Handbook for Electrical Safety

[Paul W. Abernathy]

Handbook for Electrical Safety The ever increasing awareness of Electrical Safety and Arc-Flash is having an enormous impact on our industry. As recent as 10 years ago, very few of us had read or even heard of NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. Today, almost anyone involved in the design, maintenance, inspection or installation of electrical equipment has heard of or even attended seminars to learn about NFPA 70E. Cooper Bussmann has put forth an enormous amount of effort and time in the collective forces of NFPA 70E and how it pertains to Arc-Flash and Arc-Blast. Too often, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is thrown at the problem without ever understanding this phenomenon. Cooper Bussmann's Safety BASICs Edition 2 has been designed to address the Arc-Flash and Arc-Blast hazards. It will guide you through identifying the hazards, the role of Overcurrent Protective Devices (OCPD's), Electrical Incident and Hazard Prevention as well as Design suggestions for new and existing installations to help minimize the incident energy. Cooper Bussmann also offers services that will aid in performing and assessing an Arc-Flash Hazard analysis.
An increasing number of organizations are actively promoting electrical safety for employees. The National Fire Protection Association's NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, an American National Standard, is updated on a three-year cycle.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) publishes the Yellow Book, the IEEE Guide for Maintenance, Operation, and Safety of Industrial and Commercial Power Systems, and IEEE 1584™, the "IEEE Guide for Performing Arc-flash Hazard Calculations." Cooper Bussmann makes available an "Arc-flash Calculator Guide," see Annex G and an arc-flash calculator on its website (www.bussmann.com).
The University of Chicago Trauma Center has a unit that specializes in electrical burns and related injuries. Its interests are not only on improving treatment methods but also in providing insight into electrical injuries and awareness of how to avoid electrical hazards. Major manufacturers and entire industries are seeing benefits of becoming more involved in promoting employee safety awareness programs.
The purpose of this Safety BASICs™ handbook is to do the following:

• Increase awareness of safety issues for individuals who work on or near electrical equipment as well as system operators and equipment designers/specifiers.
• Provide safety principles to be used for protecting individuals from potential injuries and even death caused by electrical hazards.
• Provide some means to perform flash hazard analysis.
• Provide some design, system upgrades and work practice suggestions that enhance electrical safety in the workplace.

This material is designed to provide the reader with an overview of hazards associated with exposure to electrical energy. It highlights standards and standard organizations, and offers guidance on safety procedures and a number of key principles that can help to minimize exposure to electrical hazards. Knowing how to minimize the exposure to electrical hazards or reducing the hazard itself can help to reduce future injuries and even deaths.
The Safety BASICs program is for the supervisor, manager, electrician, engineer, and the designer/specifier of equipment used in the electrical system. The IEEE makes it very clear that, "Engineers engaged in the design and operation of electrical systems protection should familiarize themselves with the most recent OSHA regulations and all other applicable regulations related to human safety." To the IEEE, providing adequate safety means going beyond the minimum requirements of consensus standards. Perhaps a statement in the IEEE "Buff Book" says it best: "Safety has priority over service continuity, equipment damage or economics."

Click here to download Bussman's Safety Basics (Handbook for Electrical Safety).

[Paul W. Abernathy]

Those that dont have it.....Enjoy !