16
HEALTH & SAFETY
A to Z
of arc flash
By Mark Lant, Technical Sales
Manager, ProGARM
www.progarm.com
Do you know the risks of this secret
killer that puts those working with
electricity in harm’s way?
E is for electrodes
An arc flash is caused by an electric luminous bridge formed in
a gap between two electrodes.
F is for flame retardant
While many might think flame retardant (FR) PPE can also
provide protection in an arc flash incident, there are in fact
separate safety standards for arc flash clothing, which go
further than the ones for fire resistance. This means that
the level of protection provided by flame retardant clothing
doesn’t match that of arc flash resistant PPE. Therefore, it’s
essential to ensure your team will be kitted out in arc flash
PPE, rather than FR PPE.
While health and safety is of paramount importance for
industry workers in various sectors, there’s a secret killer
putting lives at risk. Anyone working with, or around,
electricity can be impacted by an arc flash incident, yet much
of the time little is known about these often fatal events.
In such an advanced health and safety conscious world, it
seems strange that a common risk could be overlooked. But it
isn’t as a result of infrequency – the lack of awareness occurs
due to incidents being wrongly identified as an electric shock.
This diagnosis is putting lives at risk up and down the
country, not least as it fuels a false sense of security. The hard
facts are that arc flash incidents are frequent, making the risks
very real. With this in mind, here are the key facts – from A to
Z – so you can stay safe at work. G is for garment
Arc flash protection is found in specialist garments –
everything from insulating warm arc flash base layers to arc
flash waterproof jackets and trousers. Enhanced and effective
protection comes through wearing layers of protective
garments manufactured from inherent fibres and, which
feature specific arc flash resilient components. If you don’t
have the correct and quality garments, your protection levels
will be compromised.
A is for arc flash
An arc flash occurs during a fault, or short circuit condition,
which passes through an arc gap and can result in devastating
results if the correct equipment isn’t being worn. I is for IEC 61482
IEC 61482 is a standard that covers PPE against the thermal
dangers of an arc flash. Within this, the IEC 61482-2
standard covers various aspects of t garment design and is a
requirement for selling garments for arc flash PPE within the
EU.
B is for: burns
An arc flash incident has the potential to burn an operative’s
skin within fractions of a second, meaning PPE really is the
last line of defence for workers.
C is for combustible materials
The heat from an arc flash is hot enough to ignite nearby
combustible materials, which may be metres away from the
incident itself.
D is for danger
An arc flash is high risk and a danger that can result in
devastating consequences. Expelling large amounts of deadly
energy, causing ionisation of the air, an arc flash can reach
temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun.
H is for high temperatures
The high temperature caused by an arc flash can set fire
to clothing and severely burn human skin in fractions of a
second, even at a significant distance from the event.
J is for just jackets?
It’s not just jackets that need to be considered when
protecting against arc flash, overalls and trousers also need
to be accounted for as part of arc flash protective PPE –
workers may also require arc-resistant underwear to provide
further protection. This is due to the fact that everyday
manufacturing materials can melt into skin, even under PPE
clothing, potentially causing severe burns.
K is for knowledge
While awareness around the dangers of an arc flash incident
is on the rise, a concerning number of people are still unclear
on the hard facts. In fact, a concerning 63% of professionals
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