Do you walk into work every morning and continue to be shocked by that one pesky doorknob? Well imagine that shock becoming a blast that completely engulfs you in temperatures beyond 35,000°F. That’s almost four times the temperature of the surface of the sun. What a shock right? Well that’s what would happen if you were in an Arc Flash. Arc Flash is a serious Life Safety issue and Arc Flash Assessments are an essential part of a compliant electrical safety program. Part of the assessment includes the creation of Arc Flash warning labels.
As you may already know, an Arc Flash is a powerful release of injury caused by an electrical arc fault between two conductors. The flash and ensuing blast result in a violent explosion that contains intense heat and energy. However, an arc flash assessment is an engineering study of the electrical distribution system that is designed to identify the degree of hazard inside each electrical device. By identifying the degree of hazard and boundary distances, it allows the worker to choose the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The Purpose Of Arc Flash Warning Labels Is To:
- Warn the personnel of the potential hazards
- Show what action they should take to reduce the hazard
OSHA requires that employers identify electrical hazards (including Arc Flash) and protect their workers from these hazards. However, OSHA does not stipulate how to meet this mandate. This is where the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) steps in to provide the guidance on how to keep workers safe, with NFPA 70E, which requires an Arc Flash Assessment that includes Energy Calculations & Arc Flash Labels that identify PPE and must be performed at a minimum of every five years.
