ElectricalSafetyTrainingfortheManufacturingIndustry Disclaimer

ThismaterialwasproducedundergrantnumberSH209991060F21fromtheOccupationalSafetyand HealthAdministration,U.S.DepartmentofLabor.Itdoesnotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsorpoliciesof theU.S.DepartmentofLabor,nordoesmentionoftradenames,commercialproducts,ororganizations implyendorsementbytheU.S.Government. Noguaranteeismadetothethoroughnessofthistrainingprogram. PhotosandvideosshowninthisprogrammaydepictsituationsthatarenotincompliancewithOSHA andothersafetyrequirements.

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Disclaimer(cont.)
Nolegaladviceisofferedorimplied,andnoattorneyclientrelationshipisintendedorestablished.If legaladviceorotherexpertassistanceisrequired,theservicesofacompetentprofessionalshouldbe sought. ItistheresponsibilityoftheemployeranditsemployeestocomplywithallpertinentOSHArulesand regulationsinthejurisdictioninwhichtheywork.

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ThisTrainingisforAffectedEmployees
WARNING:Thistrainingwillnotteachyouhowtoworkonelectrical equipment.Itwillnotteachyouhowtobecomeanelectrician.Youwillsee picturesoftheinsideofelectricalpanelswherearcflashaccidentsstart,but youshouldneveropenthesepanelsyourself.

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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 2

 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 3

 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 copper gold aluminum iron steel brass bronze mercury graphite dirtywater concrete

Electriccurrentflowsthroughelectricalconductors. Aconductorisanythingthatallowstheflowofanelectriccharge.Acommonconductoryou probablyalreadyknowaboutiscopper.Copperwiresconductelectricity. Copper,aswellasaluminum,isoftenusedtodeliverelectriccurrenttomachinesin manufacturingsettingsaswellasanyelectricappliancesathome. Asyoucanseefromtheslide,mostmetalsaregoodconductors.Someoftheconductorslisted thatmightsurpriseyouaredirtywaterandconcrete.

Insulators
Insulatorsdonotnormallyallowtheflowofelectricity glass rubber oil asphalt fiberglass porcelain ceramic quartz (dry)cotton (dry)paper (dry)wood plastic air diamond purewater

Aninsulatorisjusttheoppositeofaconductor.Itdoesnotallowtheflowofanelectriccharge andkeepselectricityfromgettingtounwantedareas. Theplasticinsulationaroundacopperwireisanexampleofaninsulator.Othersyoumightnot havethoughtofareglass,oil,andpurewater. Aswegofurtherintothetrainingwewillfindoutthatelectricitycanflowthroughinsulators undercertaincircumstances. Anarcflashisoneofthecircumstanceswhereairactuallyactsasaconductor. Selectwhetherthefollowingareexamplesofconductors(4items)orinsulators(3items). conductor Easilyallowstheflowofelectriccurrent Copper Gold Aluminum insulator 6

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 9

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.

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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

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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.

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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

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 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.

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 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. Identifythefollowingterms. ElectricitythatflowsinonedirectionDirectcurrent ElectricitythatreversesdirectionatasteadyrateAlternatingcurrent Thenumberoftimespersecondalternatingcurrentswitchesbackandforthindirection Frequency TwotypesofACpower:single_____orthree_____Phases

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 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 Identifythefollowingterms. AdevicethatcontrolstheflowofelectricityinacircuitSwitch AdevicethatautomaticallyopensthecircuitwhencurrentgetstoohighCircuitbreaker ArcflashaccidentscanoccurinornearthesethreedevicesControlsystem/Switchgear/ Bucket ApieceofelectricalequipmentthathasnoremainingsourcesofelectricityinitDeenergized Apieceofelectricalequipmentthatstillhasasourceofelectricalpowerconnectedtoitorstill hasaremainingchargeeventhoughtheenergysourcehasbeendisconnectedEnergized

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 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. Identifythefollowingterms. AprotectivedevicethatcanopenacircuitifthereistoomuchcurrentflowingthroughitFuse AcircuitthatisphysicallyconnectedtoearthbyaconductorGround Atemporary,unexpectedcurrentinaconductorFault/groundfault AnoutletforelectricityReceptacle Whatgetspluggedintoareceptacle,allowinganelectricaldevicetoworkPlug

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 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

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 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

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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.

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 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.

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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

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 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

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 HowShockIsMeasured
Condition FingerTouch HandHoldingWire FingerThumbGrasp HandHoldingPliers PalmTouch Handaround11/2pipe HandImmersed FootImmersed Resistance(ohms) Dry 40,0001,000,000 15,00050,000 10,00030,000 5,00010,000 3,0008,000 1,0003,000 Wet 4,00015,000 3,0006,000 2,0005,000 1,0003,000 1,0002,000 5001,500 200500 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.

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Regularmetaltoolsalsoincreasethechanceofgettingshocked.Thisiswhyelectriciansoften havespecializedtoolsforworkingonelectricalequipment.

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 Determinetheresistanceeachsituationwouldprovide Afootinwater100to300ohms Adryhandarounda11/2inchpipe1,000to3,000ohms Awetfingertouchingawire4,000to15,000ohms Adryhandholdingpliers5,000to10,000ohms

DeterminantsofShockSeverity
ElectricCurrent PhysiologicalEffect (1secondcontact) 1mA 3mA 5mA 1020mA Thresholdoffeeling,tingling sensation. Painfulshockwhichmaycause indirectaccidents Acceptedasmaximumharmless current Voltagerequiredtoproduce thecurrentwithassumed bodyresistance 100,000 ohms(dry) 100V 300V 500V 1,000ohms (sweaty) 1V 3V 5V 10V

Beginningofsustainedmuscular 1000V contraction("Can'tletgo" current.) lungparalysisusuallytemporary 3000V Possibleventricularfibrillation 5,000V (heartdysfunction,usuallyfatal) Certainventricularfibrillation, fatal Heartparalysis,severeburns Fleshburns,defibrillation, temporaryrespiratoryparalysis 10,000V 400,000V 500,000V

30mA 50mA 100300mA 4Amps 5Amps

30V 50V 100V 400V 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

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 HowtoAvoidShockHazards
Donotworkonenergized(live)equipment Stayawayfromelectricalwiresontheground Neveropenanelectricalpanel Avoidworkingaroundwaterorwetlocations Keepworkareascleanandtidy

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.

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Aboveall,juststayalert.Alwaysbeonthelookoutforhazardsandbepreparedtostopworking, protectthosearoundyou,andgethelptotakecareofthesituationasfastandassafelyasyou can. Selectthethreesafeworkingsituations. Johnkeepshisworkareaclearsincethereareelectricalhazardsnearhisstation. Kellyseesawireonthegroundthatwasnotthereyesterday.Shehassomeonemakesureno onegoesnearitwhilesheimmediatelytellshersupervisor Howardisaskingaqualifiedelectricianforhelpsinceheseessomespilledwateraroundan electricalpanelbox Renaldoistoobusytomakesurethemotorcontrolsaredeenergizedbeforecleaningthemout Stanisnowdeadsinceheopenedanelectricalpanelbox,causinganarcflash Selectthethreetruestatements. 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.

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 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

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 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 Fallingparts Dust,water,corrosion,oil Animals Sometimesthereisnoknowncause

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
35,000 F MoltenMetal 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.

P1
>2160 lbs/sq.ft

T2
>225 C / 437 F

T1
> 225 C / 437 F

T3
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 158F 178F 200F 6hours 1second 0.1seconds 0.1seconds Cellbreakdownstarts Totalcelldestruction Curableburn Incurable3rddegree burns

Letslookatthischarttoseejustwhatthatmeansforyourskin.Ifyourskingetsupto178F justforatenthofasecond,youwillbeburned,butyouyourskinwillhealanyhigherorlonger thanthatanditmightnot. Rememberthatwaterboilsas212degreesFahrenheit,so178degreeswillnotfeelgood. Ifyourskingetsupto200Fforjustatenthofasecond,youwillbeburnedsobadlythatthe damagewillnotheal,so200Fistheupperlimitonthischart. Selectthetwotruestatementsaboutthechartabove. Stickingyourhandinboilingwatercancauseincurablethirddegreeburns Thelengthoftimeyourskinisatahightemperaturedetermineshowbadtheburnis Thirddegreeburnsusuallyhealfast Placingyourhandonahotskilletfor3secondswillonlygiveyou2nddegreeburns

ArcFlashTest
ARCFLASHRESULTS
> Indicates Meter Pegged

Sound
141.5 db @ 2 ft.

P1
>2160 lbs/sq.ft

T2
>225 C / 437 F

T1
> 225 C / 437 F

T3
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
> Indicates Meter Pegged

Sound
141.5 db @ 2 ft.

P1
>2160 lbs/sq.ft

T2
>225 C / 437 F

T1
> 225 C / 437 F

T3
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 Selectthethreetruestatements. 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

Limitedapproachboundary

Thenextboundarywewilllookatisthelimitedapproachboundary. Thelimitedapproachboundaryisthedistanceatwhichashockhazardexistsandisbasedon voltage. Thelimitedapproachboundarydefinesaboundaryaroundexposedlivepartsthatmaynotbe crossedbyunqualifiedoraffectedpersonnelunlessaccompaniedbyqualifiedworkers. Affectedemployees,then,shouldneverenterthelimitedapproachboundaryalone,andifyou arerequiredtogoinwithaqualifiedworker,makesureyouarewearingtheproperPPE.

Restrictedapproachboundary

Furtherinfromthelimitedapproachboundaryistherestrictedapproachboundary. Therestrictedapproachboundaryisthedistancewherethereisanincreasedriskofelectric shockduetoanaccident. Theseaccidentscouldbefromslippedtools,losingyourbalanceandgrabbingaliveparttohold yourselfup,orjustaccidentallywalkingtooclosetoanenergizedpart.

48

Therestrictedapproachboundarycanonlybecrossedbyqualifiedpersonsusingappropriate shockpreventiontechniquesandequipment. Thismeansyoushouldneverbeintherestrictedapproachboundarywhenequipmenthas electricityhookeduptoit. Althoughthishasmoretodowithgettingshockedorelectrocutedthanitdoeswithanarcflash, thisisusuallywellinsidetheareathatwouldgiveyouincurablethirddegreeburnsifanarc flashwastooccur. Justbybeinginthisarea,youcouldcauseanarcflashtohappen.Andifyouwerenotwearing therightPPE,youcouldbebadlyinjuredorevendie.

Prohibitedapproachboundary

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.]) 1.73XvoltageLLXavailableshortcircuitcurrentx106 MVAratingoftransformer(FortransformerswithMVAratingsbelow0.75MVA, multiplythetransformerMVAratingby1.25.) Timeofarcexposureinseconds

Bolted3phasefaultMVAatpointinvolved MVAbf= = MVA= t =

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 Voltageratedgloves Faceshields Fullprotectionsuits Insulatedblankets 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
0 1 2 3 4

IncidentEnergy (cal/cm2)
2 or lower 2-4 4-8 8-25 25-40 and higher**

ExamplesofPPERequired*
Non-melting clothing FR shirt and pants FR shirt and pants, cotton underwear FR shirt and pants, FR coveralls, cotton underwear 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

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 PPELevel0
2cal/cm2orlower Nonmeltingclothing Longsleeveshirt Longpants Safetyglasses Earplugs Leathergloves

LevelzeroPPEisrequiredwhentheenergylevelsofanarcflashare2caloriespercentimeter squaredorloweratadistanceof18inchesfromthesourceofthearcflash. NFPArequiresnonmeltinglongsleeveshirts,longpants,safetyglasses,hearingprotection,and leatherglovesinthissituation. Noticethatifanaccidentweretooccur,aworkersfacecouldbebadlyburned.

PPELevel1
24cal/cm2 Flameresistantclothing Arcratedlongsleeveshirt Arcratedlongpants Arcratedcoveralls Arcratedfaceshieldorsuit hood Arcratedjacket Hardhat Safetyglasses Earplugs Leathergloves Leatherworkshoes

Iftheenergyinanarcflashcangetupto4caloriespersquarecentimeterat18inches,level1 personalprotectiveequipment,orPPE,isneeded. Thebigdifferencefromlevelonetoleveltwoisthatnowtheclothesmustnotonlybenon melting,buttheymustbeflameresistantandarcrated. Theworkerwouldalsoneedtoaddarcratedcoveralls,anarcratedfaceshieldandjacket,a hardhat,andleatherworkshoestowhathewaswearingatlevelzero.

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 PPELevel2
48cal/cm2 Flameresistantclothing Arcratedlongsleeveshirt Arcratedlongpants Arcratedcoveralls Arcratedfaceshieldorsuit hood Arcratedjacket Hardhat Safetyglasses Earplugs Leathergloves Leatherworkshoes

Iftheenergyinanarcflashcangetupto8caloriespersquarecentimeter,level2personal protectiveequipment,orPPE,isneeded. IfyoulookcloselyattheprotectiveclothingandPPEtableintheNFPA70E,youwillnoticethat theonlydifferencebetweentheleveloneandleveltworequirementsarethearcflashratingsof theclothing. Leveltwosituationsrequireclothingwithaminimumprotectionfroman8calorieper squarecentimeteraccident.

PPELevel3
825cal/cm2 Flameresistantclothing Arcratedlongsleeveshirt Arcratedlongpants Arcratedcoveralls Arcratedflashsuitjacket Arcratedflashsuitpants Arcratedflashsuithood Arcratedjacket Hardhat Flameresistanthardhat liner Safetyglasses Earplugs Arcratedgloves Leatherworkshoes

Iftheenergyat18inchesfromthearcflashgetsupto25caloriespersquarecentimeter,level3 PPEisneeded.Whenthislevelisreached,thearcratedsuithoodisrequiredoverjusttheface shield. Theworkerwillnowbewearingthefullspacesuit,assomeworkerscallit,andallPPEwillbe ratedat25caloriespersquarecentimeterorhigher.Thisincludestheflashsuitjacket,pants, andhood. Glovesmustnowbearcratedandtheworkeralsoneedsaflameresistanthardhatliner.

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 PPELevel4
2540cal/cm2 Flameresistantclothing Arcratedlongsleeveshirt Arcratedlongpants Arcratedcoveralls Arcratedflashsuitjacket Arcratedflashsuitpants Arcratedflashsuithood Arcratedjacket Hardhat Flameresistanthardhatliner Safetyglasses Earplugs Arcratedgloves 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

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 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

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 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.

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 InformationontheLabel
Equipmenttype/name Voltage Availableboltedcurrent Grounding Typicalworkdistance Incidentenergyattypicalworkdistance Flashprotectionboundary Limitedapproachboundary Restrictedapproachboundary Prohibitedapproachboundary 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

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 SampleArcFlashHazardLabel
Letslookatafewlabelstomakesureyouknow whattolookforwhenyouneedtoworkneara pieceofelectricalequipmentthathasalabelonit. Thisisalabelfora600voltswitchgear.70,000 ampsofboltedfaultcurrentisavailable,andwith theotherinformationgatheredfromthearcflash hazardanalysis,atwofootarcflashprotectionboundarywascalculated. Withinthisboundary,levelonepersonalprotectiveequipment,orPPE,needstobeworn.This willincludearcratedprotectiveclothingandafaceshield.

SampleArcFlashHazardLabel
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.

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 SampleArcFlashHazardLabel
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.

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 Selectthefoursafeworkingpractices Stayawayfromhazardoussituations Weartheproperprotectiveclothingtowork WeartherightPPEwhenneeded Donttrytoremovelocksonlockedoutequipment Touchliveexposedwiresifyouneedto Usedamagedequipmentifyouareinahurry Carryconductivealuminumladdersneararcflashhazards Entertheprohibitedshockapproachboundarywhenyouneedto

SpecificHazardsforCompany
Thiswillbecompanyspecific Qovercompanyspecifichazards

WhatToDoIfAnArcFlashOccurs
Tosomeoneelse Stayawayfromtheexplosion Gethelp Staycalm Toyou Getawayfromtheexplosion Gethelp 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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

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 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

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