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