about_arc_flash | Industrial Training University

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Industrial Training University is second to none at both Industrial Engineering and Training services.

OSHA's role is to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health.

The mission of the international nonprofit NFPA, established in 1896, is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.

Industrial Training University is now offering name brand Personal Protective Equipment and tools at the lowest prices on the web.

Personal Protective Equipment Category Levels NFPA 2009

Category 0

Cotton Undergarments, Long Sleeved Shirt (Natural Fiber), Long Pants (Natural Fiber), Safety Glasses or Goggles, Hearing Protection (Inserts), Leather Gloves (As Needed) or Insulating Gloves with Protectors.

Category 1

Cotton Undergarments, Arc Rated Long Sleeved Shirt (or FR Coveralls), Arc Rated Long Pants (or FR Coveralls), Hard Hat with Arc Rated Face Shield, Hearing Protection (Inserts), Safety Glasses or Goggles, Leather Gloves or Insulating Gloves with Protectors, Leather Shoes (as needed).

Category 2

Cotton Undergarments, Short Sleeved "T" Shirt (Natural Fiber), Arc Rated Long Sleeved Shirt and Long Pants or Arc Rated Coveralls Instead, Hard Hat with Arc Rated Face Shield w/Sock Balaclava, Safety Glasses or Goggles, Hearing Protection (Inserts), Leather Gloves or Insulating Gloves with Protectors, Leather Shoes (as needed).

Category 3

Cotton Undergarments, Short Sleeved "T" Shirt (Natural Fiber), Arc Rated Long Sleeved Shirt and Long Pants, Arc Rated Coveralls (Over the Above), Arc Rated (25cal) Arc Flash Suite Jacket, Arc Rated (25cal) Arc Flash Suite Pants, Arc Rated (25cal) Arc Flash Suite Hood, Hard Hat, Safety Glasses or Goggles, Hearing Protection, Arc Rated Leather Gloves or Insulating Gloves with Protectors, Leather Shoes.

Category 4

Cotton Undergarments, Short Sleeved "T" Shirt (Natural Fiber), Arc Rated Long Sleeved Shirt and Long Pants, Arc Rated Coveralls (Over the Above), Arc Rated (40cal) Arc Flash Suite Jacket, Arc Rated (40cal) Arc Flash Suite Pants, Arc Rated (40cal) Arc Flash Suite Hood, Hard Hat, Safety Glasses or Goggles, Hearing Protection, Arc Rated Leather Gloves or Insulating Gloves with Protectors, Leather Shoes.

Some ITU clients that you may recognize

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Arc Flash is the result of a quick release of energy due to an arcing fault between a phase bus bar and another phase bus bar, neutral or a ground. During an arc fault the air acts as the conductor. Arc faults are generally limited to systems where the bus voltage is in excess of 120 volts. Lower voltage levels usually will not sustain an arc. An arc fault is similar to the arc obtained during electric welding and the fault has to be manually started by something creating the path of conduction or a failure such as a breakdown in insulation.

The cause of the short normally burns away during the initial flash and the arc fault is then sustained by the establishment of a highly-conductive plasma. The plasma will conduct as much energy as is available and is only limited by the impedance of the arc. This huge energy discharge burns the bus bars, vaporizing the copper and thus resulting in an explosive volumetric increase, the arc blast, conservatively estimated, as an expansion of 40,000 to 1. This fiery blast is capable of devastating everything in its path, and can create deadly shrapnel as it dissipates.

The arc fault current is normally much less than the available bolted fault current and below the rating of circuit breakers. Unless these devices have been selected to handle the arc fault condition, they will not trip and the full force of an arc flash will occur. The electrical equation for energy is volts x current x time. The transition from arc fault to arc flash takes less then half the blink of an eye, increasing in intensity as the pressure wave builds up. The challenge is to sense the arc fault current and shut off the voltage momentarily before it develops into a serious arc flash condition.

There are approximately 100 fires a day in the United States. Many of them due to electrical Faults. In addition to the risk of fire hazard an electrical arc can reach up to 34,000 degrees fahrenheit (the surface of the sun is about 9,000 degrees fahrenheit) . Hot enough to vaporize metal, melt skin, and turn bone into ash. There are 30,000 non fatal shock accidents a year and about 1000 that are. More then half of the deaths caused by electrocution were people servicing energized equipment less then 600 volts. Electrocution is the fourth highest cause of industrial fatalities. Just visually witnessing an arc flash can cause temporary or permanent blindness and premature cataracts. The pressure of an arc blast can exceed thousands of pounds per square foot. Which, is more then enough to throw or knock down any human and possibly cause severe injury such as collapsed lungs or worse.

When the human body is shocked by electricity the current flows through the blood, tissue, and nervous system. The higher the current and the path in which it flows through the body are critical factors. The typical wall outlet in a residential home is 15 to 20 amps. A 7.5 watt 120v light bulb draws enough electricity to be fatal!

0.5 - 3 mA (milliamps) - Tingling sensation
3 - 10 mA - Muscle contractions and pain
10 - 40 mA - "Let go" threshold
30 - 75 mA - Respiratory paralysis
100 - 200 mA - Ventricular fibrillation
200 - 500 mA - Heart clamps tight
1.5 A (amps) - Tissue and organs start to burn

There are many steps towards preventing arc flash hazards. Most of which are actually required by OSHA. First and foremost use simple common sense. Develop a Safe Work Procedure Program, for you and your staff, that requires a clean work environment and for all electrical equipment to be maintained and serviced on a regular basis. Dust and dirt are very good conductors. Do not set deadlines for your staff or be hasty when working on or around electrical equipment. Be safe and take your time and encourage your staff to do the same.

The requirements:

Know the risks! Acquire the proper training.
Have an Arc Flash Analysis done.
Update Warning Labels (provided during Arc Flash Analysis)
Acquire and wear the proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
Develop and enforce a Lock Out Tag out Program (Shut off breakers, lock them so they can't be turned back on and test circuit before work is done)
Use proper electrical tools and test equipment before use.

An Arc Flash Analysis is a study investigating a worker's potential exposure to arc- flash energy, conducted for the purpose of injury prevention and the determination of safe work practices, arc flash protection boundary, and the appropriate levels of PPE.

Why do I need to do an Arc Flash Analysis?

The National Fire Protection Association's 70E publication (NFPA) 2000, Part II 2-1.3.3 regarding Arc Flash Analysis states that a "Flash Hazard Analysis shall be done before a person approaches any exposed electrical conductor or circuit part that has not been placed in an electrical safe work condition". This Arc Flash Hazard Analysis must be done to determine the level of Personal Protection Equipment PPE that a worker must use, and the Arc Flash Boundary in inches along with the incident energy found at each location. Each panel must be marked with an ANSI z535 approved Arc Flash Warning Label.

What Electrical Panels need to be done ?

The National Electrical Code, NFPA 70E and OSHA list that all panel boards, switch panels, fuse panels, breaker panels, motor control centers, motor control panels be surveyed and labeled with the ANSI approved label. IN ADDITION... the list is concluded by stating "Any panel likely to be serviced by a worker" SO, that means any electrical enclosure such as disconnects and machinery attached to the "hard wired" electrical system in your facility.

What kind of standards must I follow?

This Arc Flash Analysis must be performed to determine the available arc fault currents and arc flash hazards. The most effective ways are based on the NFPA 70E or IEEE 1584 methods. Both of these methods are acceptable methods to use and are allowed by OSHA to comply with these arc flash regulations. OSHA recommends that the Arc Flash Analysis be done by an independent consulting firm to reduce any bias that may occur when done in-house.

Do I need a One Line Drawing and all that stuff?

OSHA requires that "If You Have" an One Line diagram of your electrical system, that it be kept up to date. Meaning that every change must be recorder in that drawing. HOWEVER, you are not required to have a one line diagram of your facilities electrical system. Given, This is a very useful tool to have when servicing your electrical system, and ITU can render that drawing for you. THIS IS IMPORTANT WHEN CHOOSING A CONSULTANT... Most engineering companies use a "Canned" software program that requires them to construct a one line drawing while conducting your Arc Flash Analysis. They want YOU to pay for that service! While we rely on Computers to do the Arc Flash Calculations, we do not require that you obtain this expensive One Line Diagram that other consultants do. This lowers the cost to you significantly!

Why can't I just use default tables to get the information?

The regulations clearly state that an Arc Flash Analysis must be performed to determine these values. By performing a proper arc flash analysis by calculation, you insure that your workers are using the proper personal protection equipment ( PPE ) and other proper safety equipment is being used.

Why is this OSHA stuff so hard to understand?

Well the fact is... the OSHA stuff , while written in typical government jargon may seem a bit confusing. Most of the confusion comes from Engineering and Consultants wanting you to be confused, leading you to hire them to do the work. AND while we are one of those Engineering and consulting firms out there...

Here is ITU's promise to you:

We won't try to mislead you into paying for something that you don't need in order to get into compliance with these OSHA regulations. We'll give you an honest assessment of your electrical system, and do it in a way that it makes sense. We Guarantee it... That's our promise!

What services are provided by ITU ?

Industrial Training University's dedication to providing both engineering and education services is second to none. From assisting venues such as Indiana Workforce Development's training initiative through Vincennes University, Indiana's oldest college founded by the nations ninth President William Henry Harrison. ITU has has over 100 years of experience in the Industrial Technology fields. ITU has assisted groups such as the Trident Nuclear support of the U.S. Navy, many of the Fortune 500 companies, along with colleges, power plants, and service groups across the nation. In addition to our award winning electrical training and engineering services, our engineering staff has developed and designed equipment and or courses being used by many prominent training and seminar companies along with a host of large corporate in-house training departments.

We offer:

Short Circuit Analysis and Arc Fault Studies
Complete OSHA Arc Flash Analysis with Certification
Labeling of electrical panel as per OSHA and NFPA standards
ANSI approved Arc Flash Labels
Training for NFPA 70E Electrical Safety
OSHA 40 Hazmat and Safety Training
Arc Flash potential reduction consulting
Mock OSHA Inspections to find violation potentials

Industrial Training University performs an average of four Arc Flash Analysis a month for companies and facilities across the entire USA. Our fast turn-a-round, Our exclusive "One Trip" policy, and non intrusive procedure, means all of the work is done without any down time, lost production, or intrusion to your company or your workers. Reference are available upon request... Our best sales staff is our past customers.