Preventing Arc Flash and electrocution

But as either kind of injury could be life-limiting or life-ending, specialist personal protective equipment (PPE) is also needed, especially in the case of Arc Flash incidents.

It's important that you ensure PPE protects workers from Arc Flash injuries in a number of ways. Each garment is rated according to the scale of Arc Flash incident energy it can protect from, indicating the level of protection the fabric and other component parts will provide. An Arc Flash study and risk assessment will recommend the appropriate cal-rating for the task a worker is completing

The protection provided by the fabrics should be inherent to them, not added afterwards via chemical treatment, so it can’t wash out or deteriorate over time. The garments should feature ThermSAFE fastenings, to ensure they will not melt in an Arc Flash incident, meaning, if necessary, workers can take off clothing to have injuries treated. Synthetic base layers, socks or underwear could melt on to the skin even without outer clothes setting on fire, so base layers and under-garments are also critical to protection and every garment should be FR/Arc rated.

For more information, visit www.progarm.com/arc-flash-protection/