safety

[puckman]

My company has a 3000amp 480v service and since we have a ewsp the company has determined that we use a level 2 ppe . I do not see any labels on any of our many mcc. Could this level of ppe be correct and would this or could this be nfpa 70e or would it be a company safety program.

 

[jim dungar]

Labels were not required prior to the 2009 edition of NFPA 70E. You are now required to label equipment with either the PPE or the incident energy.

I always encourage an actual arc flash study be performed. There are too many 'ifs' to blindly use the task tables and other short cuts. The information required to answer all of the 'ifs' (i.e. amount of fault current and clearing times of protective devices) puts you about 80% of the way through a full study.

 

[zog]

My company has a 3000amp 480v service and since we have a ewsp the company has determined that we use a level 2 ppe . I do not see any labels on any of our many mcc. Could this level of ppe be correct and would this or could this be nfpa 70e or would it be a company safety program.

70E tells you what to do. Like Jim said, either the PPE requirements or the Ei needs to be labeled on not only your main service but your MCC's too. We cannot answer your question on the right PPE with the info you provided, but I doibt it is correct. Did your company do a study or are they using the tables? If tables, what task is HRC 2 based on? Many tasks in that catagory require HRC 4, and with a 3000A service chances are you are ouside the limits of the tables anyhow.

Sounds like your company has tried to take an easy way out and made a lot of assumptions that could get someone hurt. Either that or you are giving us incomplete info.

 

[wtucker]

NFPA 70E notwithstanding, NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, has had enforceable (depending on where you are) labeling requirements at Art. 110.16 since 2002, but it covers new construction; doesn't mandate retrofit.

 

[jim dungar]

The NEC requirement has never required any meaningful data be included on the 'arc flash label'.

 

[wtucker]

The NEC requirement has never required any meaningful data be included on the 'arc flash label'.

Agreed. But the NEC requirement is exactly that: a requirement--IF the NEC has been adopted as a regulation, such as a building code. Compliance with 70E is a good idea, and should be part of any company's safety program, but is not required by OSHA, even though OSHA regulations have been based, in part, on earlier editions of 70E. 70E-2000 and 2004 are mentioned in nonmandatory Appendix A of Subpart S of the General Industry Standards as being "helpful in understanding and complying with Subpart S," but OSHA stopped short of incorporating 70E by reference, and stated its reasons for doing so when Subpart S was revised recently.

 

[puckman]

We had 70e training today and maintenance men and electricians were group together and I have to say it was boring and slow . We were given hand outs with the tables from 70e but 2 tasks were left out of the reproduction. Pointed this 1 task was an hrc 4 removal of bolted cover to expose energized bare conductors and circuit parts. Seems they want two keep everything down two a level 2*. I think if a 480v cb panel with a bolted cover is removed there are exposed energized electrical circuit parts. Is this correct ?
Also the company is using 480v as there limit to voltage to be worked on. This does not sound as 70e , it sounds more like a company safety plan. We have a 4000a 480v service , 6- 500kva transformers with 13.2 primary power and with a 1750 kw bu generator. Do we have to comply and do a complete anaylis ? Thanks for any info on this.

 

[jim dungar]

70E allows your company to chose the equipment and HRC that you are allowed to work on.

When you bring in outside contractors to work on the other equipment, it is your employers responsibility to see that they are aware of, and have PPE for, the hazards in your facility.

 

[zog]

We had 70e training today and maintenance men and electricians were group together and I have to say it was boring and slow . We were given hand outs with the tables from 70e but 2 tasks were left out of the reproduction.

I bet they ommited the note that tell you when you can use the tables too.

Pointed this 1 task was an hrc 4 removal of bolted cover to expose energized bare conductors and circuit parts. Seems they want two keep everything down two a level 2*.

Thats not up tp them, they can limit what HRC you work on but they can't choose what the HRC for a given task is, that is determined by your system. All racking operations are HRC 4 so how are you expected to ever rack out or in breakers?

I think if a 480v cb panel with a bolted cover is removed there are exposed energized electrical circuit parts. Is this correct ?

Yes that is correct, if you are within the limits of the tables, which from the sounds of it you are not.

Also the company is using 480v as there limit to voltage to be worked on. This does not sound as 70e , it sounds more like a company safety plan.

Right

We have a 4000a 480v service , 6- 500kva transformers with 13.2 primary power and with a 1750 kw bu generator. Do we have to comply and do a complete anaylis ? Thanks for any info on this.

Your system needs to be within the limits of the tables, it sounds like it is not (Need to know more to be sure), if you are outside the limits of the tables you are required to conduct an arc flash analysis. 130.7 (C)(9)