Arc Flash Shield?

[Machiavelli999]

I work for a manufacturing client that is notorious for not wanting to shutdown its process equipment and hence does not want to shut down the distribution panels feeding this equipment. This causes a continual issue with the city that would like the panels to be shutdown for inspection when new loads are added.

As a compromise, the city suggested we provide a "an approved, calorie appropriate, clear arc flash shield that should be in place prior to inspector entering building". At first, I thought that that they meant a helmet and arc flash face shield. But no, this is apparently some sort of plexiglass wall that would allow the inspector to approach the panel with live parts exposed.

Does anyone have any clue what this inspector is referring to? I could not find any sort of product that would fit this description.

 

[John120/240]

Provided you can find a

"an approved, calorie appropriate, clear arc flash shield that should be in place prior to inspector entering building".

It sounds like Installation of this clear plexiglass shield is going to be done live. A clear violation

of NFPA 70E. A planned shut down is always perferable as opposed to a unplanned shut down.

Why not have the management yahoo whose idea this is do the installation.

 

[jxofaltrds]

Don't have 70E in front of me but the city is responsible to provide his PPE.

 

[jim dungar]

There is no such thing as a shield that will protect a worker from an arc flash incident, therefore PPE is required when inside the Arc Flash Boundary.

There are items that can be used to prevent contact with energized parts, which in turn may reduce the risk of an arc flash occuring.
But, it is unlikely any of them could be used as a 'deadfront' for an energized panel, as they probably are not of an equivalent construction as the factory cover.

 

[charlie b]

I attended a seminar on arc flash issues last year. I learned about a number of ways to reduce the arc flash energy or to mitigate its damaging effects. One method was to (essentially) hold up an umbrella between your body and the electrical equipment. OK, they were talking about a very robust umbrella. It was a portable shield, not something installed on the equipment, and its role would be to deflect the flashing arc around and away from your body. It had limited uses, given that you can't reach your hand around it to probe into the internals of the equipment. But perhaps this is the concept the city representative was trying to describe.

 

[JohnLafeber]

Infrared Windows

Infrared Windows

You can put IR Windows into panels and inspect them without opening the panel with an IR camera. Fluke and Flir sell them so does IRISS.