For more information, call Western Safety Products at 206-264-0808 or email sales@westernsafety.com.
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Protection from electric arc explosions. The intense energy and very short duration of an electric arc flash represents a very unique exposure. Everyday work clothes made from regular cotton or poly/cotton fabrics, regardless of weight, can be readily ignited at some exposure level and will continue to burn adding to the extent of injury sustained from the arc alone. NFPA 70E now requires employees to wear flame resistant (FR) protective clothing that meets the requirements of ASTM F1506 wherever there is possible exposure to an electric arc flash. It requires employers to perform a flash hazard analysis to determine the flash protection boundary distance. The standard is designed to protect employees working inside these flash protection boundaries by requiring protective clothing for the corresponding Hazard / Risk Category that has an ATPV of at least the value listed in the "Protective Clothing Characteristics" section of the standard. OSHA has confirmed that garments which meet the requirements of ASTM F1506 are in compliance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269 Electrical Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution, with regard to garments not contributing to burn severity. | ||
| Standard for Electrical Safety Employee Workplace; 2000 (Table 3-3.9.3 Protective Clothing Characteristics) |
||
| Hazard Risk Category | Clothing Description (Typical number of clothing Layers in Parentheses) |
Minimum ATPV Rating of PPE cal / cm2 |
| 0 | Untreated cotton (1) | N / A |
| 1 | FR Shirt and FR Pants (1) | 5 |
| 2 | Cotton underwear plus FR Shirt and FR Pants (2) | 8 |
| 3 | Cotton underwear plus FR Shirt and FR Pants plus FR Coverall (3) | 25 |
| 4 | Cotton underwear plus FR Shirt, FR Pants plus double layer of Switching Coat and Pants (4) | 40 |
| Task | Hazard Category |
V-Rated Gloves |
V-Rated Tools |
| Panelboards rated 240 V and below — Notes 1 & 3 | — | — | — |
| Circuit breaker (CB) or fused switch operation with covers on | 0 | N | N |
| CB or fused switch operation with covers off | 0 | N | N |
| Work on energized parts, including voltage testing | 1 | Y | Y |
| Remove / Install CBs or fused switches | 1 | Y | Y |
| Removal of bolted covers (to expose bare, energized parts) | 1 | N | N |
| Opening hinged covers (to expose bare, energized parts) | 0 | N | N |
| Panelboards or Switchboards rated > 240 V and up to 600 V (with molded case or insulated case circuit breakers) —Notes 1 & 3 |
— | — | — |
| CB or fused switch operations with covers on | 0 | N | N |
| CB or fused switch operations with covers off | 1 | N | N |
| Work on energized parts, including voltage testing | 2* | Y | Y |
| 600 V Class Motor Control Centers (MCCs) — Notes 2 (except where indicated) & 3 |
— | — | — |
| CB or fused switch or starter operation with enclosure doors closed | 0 | N | N |
| Reading a panel meter while operating a meter switch | 0 | N | N |
| CB or fused switch or starter operation with enclosure doors open | 1 | N | N |
| Work on energized parts including voltage testing | 2* | Y | Y |
| Work on control circuits with energized parts 120 V or below, exposed | 0 | Y | Y |
| Work on control circuits with energized parts > 120 V, exposed | 2* | Y | Y |
| Insertion or removal of individual starter "buckets" from MCC — Note 4 | 3 | Y | N |
| Application of safety grounds, after voltage test | 2* | Y | N |
| Removal of bolted covers (to exposed bare, energized parts) | 2* | N | N |
| Opening hinged covers (to expose bare, energized parts) | 1 | N | N |
| 600 V Class Switchgear (with power circuit breakers or fused switches) — Notes 5 & 6 |
— | — | — |
| CB or fused switch operation with enclosure doors closed | 0 | N | N |
| Reading a panel meter while operating a meter switch | 0 | N | N |
| CB or fused switch operation with enclosure doors open | 1 | N | N |
| Work on energized parts, including voltage testing | 2* | Y | Y |
| Work on control circuits with energized parts 120 V or below, exposed | 0 | Y | Y |
| Work on control circuits with energized parts > 120 V, exposed | 2* | Y | Y |
| Insertion or removal (racking) of CBs from cubicles, doors open | 3 | N | N |
| Insertion or removal (racking) of CBs from cubicles, doors closed | 2 | N | N |
| Application of safety grounds after voltage test | 2* | Y | N |
| Removal of bolted covers to expose bare, energized parts | 3 | N | N |
| Opening hinged covers to expose bare, energized parts | 2 | N | N |
| Other 600 V Class (277 V through 600 V, nominal) Equipment Note 3 |
— | — | — |
| Lighting or small power transformers (600 V, maximum) | — | — | — |
| Removal of bolted covers (to expose bare, energized parts) | 2* | N | N |
| Opening hinged covers (to expose bare, energized parts) | 1 | N | N |
| Work on energized parts, including voltage testing | 2* | Y | Y |
| Application of safety grounds, after voltage test | 2* | Y | N |
| Revenue meters (kW-hour, at primary voltage and current) | — | — | — |
| Insertion or removal | 2* | Y | N |
| Cable trough or tray cover removal or installation | 1 | N | N |
| Miscellaneous equipment cover removal or installation | 1 | N | N |
| Work on energized parts, including voltage testing | 2* | Y | Y |
| Application of safety grounds, after voltage test | 2* | Y | N |
| NEMA E2 (fused contactor) Motor Starts, 2.3 kV through 7.2 kV | — | — | — |
| Contactor operation with enclosure doors closed | 0 | N | N |
| Reading a panel meter while operating a meter switch | 0 | N | N |
| Contactor operation with enclosure doors open | 2* | N | N |
| Work on energized parts, including voltage testing | 3 | Y | Y |
| Work on control circuits with energized parts 120 V or below, exposed | 0 | Y | Y |
| Work on control circuits with energized parts > 120 V, exposed | 3 | Y | Y |
| Insertion or removal (racking) of starters from cubicles, doors open | 3 | N | N |
| Insertion or removal (racking) of starters from cubicles, doors closed | 2 | N | N |
| Application of safety grounds, after voltage test | 3 | Y | N |
| Removal of bolted covers (to exposed bare, energized parts) | 4 | N | N |
| Opening hinged covers (to expose bare, energized parts) | 3 | N | N |
| Metal Clad Switchgear, 1 kV and above | — | — | — |
| CB or fused switch operation with enclosure doors closed | 2 | N | N |
| Reading a panel meter while operating a meter switch | 0 | N | N |
| CB or fused switch operation with enclosure doors open | 4 | N | N |
| Work on energized parts, including voltage testing | 4 | Y | Y |
| Work on control circuits with energized parts 120 V or below, exposed | 2 | Y | Y |
| Work on control circuits with energized parts > 120 V, exposed | 4 | Y | Y |
| Insertion or removal (racking) of CBs from cubicles, doors open | 4 | N | N |
| Insertion or removal (racking) of CBs from cubicles, doors closed | 2 | N | N |
| Application of safety grounds, after voltage test | 4 | Y | N |
| Removal of bolted covers (to expose bare, energized parts) | 4 | N | N |
| Opening hinged covers (to expose bare, energized parts) | 3 | N | N |
| Opening voltage transformer or control power transformer compartments | 4 | N | N |
| Other Equipment 1 kV and above | — | — | — |
| Metal clad load interrupter switches, fused or unfused | — | — | — |
| Switch operation, doors closed | 2 | N | N |
| Work on energized parts, including voltage testing | 4 | Y | Y |
| Removal of bolted covers (to expose bare, energized parts) | 4 | N | N |
| Opening hinged covers (to expose bare, energized parts) | 3 | N | N |
| Outdoor disconnect switch operation (hookstick operated) | 3 | Y | Y |
| Outdoor disconnect switch operation (gang-operated, from grade) | 2 | N | N |
| Insulated cable examination, in manhole or other confined space | 4 | Y | N |
| Insulated cable examination, in open area | 2 | Y | N |
| Notes: |
|
| Legend: |
| V-rated Gloves are gloves rated and tested for the maximum line-to-line voltage upon which work will be done. V-rated Tools are tools rated and tested for the maximum line-to-line voltage upon which work will be done. 2* means that a double layer switching hood and hearing protection are required for this task in addition to the other Hazard / Risk Category 2 requirements of Table 3-3.9.2 of Part II Y = Yes (required) N = No (not required) |
| WSP home page | Products page | Suppliers page | |
| Protective Clothing |
Chicago Protective Index |
Previous Chicago Protective Page |
Next Chicago Protective Page |