Safety Information Alert

Arc Flash Incident

at a Duke Energy facility
2300 Volt Switchgear Breaker
Failure
December 17, 2009
 Incident Details
2300 volt switchgear breaker failure
The injured worker was assisting another worker
restoring service to an air compressor.
They racked in a 2300 volt breaker when it failed
catastrophically
The injured employee was not wearing flame
retardant clothing. His clothing ignited and he
was burned seriously.
Another worker in front of the cubicle was not
injured. He was wearing an arc flash coat, face
shield and electrical gloves.
Investigation of the cause of the equipment
failure is continuing. Preliminary results
indicate that the breaker was in the
"closed" position and the interlocks failed
to work properly when it was inserted onto
the energized bus, causing the failure.
Front of switchgear
Side of switchgear
Inside of switchgear
 Lessons Learned:
Use of arc flash protection for work on
switchgear and motor control centers.
Refer to specific procedures for personal
protective equipment for racking
switchgear breakers. At the plant where
this occurred, typically, racking a 2300 volt
breaker requires use of a flash suit,
beekeeper type hood with face shield,
rubber gloves with leather protectors, hard
hat, and safety glasses.
 Lessons Learned:
Arc flash procedures
require that all
employees within the
flash boundary wear
arc flash protective
equipment.
 Lessons Learned:
Pre-job briefings for work
on switchgear breakers
must include a detailed
discussion of protective
equipment requirements,
establishment of safe
work boundary, and
actions to be taken to
keep unprotected
persons outside the
boundary.
 Lessons Learned:
Prior to racking a breaker in, workers
should always verify that the breaker is in
the open position.