Meter Safety and PPE

July 2, 2009 John Salmon In the past month, Ive done a series of articles on elements of an electrical safety program. Today, Id like to wrap up the series by discussing two important aspects of electrical safety that I havent yet covered: meter safety and PPE. Meter Safety We ask participants in our training program to bring a test meter with them to determine the safety category rating and compliance with IEC 61010-1 (Independent Electrical Contractor Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control and laboratory use - Part 1: General requirements). Non-category-rated meters get impounded under what we call the meter amnesty program. This always invokes an interesting discussion and is an effective approach for demonstrating to trainees how to determine the suitability of meter instruments for particular tasks. IEC 61010-1 specifies categories of over-voltage based on the distance from the power source and the natural dampening of transient energy that occurs in an electrical distribution system. Higher-safety category meters are required when working closer to the power source because they offer more protection. The digital meter impulse rating for transient high-voltage spikes and creepage distance (along surfaces) and clearance distance on Category III and IV meters helps reduce the potential for meter failure (which can lead to a two-stage arc flash). I recommend that digital meters be rated minimum Category III (1000 volt) for the distribution level, and Category IV (600 volt) for the supply level, main services and outdoors. Many new digital meters have a dual rating meeting these criteria. Personal Protective Equipment PPE for the hands consists of leather and voltage-rated rubber gloves that are rated in incremental voltages starting at:
y y y y y

Class 00: up to 500 vAC Class 0: up to 1,000 vAC Class 1: up to 7,000 vAC Class 2: up to 17,000 vAC Class 3: Up to 27,000 vAC

Outer leather protective and inner voltage-rated V rated rubber gloves are required at all times when working on voltages of 50 and above. Were from Canada and thus recommend requiring gloves at 30 volts and greater to be in line with the Canadian Electrical Code [CEC]. A great starting point is to purchase leather and voltage-rated rubber gloves for all their workers who perform any live work and/or troubleshooting. Other recommended purchases include fused leads for some test meters (which reduce the possibility of arc

flash caused by meter failure/user error) and extended leads to keep workers hands that much farther from live surfaces. Protective Clothing Protective clothing must be 100% natural fiber, such as cotton, and it must be FR (fireresistant) rated. Protective clothing is also rated by the arc thermal performance value (ATPV) in cal/cm2. This rating must be marked on the clothing by the manufacturer. Special washing techniques are required for the clothing. For example, no bleach or fabric softener can be used. Clothing must be properly maintained and cant be used as PPE/C when soiled or dirty. Some clothing is chemically treated; other clothing is manufactured from an FR-rated fabric. PPE/C is rated as follows:
y y y y y y

Category 0: ATPV is NA, no cal/cm2 ratingjust natural fiber Category 1: ATPV 5 to 7 cal/cm2 Category 2: ATPV 8 to 24 cal/cm2 Category 3: ATPV 25 to 39 cal/cm2 Category 4: ATPV 40 cal/cm2 Category 4+: No Category Found danger category. Must never work live.

LOTO (lockout tagout) and test-before-touch verification techniques are required. This may be a new concept for many electrical workers. To test for power, workers need to open panels and wear the appropriate PPE/PPC to meet the requirements of their electrical safety program. Past practices, such as bare-hand work on de-energized live surfaces, are not recommendeda back-feed could occur causing a voltage rise before the overcurrent device trips and, without protective PPE, the worker could be injured. Conclusion Electricity is a complex force of nature and working with and around it in safety requires a variety of measures from training to protective equipment. The road to an effective electrical safety program may seem long, but by getting started and taking the journey one step at a time, your organization will reach its destination before you know it!

Topic: ELECTRICAL SAFETY

Creating an Electrical Safety Program, Part 1 of 2

May 29, 2009 John Salmon Far too many workers are permanently disabled, severely injured or electrocuted each year.

Establishing an effective Electrical Safety Program (ESP) prevents injuries associated with electrical hazards. In addition to legal requirements, the ESP is also key to meeting the requirements of voluntary electrical safety standards including the new CSA Z462. The ESP and OSHA/OHS Laws The ESP includes policies, safe work procedures/permits, hazard analysis, risk assessments/reduction, training, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other specific written program documents. The best reason to adopt an ESP is to protect workers from personal injury and prevent property damage. In addition, OSHA and OHS laws include General Duty clauses that require employers to safeguard workers against recognized hazards. These laws also include regulations requiring employers to take specific measures to prevent electrical hazards. (In my home province of Ontario, regulations for working with electricity have been in place since the 1990s.) The legally required measures are among those that you should incorporate into the ESP. The ESP and NFPA 70E However, legal requirements are minimum standards. With an increase in electrical incidents, injuries and fatalities, regulators began to realize that a more comprehensive and focused approach to electrical safety was required. This gave rise to the development of voluntary standards flesh out the minimum requirements for electrical safety set out in the OHS and OSHA laws. In the U.S., the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) developed the first nationally recognized standard for electrical safety, entitled NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. The ESP and CSA Z462 Eventually, many organizations in Ontario and other parts of Canada adopted NFPA 70E for their own workplaces. But while NFPA 70E was more fully developed than the legal requirements, it was still largely a U.S. standard. So the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) used NFPA 70E as a seed document to develop an equivalent Canadian standard. This February, it issued the standard, CSA Z462, Electrical Safety in the Workplace, which harmonizes NFPA 70E with Canadian conditions. Canadians can use the new CSA Z462 standard to evaluate their existing ESP for compliance with provincial regulations and best practices and as a how-to-doit guideline for meeting the requirements of due diligence. Government officials will also likely refer to CSA Z462 to interpret and enforce existing OHS regulations. The CSA Z462 standard is sometimes referred to as the arc flash standard. This is only partly accurate. The elements of Z462qualifications of individuals who work on or around electrical equipment, safe approach distances, PPE and protective clothing, etc.are designed to safeguard workers against the risk of both arc flash and live contact shock.

CSA Z462 and Arc Flash/Blast The electrical hazard many workers fear the most is arc flash/blast. This is understandable. Arc flash produces temperatures in the order of 35,000C and emits blast pressures equivalent to a large jetliner at full throttle. Other factors, such as impact injuries caused by falling and shrapnel projected toward a worker can cause collateral injuries. Other collateral hazards are copper vapors and hot gases that can lead to immediate serious lung injuries and other long-term health issues such as vision and hearing loss. The effects are akin to a grenade being detonated in your face. The overall hazardous effect of these incidents is often referred to as toxic energy. Unlike the shock approach distances which are based on voltage present, the arc flash distances set out in Z462 are based on the potential thermal incident energy, which is measured in calories per centimeter squared (cal/cm2). Warning and communication labels indicating the information above are placed on panels, switchboards, MCCs, disconnects, etc. These labels form the basis for communicating the safety requirements and PPE ratings to qualified electrical workers who must understand, obey and enforce the requirements of these labels implicitly. CSA Z462 and Live Contact Shock Live contact shock and not arc flash is the leading cause of electrical injuries. One reason shock is so dangerous is that while many workers fear arc flash, they lack a healthy respect for shocks potential to harm. Some workers even think that getting shocked is just part of the job! So they flout voltage, particularly 120. The Analogy: Arc flash is like a plane crashrelatively infrequent, but cataclysmic when it happens. Live contacts are like automobile accidentsthey happen all the time, always involve some kind of damage (sometimes inconspicuous) and are occasionally lethal. Like NFPA 70E, CSA Z462 protects workers from contact with energized fixed electrical equipment and moveable conductors by establishing limits of approach boundaries and spaces (which are incremental safety distances) as follows:
y y y

Limited Approach; Restricted Approach; and Prohibited Approach.

These approach distances are based on the voltage present, not arc flash/blast distances, which are variable and based on available fault currents and explosive forces, called incident energy. Complicated calculationstypically performed by competent persons using specialized softwareare required for determining the incident energy. Conclusion Next week, Ill look at the other aspects of CSA Z462, including qualified person, meter safety and PPE requirements. Meanwhile, I hope many of you SafetyXChange members will join me for my CSA Z462 audio-conference tomorrow.

Electrical Safety 10 Quick Tips

May 16, 2011 Catherine Jones In many parts of the United States, the month of May has been proclaimed as Electrical Safety Month. Even if this safety observance hasnt been adopted in your area, its always a good time to revisit the topic of electrical safety. So share with your workers these quick electrical safety tips, which are valid both at work and at home. 1. Never use any appliance or machinery while touching anything wet. 2. Unplug machinery and appliances before cleaning, inspecting, repairing, or removing something from them. 3. Keep electrical equipment, machinery, and work areas clean. Oil, dust, waste, and water can be fire hazards around electricity. 4. Keep access to panels and junction boxes clear. 5. Move flammable materials away from electric heat sources and lights. 6. Know the location of fuses and circuit breakers. 7. If you are not trained to work in high-voltage areas, do not enter them, even in an emergency. 8. Make sure all electrical equipment is properly grounded. 9. Plug power tools into grounded outlets installed with Grounded Fault Circuit Interrupters. 10. Use C-rated extinguishers for electrical fires. Never use water.

CSA Z462 and Qualified Persons Standards

June 5, 2009 John Salmon First I want to say thanks to those of you who attended my audio-conference on CSA Z462 last week. Lets look at how CSA Z462 addresses a key element of the Electric Safety Program (ESP): whos qualified to work on or about electrical equipment. Editors Note: The CSA Z462 qualified person standards are parallel to those included in NFPA 70E. So this article is relevant even if youre not Canadian. Qualified Persons to Work on or about Electrical Equipment Electrical workers perform two distinct live work methods: working directly on energized electrical equipment and conductors, and live testing and troubleshooting. Each of these tasks requires different approaches to hazard analysis, risk assessment and authorized work permits. Working directly on energized fixed electrical equipment and moveable conductors requires a safe live work permit signed by the officers of the corporation, such as the CEO or similar person of authority. There must be a compelling reason not to have a planned outage, and the risk of de-energizing must be greater than the risk of planned outage. In Ontario, when the installation, i.e. fixed equipment or conductors, is operating at a nominal voltage of 300 or more, a suitably equipped, competent person able to recognize the hazards and perform rescue operationsincluding artificial respiration must be available and capable of seeing the worker performing the live work. But this competent person doesnt have to be present for live testing and troubleshooting. To be considered qualified to work directly on energized electrical equipment and conductors and/or perform live troubleshooting safely, an electrical workers training must go well beyond simple awareness. He must be trained and knowledgeable in the construction and operation of the equipment or a specific task. He must also be trained to recognize and avoid the electrical hazards associated with that equipment or task. This important role requires skill, knowledge and leadership, as the qualified worker is also responsible for controlling the actions of non-qualified workers and ensuring they work safely. What Qualified Persons Must Know About

Qualified persons must also be familiar with:

y y y y y y y y y

y y y y y

Special precautionary techniques based on the tasks being undertaken; Personal protective equipment and clothing (PPE and PPC); Insulating and shielding materials; Grounding equipment; Insulated mats, tools and test equipment; Skills and techniques for distinguishing exposed energized parts from other parts of electrical equipment; Skills and techniques for determining the nominal voltage of exposed energized parts; Safe approach distances and the corresponding voltages to which he will be exposed; The decision-making process for determining the degree and extent of the hazard, the job planning required to avoid the hazard and the PPE necessary to perform the task; The duties of a supervisor; Lockout/tagout (LOTO) and test-before-touch procedures; Procedures for ensuring permits are completed and instructions followed; Procedures for enforcing company policy and safe work procedures; and Any company-specific requirements that may apply

Conclusion Keep in mind that qualified is more than simply a label to stamp on individuals. The determination of qualified status is based on the hazards associated with specific tasks. So its possible for the same person to be considered qualified to use certain equipment and methods and unqualified to use others. Whether youre following CSA Z462, NFPA 70E or some other electrical safety standard, make sure you incorporate the appropriate elements of the qualified person rules into your own ESP