rick hart
Senior Member
- Location
- Dallas Texas
single phase branch circuit = 2nd degree burns on hands
single phase branch circuit = 2nd degree burns on hands
You can never tell what the arc hazard is unless there is an analysis of the hazard at the specific location. That is why PPE is required around electricity to what might seem excessive limits to some. Electricity is a highly toxic substance and it does not even require a MSDS.
Recently a highly qualified elecrician- if you only consider his years of experience- was burned on his hands as the cover was removed over the T-stat of an electric water heater. He was troubleshooting because it was not heating water very well. The elements were 10kw 277V single phase-an oddball configuration to say the least. The resulting flash opened a 1200A circuit breaker on Ground Fault. PPE along the lines of just leather work gloves would have sent him home that day instead of the burn center.
DuPont did a study (and I am recalling this from memory) where for every 300,000 unsafe acts, such as working energized, one death will occur. Injuries that the workers suffered grew proportionatly from that base. Understanding the hazards electricians face for six weeks is often better than signing the back of a paycheck for 30 years but being oblivious to the hazards because you have not had your fateful trip to the burn unit.
The point is electricians are cultural animals that will continue to do the same thing the way the old timers did it until the culture changes. That is what 70E is all about-changing the electrical culture into an electrical safety culture.
What some call scare tactics, others call redemption. The more I learn today about shock,arc flash and blast, the more I wonder how I survived the old culture going back to my entry into the trade in 1973.
single phase branch circuit = 2nd degree burns on hands
You can never tell what the arc hazard is unless there is an analysis of the hazard at the specific location. That is why PPE is required around electricity to what might seem excessive limits to some. Electricity is a highly toxic substance and it does not even require a MSDS.
Recently a highly qualified elecrician- if you only consider his years of experience- was burned on his hands as the cover was removed over the T-stat of an electric water heater. He was troubleshooting because it was not heating water very well. The elements were 10kw 277V single phase-an oddball configuration to say the least. The resulting flash opened a 1200A circuit breaker on Ground Fault. PPE along the lines of just leather work gloves would have sent him home that day instead of the burn center.
DuPont did a study (and I am recalling this from memory) where for every 300,000 unsafe acts, such as working energized, one death will occur. Injuries that the workers suffered grew proportionatly from that base. Understanding the hazards electricians face for six weeks is often better than signing the back of a paycheck for 30 years but being oblivious to the hazards because you have not had your fateful trip to the burn unit.
The point is electricians are cultural animals that will continue to do the same thing the way the old timers did it until the culture changes. That is what 70E is all about-changing the electrical culture into an electrical safety culture.
What some call scare tactics, others call redemption. The more I learn today about shock,arc flash and blast, the more I wonder how I survived the old culture going back to my entry into the trade in 1973.
