In this video I talk about the importance of verification of isolation in establishing an electrically safe work condition. Verifying the absence of voltage. A strong lockout tagout program has to be the key element of your electrical safety program. Establishing an electrically safe work condition is where you must begin. Appropriate shock and arc rated PPE must be worn while verifying an absence of voltage. Every circuit must be considered live until verified it is not.

OSHA will cite you for not wearing PPE during verification of zero energy.

You may also like this video: Using OSHA Citations As Electrical Safety Training Tools

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Exemptions

A permit is not required for testing, troubleshooting, measuring voltage, thermography and visual inspections. Access to and egress from an area with energized electrical equipment if no electrical work is performed and the restricted boundary is not crossed. An exemption also exists for general housekeeping as long as the restricted boundary is not crossed.

“Working On”

There are two kinds of “Working On” as defined by NFPA 70E. Diagnostics and repair. Diagnostics does not require a permit, repair does. Repair means any physical alteration of the circuit. Replacing or removing of components.

When Are Required

A worker crossing the restricted boundary with the intent to alter the circuit would require a permit. If the worker was to interact with a circuit, even if the conductors were not exposed, but where there existed an increased likelihood of an arc flash occurring, a permit would be required. Such as racking in a breaker, or performing switching of a large breaker.

Elements Of A Permit

An energized electrical work permit must include, among other things, justification to why the work has to be done live. A lot of live work is stopped right here, because your justification written down on paper somehow doesn’t sound as good. And it might be hard to sign your name to it. For a complete list of what needs included see NFPA 70E 130.2(B)

Samples

There is a sample permit along with an energized electrical work permit flow chart that takes you through the decision making process.

Conclusion

An energized electrical work permit will help eliminate live work at your facility. It requires us to justify and document live electrical work. Exposure to energized conductors can lead to injuries from arc flash and shock hazards. And finally, it will help keep you in compliance and maybe prevent a tragedy.

www.osha.gov

www.nfpa.org

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Arc Flash Incident Energy Analysis Hidden Benefits

Single Line Drawings

Whoever does the assessment of your electrical distribution system will have to find out, in simple terms, what is connected to what. They will follow conductors as they connect to panelboards, circuit breakers, disconnects, control panels, etc. They will follow it all the way from your utility connection point, or points, and continue down to your equipment on the plant floor. Using software they will build a single-line or one-line diagram of your electrical distribution system. A sort of road map of your facility’s electrical system.

Regulations

Chapter 2 of NFPA 70E, Article 205.1 states: A single-line diagram, where provided for the electrical system, shall be maintained in a legible condition and shall be kept current. An incident energy analysis will gill give you a set of single-line drawings. Keep them up-to-date. They will assist maintenance, engineering and contractors in doing their jobs more efficiently and safer. Insist these drawings be updated when changes are made.

Inventory Of Equipment

At the completion of the arc flash risk assessment you should have an inventory of most of your fuses. I say most of your fuses because it depends on how much of your plant is actually surveyed. It is possible that some of your equipment will not be looked at. Certainly fuses inside control panels will not all be recorded. But you should have a good look at most of them in disconnects, motor control centers, combination starters and switchgear. Ask the people doing the arc flash risk assessment specific questions concerning your study.

How To Use The Inventory

If after looking at this inventory you discover you have several fuses that are exactly the same, yet you have none of those in your store room, you might want to order some to have on hand. If a fuse blows and you don’t have one in stock this could create excessive downtime while one is brought in. Or, it could tempt someone to use a fuse that is not an exact replacement. This can cause many problems depending on what they put in. A fuse can only be replaced by a fuse that has all the same specifications as the one it is replacing.

Improper Wiring Conditions

Another unintended benefit of an arc flash risk assessment is that a knowledgable person is going to open all of your panels to collect data. In the process of data collection it is not uncommon that wiring problems become apparent. It isn’t necessarily what the data collector is there to do, and not exactly what they’re looking for but sometimes the issues are just too obvious to miss. You should ask your data collectors to inform you when they find anything like this.

Crazy Things

Some of the crazy things they find are funny, but some could be deadly if not corrected. One I remember was a Tuna can used as a junction box. I don’t remember Tuna cans being allowed by the National Electrical Code. Another is copper tubing or copper bars being used to replace fuses. Granted, a 1/2 inch piece of copper tubbing will last much longer than a fuse, but the building might burn down because of it. Sometimes an electrical panel is opened and it is discovered that the panel is completely full of wood dust, flour, sugar, metal dust, metal shavings, or just what ever it is that the plant processes. I remember shaken data collectors calling the office to report panels full of rat nests, tarantulas, a dead squirrel and snakes. These last problems would indicate unused opening not properly covered. It shouldn’t be hard to keep a squirrel out of your electrical enclosures. They are apparently good conductors. Tarantulas might be a bit harder.

Infrared Survey

Thermal imaging cameras have advanced in the last several years to the point where Flir can turn your iPhone or Android phone into a thermal imaging camera for a couple hundred dollars. Because you are going to open all of your electrical enclosures it makes sense to incorporate as much of an infrared study into your arc flash risk assessment as you can. The data collection will be done while the facility is in operation with equipment running. It makes sense to shoot the cabinet to see if you have issues.

In Conclusion

It is great you are having an arc flash risk assessment done to improve the general electrical safety of your facility. The arc flash incident energy analysis hidden benefits are substantial and can impact electrical safety. To get the best value out of your study take advantage of these hidden benefits to the best of your ability.

You may also like “Properly Labeled Panels”

http://flir.com/flirone/android/?pi_ad_id=%7Bcreative%7D&gclid=CMnOqoaYldQCFdm6wAodalMN6g
http://www.osha.gov
http://www.nfpa.org

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Electrical Safety Hazard Caused By Unused Openings In Electrical Equipment

Missing Circuit Breaker

Unused openings are created when a circuit breaker has been removed. Unused & Uncovered Openings In Electrical Equipment Can Pose An Electrical Safety Hazard. This might happen when a particular piece of equipment is no longer in use or has been moved to another location in the plant. The area vacated by the circuit breaker has to be covered
and made safe.

OSHA

OSHA addresses these hazards in 1910.303(b)(7)(i).
“Unused openings in boxes, raceways, auxiliary gutters, cabinets, equipment cases, or housings shall be effectively closed to afford protection substantially equivalent to the wall of the equipment.”

Visual Inspection

A safety manager can easily spot these hazards with a visual inspection. Open the hinged door on circuit breaker panel boards, this should expose only the face of the circuit breakers, and observe if there are any breakers missing. If you see an unused opening close the door and notify maintenance for repair.

Filler Plates

When a circuit breaker is removed from a breaker panelboard it leaves an unused opening. Every manufacturer of panelboards makes what is called a filler plate to cover this opening. These filler plates are important; without them workers are exposed to live conductors anytime the door is opened. Depending on what kind of panelboard it is and what type of breaker the hole left could be large enough to stick your hand in.

Wrong Solution

I have been witness over the years to some very imaginative methods of covering these holes. These have included electrical tape, duct tape, cardboard and combinations of each. None of these are remotely acceptable. You need an appropriate, inexpensive, filler plate specifically made for that panel.

Knock Outs

Look for other unused openings on the sides, top and bottom of all electrical panels as well. Sometime unused round holes, called knockouts, are not covered. You can also purchase what are known as knock out plugs or knock out seals to easily cover these
holes. Again, duct tape is not the answer.

Keep Panels Clean

Another reason you need to cover unused openings is that it keeps the interior of the electrical equipment from being exposed to the dirt, dust and other contaminates you may have at your facility. Allowing the interior of a circuit breaker panel to become dirty could cause additional safety issues.

Conclusion

Unused and uncovered openings expose your employees and contractor employees to unnecessary electrical hazards. This hazard can be identified with a little effort and help from your maintenance staff. Finally, these can be resolved very easily and with little cost. I encourage you to take the steps to survey your facility, and if you find these exposures get them corrected as soon as possible.

Link To Related OSHA Regulation

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Only Qualified Persons May Work On Live Electrical Equipment

Intro

OSHA states in 1910.333(c)(2) “Work on energized equipment.” Only qualified persons may work on electric circuit parts or equipment that have not been deenergized…. OSHA is serious about only qualified persons may work on live electrical equipment.

Training

The qualified employees must be trained in electrical safety to be considered qualified. This training, both NFPA 70E and OSHA work practices, includes electrical shock and arc flash. An unqualified person would not have had that training and must be kept out of electrical cabinets.

Unqualified Access

It has become common in some facilities for unqualified operations staff be allowed to access control panels. This must be stopped.

Qualified

All qualified employees must have received electrical safety training in order for you to consider them qualified. It doesn’t matter if you have an employee that for 25 years has been considered capable of working in electrical cabinets, if they have not received electrical safety training, OSHA will not consider them qualified.

Conclusion

Sadly, too often this doesn’t get discovered until someone is injured or killed. In summary, we have to keep unqualified employees out of electrical cabinets and we have to train our maintenance staff before we can say they’re qualified.

Link to related OSHA regulations.

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OSHA Citations As Educational Tools

Introduction

This video discusses how an OSHA citation can be used as a training tool.

The Press Release

A large OSHA citation is often accompanied by a press release which includes some of the details and your company name and location. CEOs, board members and plant managers should take note as this is the worst kind of publicity. The old saying that any publicity is good publicity does not apply here.The most damning part of the press release is how this fatality could have been prevented. The press release will include a link to the citation.

The Citation

Explained in the citation, in great detail, is exactly what happened and where the company fell short. The citation used in the video included violations by the company such as not having a written lockout tagout procedure, the worker doing live electrical work was not qualified, PPE was not provided, the worker was required to change a fluorescent ballast while the circuit was live and several other issues. All of which would have been prevented if the employer had used the electrical safe work practices spelled out in NFPA 70E and OSHA 1910 Subpart S.

Educational Tool

This video is making the point that you can use the press release and the citation as training tools for your company. You can learn from the tragic events that occurred to others in hopes of preventing a very preventable death from occurring at your facility.

Ask Yourself

It is important to read through the citation and then ask yourself, could this happen to us? Are we currently doing the same things this company did? Are we in compliance, do we follow 70E are we immune from this? Look closely at each violation in the citation and make sure you are not in violation.

Conclusion

This information is available to everyone at OSHA.gov. I strongly encourage you to use these as a training tool to make you facility a safer place to work. Never do these things to avoid an OSHA citation, do them to avoid people getting hurt.

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This video covers the issue of improper labeling of circuit breakers, disconnects & over-current devices.

Not labeling a circuit breaker may seem like a small thing, but it can cause electrical safety issues and can cost the facility money in unseen ways. Problems occur when maintenance personnel attempt to isolate a piece of equipment when overcurrent protection devices and disconnects are not properly labeled. If they can’t find the circuit break to isolate a piece of equipment they have to begin a costly search for the missing breaker. It is incredibly easy to label the breaker when installed but it can be very hard to find it later. Especially if you have many not labeled or mislabeled. Sometimes it might require the removal of covers to trace wires to the proper breaker. OSHA will also fine your facility for not correctly labeling overcurrent devices and disconnects.

You may also like this related article: Proper Labeling Of Circuit Breakers & Covering Unused Openings

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