Protecting Your Team: Strategies for Arc Flash Prevention and Compliance
Individuals in charge of managing buildings also bear the heavy responsibility of ensuring all equipment is safe for the well-being of the building’s occupants, including protecting them from a possible Arc Flash incident. Facility managers understand that NFPA 70E includes requirements for electrical safety in the workplace by reducing risk for any and all electrical hazards. Managing a possible event is challenging to navigate as opposed to a tangible asset that merely requires maintenance. An Arc Flash could be categorized as a hidden problem; one that isn’t an issue until something goes wrong or someone gets hurt.
An Arc Flash analysis studies the energy potential if electrical assets experienced a “luminous bridge formed in a gap between two electrodes” at any given point. An Arc Flash occurs during a fault, or short circuit condition that passes through this arc gap. The arc causes an ionization of the air. Although it’s not best practice, some electrical panels with critical loads need to be maintained while still energized. In a worst case scenario, an arc flash incident can expel temperatures up to 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit (hotter than the surface of the sun), and expel molten metal and harmful gasses which can cause serious injury, or even death. Any bodily injury or facility damage is tragic and costly, but the liability for the damage puts organizations at risk for expensive lawsuits (medical expenses, lost wages, legal fees, equipment damage and downtime, etc). Facility owners and managers shouldn’t have to worry about their employees suffering blasts of heat, molten minerals, and flashes that occur in a millisecond.
Synergy provides Arc Flash studies at a fraction of a possible incident lawsuit. Our team has the training and software to analyze electrical systems and perform the complex calculations to determine arc flash potential.
Here are the 4 vital elements to ensure facility Arc Flash compliance:
- Collect Documentation
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- Gather one-line diagrams, equipment submittal information to be able to understand what equipment is installed and how it’s connected. Floorplan drawings to understand distance for feeders
- Site Survey
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- Verify existing conditions and collect data on equipment make/model and breaker settings
- Software Programming
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- Create a model of the electrical system inside the software with all the gathered information. Begin running analysis on short circuit, breaker coordination, and arc flash to determine if the systems are designed properly, the breakers are set well, and what the arc flash potential is at each point in the system.
- Apply labels + final report for recommendations
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- Recommendations for potential hazards and adjustments recommended for safety
- Arc flash label that gives name of panel it’s assigned to, incident energy value (calorie value), distances for safe approach
An Arc Flash study is an inexpensive investment that brings vital awareness of electrical hazards that ensure the safety of your team and facility assets. Call our team today for a free consult on your arc flash concerns. You shouldn’t have to worry about hidden dangers within your facility. Facility staff deserves to feel safe from a catastrophic electrical disaster. You deserve to understand the dangers of your electrical systems and the safety measures required. Don’t wait until a catastrophic event causes severe personal injury or death. You work too hard for equipment damage or loss of revenue with from your building shutting down. Call us today.