Installing a breaker in a live panel

[zog]

Here is another accident for all those who think it is OK to install breakers in live panels to read, and read it twice if you need to

http://www.hss.energy.gov/csa/csp/aip/accidents/typea/Type_A_Electrical_Arc_SLAC_20041011.pdf

 

[Brian Oshman]

Wow, that must have been loud too. It was hard to imagine the BSL getting knocked off of his feet standing as it said three feet behind the BSE-1 until I saw the pictures and the flash pattern. That had to be a 6 foot ball of flames that shot out of that panel.

What a great reminder it is to never get complacent about safety. I think I will be turning the mains off from now on during any bolt on install.

 

[cornbread]

Appreciate the post. I know now what our next safety meeting will cover !!!!

 

[iwire]

Wow, that must have been loud too.

Turn your sound way up then click the link.

480 Volt 3-phase Arc Flash Demonstration

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

How many accidents are there we do not hear about? The consequences are not severe enough and the education is too limited to really make any substantial changes.
There are changes, but they are minimal and generally in larger facilities or companies.

One way to make this happen is to make the classes and CEUs mandatory and have severe fines levied to offenders, whether the offenders are employers or employees.

Otherwise we will be presented with plenty of links such as Zog and others have presented us with.

 

[roger]

Turn your sound way up then click the link.

480 Volt 3-phase Arc Flash Demonstration

Bob, what I find funny about that video is, that every time I see it I can actually smell the stench of burnt copper and metal that goes along with it.

Roger

 

[wawireguy]

The only way anything will change is if the EMPLOYER is the one severely fined. If the employer gets to blame the employee things are not going to change..

 

[cornbread]

The only way anything will change is if the EMPLOYER is the one severely fined. If the employer gets to blame the employee things are not going to change..

I disagree, both sides have to be responsible. Our management has bought into 70E, I'm finding more resistance on 70E from the electricians.

 

[cschmid]

interesting..

I was actually involved in an arc flash incident in the early 90's. I had no knowledge of arc flash training at that time. So the lack of knowledge is the real culprit here. I will not go into details on the incident but I lived and am still doing electrical work.

I hear all the time how it is just so simple been doing it that way for years. lets just get it done and quit it with all this unnecessary BS. I hear it all the time.

So if you want to change the way people think about it then you need to educate people in the hazards of it.

So until you have a educational system in place to show the importance of arc flash to your managers in training you are always going to have controversy over the extra procedures.

same goes for the residential industry without education on the hazards of home wiring you will have people planning on how to get by the inspector.

 

[LarryFine]

Bob, what I find funny about that video is, that every time I see it I can actually smell the stench of burnt copper and metal that goes along with it.

I can taste it in my teeth.