Implementing NFPA 70E for Arc Flash Safety

Jay Smith Executive Vice President Lewellyn Technology

YOU NEED TO IMPLEMENT 70E.

DON’T DO IT FOR COMPLIANCE.

DO IT TO

PREVENT INJURY.

IT’S NOT THE LAW…

AND THAT

DOESN’T MATTER.

HOW TO COMPLY

1910.132 Personal Protective Equipment 1910.132 Hazard Assessment 1910.335 PPE for Electrical Hazards 1910.333 Specific Work Practices

THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF

IMPLEMENTING NFPA 70E

?

CULTURE CHANGE

•  Time-consuming •  Throughout facility •  Can be difficult

CULTURE CHANGE

Do it where the rubber meets the road.

CULTURE CHANGE TIPS

•  Involvement of key people •  Instructor’s “Passion”

TURN IT OFF!

ELECTRICALLY SAFE WORK CONDITION

HAZARDOUS WORK

ELECTRICALLY SAFE WORK CONDITION Disconnecting and verifying

absence of voltage

LOCKOUT TAGOUT

DOES NOT exempt you from NFPA 70E.

QUALIFIED PERSON

•  Documented •  Verifiable

TRAINING •  Must promote culture change •  OSHA & NFPA 70E topics •  Topics specific to your organization •  Demonstrate annually •  Retraining interval not to exceed

three years

TRAINING ALONE DOES NOT

QUALIFY ANYONE TO DO ELECTRICAL

WORK.

ONLY THE EMPLOYER CAN DO THAT.

INCIDENT ENERGY ANALYSIS •  A hazard analysis •  Not an electrical engineering study

SPARK or EXPLOSION

INCIDENT ENERGY ANALYSIS

The primary goal of an Incident Energy Analysis should be to identify the hazards and then engineer them

out of your system.

INCIDENT ENERGY ANALYSIS

•  DATA COLLECTION—boots on the ground •  ENGINEERING—solutions found •  DELIVERY—report presented, labels affixed

DATA COLLECTION •  Transformer data—KVA, voltages,

impedance •  Conductor sizes and lengths fuse and circuit

breaker data •  Electric utility information •  Develop accurate one-line diagrams

ENGINEERING PHASE •  Short-Circuit Analysis •  Protective Device Coordination Analysis •  Interrupting Rating Analysis •  Arc Flash Hazard Analysis •  Mitigation recommendations

DELIVERY

•  Report explained •  Labels affixed •  Mitigation recommendations

categorized

2015 NFPA 70E CHANGES

What are the new labeling requirements for electrical equipment? Arc Flash and Shock Hazard Labels must list:

•  The Nominal System Voltage •  The Arc Flash Boundary •  Either the Arc Flash PPE

Category or the Incident Energy Level but not both

Yes, if your company has had an arc flash incident energy analysis completed, you must use the incident energy level that is written on the label to determine the appropriate PPE to wear.

If my facility has had an arc flash Incident Energy Analysis, does it make a difference what PPE selection method I use?

What happened to Category 0 on the PPE Category Table?

Category 0 was removed from the 2015 PPE Table by the NFPA 70E Committee because the new PPE Category Table only addresses work within the Arc Flash Boundary

What PPE should I wear now for Category 0, below 1.2 cal/cm2 (Incident Energy Exposure Level)?

Arc-rated PPE is not required, however non-melting long sleeve shirt and pants made of a non-melting material should be worn along with eye and hearing protection and heavy-duty leather gloves.

Who is responsible for maintenance of electrical equipment?

The equipment owner or the owner’s designated representative shall be responsible for maintenance of electrical equipment. Example of maintenance can include (IR thermo camera imagining, exercise protective devices, ensure all connections are secure, up-date single line drawings) Note: the owner of the electrical equipment shall also be responsible for the documentation installation and maintenance of the field marked label.

Is normal operation of electrical equipment permitted without wearing PPE? For example operating a disconnect or switching a circuit breaker on or off?

It depends on the condition of the equipment Continued on next slide

According to table 130.7(C)(15)(A) (a) in the NFPA Standard. (pg.35) Normal operation of electrical equipment shall be permitted where all of the following conditions are satisfied:

•  Equipment is properly installed and maintained in accordance with applicable industrial codes and also manufactures recommendations. Note: this must be documented

•  Equipment doors and or covers are in place and secured properly

•  No evidence of impending failure (example: evidence of arcing, overheating, loose parts, visible damage, or deterioration).

•  Note: normal operation without PPE is permitted if all conditions are met

Note: PPE shall be worn for normal operation of equipment if any of the conditions of table 130.7(C)(15)(A)(a) are not met.

•  Only do the “Big Stuff” •  Use someone not qualified to do arc flash assessments •  Labels not applied or provided •  Mitigation recommendations not provided •  Electronic Copies of Report and Drawings not supplied •  Calculations not provided just use Table Solutions ** NO OVERSIGHT or UPKEEP after the INITIAL

STUDY IS COMPLETE !

COMMON MISTAKES

YOU NEED TO IMPLEMENT 70E.

DON’T DO IT FOR COMPLIANCE.

DO IT TO

PREVENT INJURY.

LEWELLYN.COM