®

10 Steps of an Effective
ARC FLASH HAZARD
SAFETY PROGRAM
1 - Acknowledge
Become aware of arc flash hazard dangers through
industry events and resources such as the NFPA, IEEE,
trade publications, and EasyPower’s Arc Flash Hazard
Resource Center.
www.easypower.com/arc_flash

Image courtesy of Salisbury.

Arcing faults release dangerous levels of radiant heat
energy and arc blast pressure waves capable of caus-
ing severe, and possibly fatal, injuries.

2 - Evaluate
Developing and The OSHA General Duty Clause makes it clear that the
employer has an obligation to protect workers from
implementing an
known hazards. In addition, an effective Arc Flash and
arc flash hazard Electrical Safety Program can save millions of dollars
program that meets in losses from a single arc flash or shock event. Devel-
oping an economic benefit case will help you obtain
the requirements
management buy-in and funding.
of IEEE-1584, NFPA
The incurred costs can include:
70E, and OSHA
• Treatment for victims
Standard 29 is
• Legal defense fees
challenging. Meeting
• OSHA Fines
these requirements
• Lost worker productivity
on a constrained
• Workers’ compensation premium increases
budget and with
• Lost facility production/downtime
limited manpower
assets requires 3 - Define
proper planning Define specific and measurable goals. Determine the
and execution. gap between your current electrical safety program
and your goals. Develop an action plan, budget, and
time-line. Outline the steps necessary to provide
tangible safety improvements in your facility that will
comply with NFPA and OSHA Safety Standards.

EasyPower LLC | 7730 SW Mohawk St, Tualatin, OR 97062, USA | Tel. 503-655-5059 · Fax 503-655-5542 | www.EasyPower.com
These standards include: • Protective Device Coordination (IEEE-241,
• Up-to-Date Electrical Drawings (NFPA 70E NEC 230.208 et al.) required to ensure that
Article 120.2(F)(1), 205.2) used for planning all protective devices will operate properly
work, verifying voltages, alternate sources, on the available short circuit current in the
capacitor back feeds, etc. system.

• Short Circuit/Equipment Duty Analysis • Arc Flash Hazard Analysis

(210.3, 210.5) required to ensure all equip-
ment is properly rated to withstand and 4 - Analyze
interrupt the available short circuit current. Analyze your electrical power system to deter-
See also IEEE 551, 141. mine accurate Incident Energy, PPE Require-
ments, Flash Hazard Boundary, Shock Hazard,
and the Limited, Restricted and Prohibited
Approach Boundaries for Shock Hazard in accor-
dance with NFPA 70E Articles 130.1, and 130.3.
EasyPower® software will create
your one-line diagrams and
accurately perform the required
NFPA 70E calculations.

EasyPower LLC | 7730 SW Mohawk St, Tualatin, OR 97062, USA | Tel. 503-655-5059 · Fax 503-655-5542 | www.EasyPower.com
Arc flash hazard evaluation should include the 5 - Label
following steps: EasyPower recommends the use of high quality
A) Develop accurate one-lines that help UV resistant vinyl labels. ANSI Z535 compliant
workers identify equipment voltage levels, labels are required. Always label for the worst-
sources, tie breakers, and various system case conditions in the equipment (Switchboard,
configurations that impact hazard calcula- Motor Control Center, etc.) based on the arc flash
tions. These will also be used for planning hazard calculations (refer to Section 4 - Analyze),
purposes to determine back feeds and ener- then utilize Energized Work Permits to reduce
gized sources. Article 120.2(F)(1), 205.2 the energy and PPE requirements based on the
B) Field data collection of electrical equipment work task and a job hazard risk analysis. Article
name-plate parameters. These parameters in 110.7(F) and NEC 110.16
conjunction with the EasyPower® software
library provide a comprehensive model and 6 - PPE
database of the electrical system to perform PPE (personal pro­­­­
all types of analysis. tective equipment)
C) Perform short circuit and equipment duty is your last line of
calculations to ensure all equipment is prop- defense should an
erly rated to withstand and interrupt the accident occur; thus,
available short circuit current. Improperly the choice of ap-
rated equipment can result in catastrophic propriate PPE for the
failure. Article 210.3, 210.5, IEEE 551,141 hazards involved is
D) Perform protective device coordination essential. The evalu-
ation of PPE should Image courtesy of Salisbury.
(circuit breakers, fuses, protective relays,
etc.) to ensure that each device will operate be completed in
properly on the available bolted and arc- conjunction with
ing short circuit current. Proper protective an arc flash hazard
device selection and coordination (settings) study using EasyPower (refer to Section 4 - Ana-
will reduce arc flash hazards and worker ex- lyze). NFPA 70E contains several categories of
posure, increasing plant reliability. IEEE-241, PPE to address the hazards. Since it can be con-
NEC 230.208 et al. fusing and costly to obtain gear for protection in
each of these divisions, an arc flash hazard study
E) Perform arc flash hazard calculations based will help you manage PPE into a limited number
on IEEE-1584 or NFPA 70E formulas and of categories avoiding unnecessary confusion
guidelines. Worst-case calculations should and expense.
be determined for all equipment. Article
130.5
7 - Work Permits
F) Create labels from EasyPower to provide
Energized Work Permits are required by NFPA
Article 130.5(D) compliance and ensure
70E Article 130.1(A) for all energized work above
worst-case hazards are posted and visible
50 volts (except for diagnostics). Work Permits
for all equipment (refer to Section 5 - Label).
are a key aspect of NFPA 70E. They document
Article 130.5(D)
the safe work practices and procedures used,
EasyPower® software will create your one-line job briefing and planning, arc flash hazards,
diagrams, document the electrical system param- and the PPE requirements for the specific task.
eters, accurately perform the required 70E calcula- Work Permits require that management as well
tions, and evaluate options to reduce hazards and as the electricians sign-off that the job can be
risk to personnel. EasyPower’s detailed analysis performed safely. Work Permits help prevent un-
can prevent the mistakes of over or under pro- necessary risks and poor planning practices that
tection common to other methods of analysis, lead to accidents.
increasing electrical system reliability.

EasyPower LLC | 7730 SW Mohawk St, Tualatin, OR 97062, USA | Tel. 503-655-5059 · Fax 503-655-5542 | www.EasyPower.com
Energized Work Permits should take into consid- 9 - Training
eration: system operating conditions, the hazards All employees should receive training based on
involved, company work procedures and policies, an Electrical Safe Work Practices Document every
safety requirements, etc. They should be logged two years. Training should emphasize the major
electronically and backed-up to help ensure com- thought processes in working safely (i.e. training
pliance and avoid liability due to lost documenta- workers to evaluate each system/condition and
tion. EasyPower can do these tasks automatically making safe decisions). This is a key aspect in
as part of the Arc Flash Hazard Analysis (refer to building a safe work culture that prepares work-
Section 4 - Analyze). ers to handle emergency situations. Additional
types of training should also be considered for
8 - Safety Program potentially hazardous day-to-day activities in
Electrical safety is the heart of the NFPA 70E your facility. These are site specific and may
requirements and should be the goal of all com- include: removing and installing MCC buckets,
panies and their employees. Defining safe work feeder bus duct plug-ins, or racking in breakers.
practices, procedures, and providing adequate
documentation is essential in forming the basis 10 - System Maintenance
for a safety program and developing a safety cul- System maintenance (including cleaning, breaker
ture in your facility. Arc flash is one key aspect of testing, insulation testing, etc.) is an integral part
a safety program that should also include prac- of electrical safety. Equipment maintenance and
tices and procedures for lock-out/tag-out, shock testing helps ensure that the equipment will be
hazard, testing, tools, inspections, diagnostics, ready and operational to protect workers in the
PPE, and a host of other safe work practices docu- event of a hazard.
mented for reference. A proper electrical safety
program will be centered on a company’s Electri-
cal Safe Work Practices Document.

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EasyPower LLC | 7730 SW Mohawk St, Tualatin, OR 97062, USA | Tel. 503-655-5059 · Fax 503-655-5542 | www.EasyPower.com