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By Gary Larkins, ESA, Inc.
Industry is waking up to the dangers of working around electrical systems. Even years of dedicated electrical industry experience is no substitute for a properly developed and implemented electrical safety program. Experienced electrical personnel are being severely injured and even killed everyday.
The Danger is Real:
- For the last decade, electrical injury has been responsible for an average of 320 deaths and over 4,000 injuries involving days away from work annually in the United States (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992-99). Electrical injuries are the second leading cause of fatality in construction industry, and are consistently responsible for 5 to 6% of all occupational fatalities.
- Five to Ten Arc Flash Explosions occur in electric equipment every day in the U.S. (based on statistics compiled by CapSchell, Inc., a Chicago based research and consulting firm that specializes in preventing workplace injuries and death).
- Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 1994 shows 11,153 cases of reported days away from work due to electrical burns, electrocution/electrical shock injuries, fires and explosions. The Census of Fatal Injuries noted 548 employees died from the causes of electrical current exposure, fires and explosions out of 6,588 work related fatalities nationwide.
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Don't become an industry statistic by ignoring the risks that you may face everyday. There are no rewards for taking on the risk of shock hazards and arc flash hazards, only the potential for a lifetime of pain and suffering or the possibility of death.
Historically, the National Electrical Code (NEC), and other safety codes, have been primarily concerned with protection from fire, electrocution, and shock hazard arc flash hazards were not addressed. This is changing the 2002 and the 2005 NEC contain requirements for Arc Flash Hazard Warning Labels and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E 2004 and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1584 2002, provide guidance on implementing appropriate safety procedures.
Considering that many workers can't return to work, are faced with physical disfiguration for life and the cost of treatment can exceed $1,000,000/case, along with potential litigation fees (typically in the millions of dollars), fines, and escalation of insurance, etc., the investment in a safety program can provide exponential returns.
This is the first in a series of 12 articles on Electrical Safety and Arc Flash Hazards to help provide you information that you can apply to improve your workplace safety. Future articles include:
- Acknowledging Electrical Hazards and Developing Management Awareness awareness building that needs to take place within an organization (management and workers) to effectively begin the development of an effective arc flash hazard and electrical safety program.
- Applicable Codes, Standards, Regulations and Mandates Industry regulations, codes and standards requiring you to address electrical safety.
- Developing and Defining your Arc Flash and Electrical Safety Program Goals An effective program must begin by developing clear cut goals for improving safety.
- Arc Flash, Arc Blast and Shock Hazards The Hazards involved with working with electricity.
- Arc Flash Calculations Determining incident energy levels, arc flash boundaries, shock hazard protection, shock hazard boundaries and Personal Protective Equipment requirements.
- Labeling and Energized Work Permits Workers need to be aware of the hazards and must develop plans to avoid exposure and risk associated with potential hazards.
- Personal Protective Equipment Key elements of selecting Personal Protective Equipment for Shock and Arc Flash Hazard protection.
- Reducing Hazard Exposure Strategies for reducing the exposure to electrical hazards and reducing the level of hazards.
- Safety Training and Program Implementation This article will address the key elements of effective safety training and a safety program.
- System Maintenance for Reduced Exposure Proper preventative maintenance on electrical systems is an essential part of an effective safety program.
- Designing New Systems to Reduce Hazards Designing hazards out of a system using existing and new technologies and design techniques.
Gary Larkins is with ESA, Inc., developers of EasyPower Arc Flash Analysis Software. He can be reached at Gary_Larkins@EasyPower.com with comments or questions. You can also obtain a wide range of arc flash hazard resources including a free 120+ page book titled Practical Solution Guide to Arc Flash Hazards on www.EasyPower.com . Click Here to download the textbook now.
| Low-Voltage and Power-Limited Systems Textbook |
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Subjects include the NEC rules that apply to low-voltage and limited-energy systems that most people are not aware of, definitions, the general NEC installation requirements, and specific NEC requirements for control, sound, video, CATV, CCTV, antennas, telephone, fiber optics, etc. Topics include grounding, cable installation, spacing, support, etc. This program is suitable for Low Voltage exam preparation and the textbook includes practice questions, quizzes, and a final exam.
Product
Code: 05LE
Pages:
117
Illustrations:
224
Price:
$49.00 each
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