It is apparent that he was not wearing any arc rated PPE and doing energized work. So some thoughts:
- Why was he doing energized work? NFPA 70E-2018 states that equipment be placed in an electrically safe work condition which generally means de-energized and there are some exceptions.
- Since it was energized, why was he not wearing arc rated PPE?
- It is doubtful that the equipment was labeled in accordance with NFPA 70E which would have provided the incident energy, if an arc flash was done, or the PPE Category from the table in NFPA 70E.
As one who does arc flash studies and having had safety drilled into me in 30 years of working at an electric utility, I still don't understand why some contractors don't try to protect themselves from arc flash. The means to protect yourself, so you don't end up like this unfortunate gentleman, is available. Yes, the arc rated PPE is costly, establishing a safe work zone can all increase the cost and time of a job, but think of the cost of not doing it this way?
Everyone who works with electricity, especially in an industrial/commercial environment, should read and follow NFPA 70E.
