Arc FlaSH Labeling
- Thread starter rnkish
- Start date
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StephenSDH
Senior Member
- Location
- Allentown, PA
This is the responsibility of the Facility to provide calculated labeling. You are required to add a generic label by the NEC saying Arc Flash Hazard. NEC 110.16 2008 (This is a new requirement with the 2008 code)
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
The NEC requires you to put a simple 'advisory' label on just about everything that could be serviced while energized.
NFPA 70E, and many customer specifications, requires equipment to have labels that spell out PPE or the amount of incident energy.
So the answer depends on which code you are subject to.
NEC or 70E
NEC or 70E
70E does have the 3 item exception (<240v, one supply and <125KVA). Keeping this in mind I do Not have to label <240v equipment at all.
NEC 110.16 does not specifiy voltages.
So are we to assume all voltages need to have a generic label per NEC?
Whick code are we to abide by??
NEC or 70E
70E does have the 3 item exception (<240v, one supply and <125KVA). Keeping this in mind I do Not have to label <240v equipment at all.
NEC 110.16 does not specifiy voltages.
So are we to assume all voltages need to have a generic label per NEC?
Whick code are we to abide by??
StephenSDH
Senior Member
- Location
- Allentown, PA
You must abide by the NEC. The NFPA 70E is above and beyond the NEC. The requirements in the NFPA are not yet required by law, but many plants have fully adopted it as their safety standard to comply with OSHA.
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
Starting with the 2009 edition, NFPA70E always requires labels on equipment. The '240V' exception, you refer to, is only from needing to perform an analysis on equipment.
The NEC does not care what is on the label as long as it 'advises' that an arc flash hazard is present.
nyerinfl
Senior Member
- Location
- Broward Co.
If it is a new panel, it should come with the arc flash label already stickered on the panel, or they should come with stickers, only time I've ever been called on this was re-using existing equipment. They also could make you add the stickers to the main disco and meter, so bring more than one.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
Switchboards, panelboards, industrial control panels, meter socket enclosures and motor control centers that are in other than dwelling occupancies.........
Don't see voltage mentioned in there anywhere.
Don't see voltage mentioned in there anywhere.
Jim Shorts
Member
- Location
- Central Florida
Not a new requirement. This has been in the code since 2002.
skeshesh
Senior Member
- Location
- Los Angeles, Ca
Don't think it's referred to there but calculating available levels of incident allows for choosing the correct PPE to be used by personnel, which is sometimes necessary per some OSHA regulations.
By the way, I'm a member of the local IEEE IAS (Industrial Applications Society) and at one of their meetings about two years ago they had a pretty heated talk about the merits of calculating based on 70E or IEEE1584. I would love to know what what some of you guys think about which is the superior method.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
We may be talking apple and oranges. We're still in the 2005 and you only had to have the arc flash warning lables stating that proper PPE must be worn. The lables that tell you about the zones are not required here yet.
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
PPE and energy levels are required by NFPA 70E not the NEC, as far as OSHA is concerned the current "industry standards' are always in effect.
skeshesh
Senior Member
- Location
- Los Angeles, Ca
I'm not familiar with ESA, but I've used SKM. I think ETAP may have something available too. In any case, the software usually have an option as to which method of calculation to use. I was asking some who may have dealt with arc flash reduction design, etc. to comment on which method they perfer.
And how do you know what is "proper PPE" if the levels of incident energy are unknown?
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
Except that I don't inspect to 70E.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
I have no idea. I've been trying to get my bosses to send me to some classes, but with the budget cutbacks (training from $40K to $10K) I don't seem to really be getting anywhere.
Zog will usually jump in on a thread like this, I'm kind of surprised that we haven't heard from him.
skeshesh
Senior Member
- Location
- Los Angeles, Ca
Well the PPE class that's appropriate is based on how much incident energy is available which can vary a great deal at different points of a system. Arc flash labeling itself is not extremely complicated, where it gets messy is designing for reduction. I got a long long way to go untill I know how to pull something like that off, but my father's done projects on the industrial level where the design goal has been to reduce arc flash hazards as much as possible (to reduce cost of maintenance) and at the same time have coordinated protection with electronic relays so that a fault is isolated very quickly so it doesn't propogate through the system. It's definitly a topic I'm interested in but for now I need to learn a lot more basic stuff before I can move on to other things.
I'm still pretty new to the forum so I'm not familiar with Zog but I sure hope to hear from him if he's an expert.
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
There are no specifications for labels at all.
NFPA 70E recommends, but does not require, using ANSI Z535 for things like color, text size, and dedicated terminology.
ironman3452
Member
here we apply the label that states that if the dead front is removed while energized propper ppe will be worn.
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