Tuesday, 15. March 2016

3 years of Arc Flash Study - Some observations

Keywords: Arc Flash & Electric Shock Study, Benefits, Field Work Observations

GREx participated on February 25, 2016 at the 2016 “Fire Safety Asia” Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with a presentation on “Arc Flash & Electric Shock Study – Introduction and Approach”.

The presentation covered besides the introduction into Arc Flash, fire statistics (electricity), reasons to carry out such Studies, how they are performed, main benefits and last not least field experiences (observations). The following briefly describes observations during field work and the main benefits.

 

Observations:

       Electrical Safety is taken for granted
Misconception: “They know what they are doing!”

       Electrical Safety, an obstacle to generate planned revenue?

       State of Electrical Installations is usually worse than anticipated, due to lack of proper maintenance, lack of or inadequate use of SOPs, understaffing,

       Training and knowledge of technical staff is often insufficient, does not reflect state-of-the-art

       Documentation ranges from flawed with gaps to not existing

       PPE availability ranges from non-approved to  not existing

       Outsourcing of services without proper supervision leads to decreasing level of maintenance and increase of malfunctions

Benefits:

       Reducing probability and severity of incidents

       Increasing reliability of electrical distribution systems

       Saving costs

      Less maintenance costs

      Less lost working hours

      Less property damage

      Less consequential financial loss

      Less fines / penalties

      Less insurance premium (worker’s comp / property / etc.)

       Updates all relevant information (as-built SLDs)

       Results often in less PPE, as common tables are more conservative

       Data can be utilized for other purposes (e.g. load profiling) 

       Compliance with International Standards (legal requirement, supply chain issues)

       Last not least indicates the state of the power distribution system