‘824, 744 PM. Elecvcal Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview testguy.net Home / Technical Articles / Electrical Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview New! Career Opportunities from Taurus Power & Controls in Kent, WA See Jobs Electrical Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview By testguy December 10, 2017 0 Comments Car't Miss Deals Happening Now Electricity has long been recognized as a serious workplace hazard, exposing employees to electric shock, electrocution, burns, fires, Personal protective equipment (PPE), and explosions. Hundreds including are ash rated clothing, provide additional safeguards against oloctrical hazards. Photo: PEO ACWA of injuries occur each (Flicer Co) of deaths and thousands year on the job due to electrical shock and arc flash, yet almost all of these tragic events are preventable hitpstestquy.nevcontent27S-electcal-shock-and-areash-ppe-overview uae‘824, 744 PM. Elecvcal Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview testguy.net rated clothing, can provide additional safeguards against the hazards posed by working around electrical energy. This guide provides a general overview of the various PPE that may be necessary for safe electrical work, including insulated gloves or sleeves, face shields, footwear, eye or hearing protection, and other electrical protective equipment. Contents . Safety Glasses and Goggles p Hard Hats 2 Dielectric Footwear - Arc Flash Clothing g Rubber Insulating Gloves and Sleeves 2 . PPE Hazard Risk Categories N Electrical Safety Tools @ Important Points to Remember © Relevant Standards 10. Disclaimer hitpstestquy.nevcontent27S-electcal-shock-and-areash-ppe-overview a2‘824, 744 PM. Elecvcal Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview testguy.net sea atelier 1. Safety Glasses and Goggles Eye protection is required whenever there is danger of injury to the eyes or face from arc flash or from flying objects resulting from electrical explosion. OSHA mandates the use of ANSI Z87.1 certified safety eyewear (1910.335(a)(1)(v) @) and also requires employers to provide the eye protection appropriate for the particular hazards involved with the current task. Safety glasses for electrical work @ should be non- conductive, anti-fogging, anti-scratch and anti-static with 99.9% UV protection. Goggles are intended for eye protection only - they do not provide face protection If working where there is a threat of injury to the eyes and face from electrical arc flash, safety glasses and goggles should be used with an Arc Flash Hood, hard hat, and arc rated face shield with chin cup. 2. Hard Hats OSHA standards mandate that a hard hat must be worn & "when working in areas where there is a potential for injury to the head from falling objects." Hard hats must also be worn in working areas where there is the risk of exposure hitpstestquy.nevcontent27S-electcal-shock-and-areash-ppe-overview a2‘824, 744 PM. Elecvcal Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview testguy.net sere aged Wearing a hard hat is one of the easiest ways to protect the most important part ‘of your body - the head. Photo: Wikimedia Class E Hard Hats @ are designed to reduce exposure to high voltage conductors, and offer dielectric protection up to 20,000 volts (phase to ground). This amount of voltage protection is designated to the head only, and is not an indication of the overall voltage protection allocated to the worker. 3. Dielectric Footwear Electrical shock resistant (EH) footwear is manufactured with non-conductive electrical shock resistant soles and heals “. It must be capable of withstanding the application of 14,000 volts at 60 hertz for one minute with no current hitpstestquy.nevcontent27S-electcal-shock-and-areash-ppe-overview 4142‘824, 744 PM. Elecvcal Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview testguy.net sea atelier According to OSHA, employees must use protective footwear when the employee's feet are exposed to electrical hazards. The employer is responsible for ensuring that each affected employee uses protective footwear when working in areas where there is a danger of foot injuries due to falling or rolling objects, or objects piercing the sole, and where such employee's feet are exposed to electrical hazards. See OSHA 1910.136(a) &. 4. Arc Flash Clothing Flame resistant (FR) clothing significantly reduces burn injuries, which can save lives in the event of an accident. If employees are working in a potentially dangerous environment where heat or flame hazards are present, it is the responsibility of the employer @ to ensure that workers are sufficiently protected. hitpstestquy.nevcontent27S-electcal-shock-and-areash-ppe-overview 5142‘824, 744 PM. Elecvcal Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview testguy.net sea atelier resistant clothing @ is usually made out of cotton, cotton- synthetic blends, synthetics, or leather. Some synthetics are inherently flame resistant while other clothing may be chemically treated for flame resistance. Note: ASTM F1506 “is the primary safety standard for arc flash protective clothing in the United States, The standard provides specifications for testing and rating clothing with an electric arc. Based upon the test results, are flash ratings are determined for the clothing based on its resistance to the amount of incident thermal energy to which it is exposed from the arc. The rating assigned is based on the estimated onset of second degree burns The arc flash rating is called the Arc Thermal Performance Value (ATPV), which is expressed in calories per square centimeter (cal/cm?) or joules per square centimeter (J/cm), Clothing is available with ATPV ratings from approximately four to greater than 50 cal/cm? (16,7 to 209 J/cm? ). hitpstestquy:nevcontent27S-electcal-shock-and-are-lash-ppe-overview az‘824, 744 PM. Elecvcal Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview testguy.net The arc rating can be found on the clothing label, per the requirements of ASTM F1506 @. It's important not to confuse protective clothing designed for use against flash fires with clothing that has been designed for use against electric arcs. Hazard Risk Category | Minimum Performance HRC 1 4 caliom? HRC 2 8 cal/em? HRC 3 25 caliem? HRC 4 40 cal/om? See hazard risk categories for more information. Arc Flash Clothing Maintenance Some clothing might need to be dry cleaned if contaminated with grease or certain solvents. The flame resistance of chemically treated garments can decrease with the number of washings, and failure to remove grease and solvents from inherently flame resistant or chemically treated PPE could compromise its protective properties. Care must be taken to follow the decontamination and laundering instructions provided by the manufacturer to ensure that the PPE maintains its integrity. Some clothing hitpstestquy.nevcontent27S-electcal-shock-and-areash-ppe-overview m2‘824, 744 PM. Elecvcal Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview testguy.net There are two standards that provide guidance on industrial and home laundering of flame resistant PPE: 1. ASTM F1449-08 @, Standard Guide for Industrial Laundering of Flame, Thermal, and Arc Resistant Clothing 2. ASTM F2757-09 @, Standard Guide for Home Laundering Care and Maintenance of Flame, Thermal and Arc Resistant Clothing. Arc Flash Hood (balaclava) Are flash hoods provide 360 degree head and neck protection @ from arc flash dangers, when used with an arc rated face shield. According to NFPA 70E, an arc rated hood should be used when the anticipated incident energy exposure exceeds 12 cal/cm?. Thermal ratings for balaclavas generally range from 10 to 28 callcm2. In order to achieve 360 degree 20 cal/cm? protection, a 20 cal/om? balaclava must be wom. hitpstestquy.nevcontent27S-electcal-shock-and-areash-ppe-overview‘824, 744 PM. Elecvcal Shock and Arc Flash PPE Overview testguy.net crash od ave Rata Face Sie ‘Fash Hoot ‘eee mn ‘Are flash hoods provide 360 degrae head and neck protection from arc flash dangers, when used with an arc rated face shield, Arc Rated Face Shield To protect the head, eyes, and face from arc flash hazards, arc rated face shields @ are attached to arc-rated hard hats and worn over an arc flash balaclava with safety glasses. When performing switching operations, turning and facing toward the hazard will prevent the face shield from becoming a heat scoop in the event of an arc flash. Note: Hard hats designed for use with arc-flash clothing typically have an ATVP rating of 12cal/em? or more. Arc Flash Hood (Full) The arc rated flash hood is a single piece hard hat and face shield combination that is encapsulated by flame resistant fabric. Arc flash hoods fully cover the head and neck &, offering much higher thermal ratings than the standard arc-rated face shield. Safety glasses and hitpstestquy.nevcontent27S-electcal-shock-and-areash-ppe-overview oma