
Hottemperatures
Loudnoises
Brightlights
Lowcurrents
70

6.Whatdeterminestheintensityofanarcflash?
Theavailablecurrentandhowlongitlasts
Thevoltageandhumiditylevel
Airpressureandvoltagelevelinthesensors
Energyandfaultlines
7.Whatmustbeonallequipmentthathasanarcflashhazard?
Anarcflashwarningordangerlabel
Ashockprotectionsign
Abluearcflashlabelwithayellowwarningtriangle
Agreenarcflashhazardstamp
8.WhatnormallyhappenstoPPEduringanarcflash?
Itsoundsanalarm
Itisdestroyedinsteadofyourskin
Itburnscleanlyandwithoutmuchheat
Itshrinksandfitsbetter
9.WhatwouldaqualifiedworkerlooklikewithLevel4PPEon?
Someonewearingaspacesuit
Someonewearingasuitofarmor
Someonewearingascubadivingoutfit
Someonegettingreadytorunoutside
10.Whatwillanarcflashlabelusuallyhaveonit?
Paneldestinationandsourcecurrent
PPElevelrequiredandflashprotectionboundary
71

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ElectricalSafetyTrainingfortheManufacturingIndustry

FR shirt and pants

FR shirt and pants, cotton underwear

FR shirt and pants, FR coveralls, cotton

25-40 and higher**

FR shirt and pants, full-coverage flash suit, cotton

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