MECHANICAL ELECTRICAL PLUMBING POWER AN ENGINEERING SOLUTION CENTER
ELECTRICAL SAFETY Fewer Hazards Mean Better Business
A Strategic Direction Report Prepared by West Plains Engineering, Inc.
August 2017
westplainsengineering.com
CONTENTS
About the Author
O3 O4 O5 12 13
The Introduction Assembling the Puzzle The Issue Creating a Culture of Safety The Approach Where to Begin to Get to the End The Take Away Engineering’s Impact
Works Cited
Todd Weidner is a Principal Electrical Engineer and Manager of the Electrical Specialties Division. Todd has been with West Plains more than 15 years, recently turning his focus to electrical studies and energy audits in support of a variety of clients in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa and Minnesota. Also a Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional (CESCP)and Registered Communications Design Engineer (RCDD), Todd is based out of our Sioux Falls office. todd.weidner@westplainsengineering.com
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Don’t Wait for a Close Call
Electricity is an ingrained part of our modern world and essential to a productive workplace. But businesses can’t wait until someone on their team has a “close call” to talk about electrical safety.
For generations, workers were expected to take sole responsibility for their own well-being on the job site – whether that was on a manufacturing assembly line, in a mine or elsewhere. Fortunately, today, the risks associated with many jobs are shared between employer and employee. As partners, each has a stronger understanding of the dangers, and by working together – a greater chance at defraying them.
When it comes to electrical safety, the team becomes even larger. There are a number of resources and experts to help avoid costly, sometimes deadly, electrical accidents. By working with licensed electrical contractors, engineers and professional trainers, the workplace can be further safeguarded against “close calls” or worse. But it’s important to have the conversation now.
Mineral Technologies/ American Colloid MTI/American Colloid develops specialty mineral, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products. Like most industrial operations, their various facilities were made up of different systems and ages, and have been renovated many times. This made accurate 1-lines difficult, if not impossible, to maintain. But by performing a complete arc flash analysis of each facility, they now have not only accurate 1-lines, but confidence in their system’s performance and safety.
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The Issue It’s a safe bet that every person reading this has had an electrical shock at some point in his or her life. Whether it was something as accidental as touching a metal door handle after walking across the carpet in socks, or as direct (and ill-advised might we add) as accepting a buddy’s dare to touch the electric cattle fence – we’ve all experienced that jolt. Lucky for us, the shock we felt was minor and relatively harmless... albeit quite uncomfortable. Now, take that discomfort and multiply it more than a hundred times over, and you get some idea of how it feels to experience an incident energy event.
on the job site – whether that’s in an office cubicle or a manufacturing floor. Company’s have developed processes and procedures to reduce employee hazards, while advocates like OSHA are in place to assure compliance.
In the United States, one person is electrocuted in the workplace nearly every day (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). That means at least one person, each day, is exposed to an electric current on the job that results in painful shock, loss of muscle control, possible respiratory and/or cardiac arrest, nerve damage, severe burns – and even death.
We’ll talk briefly about each in the following pages, while focusing in depth on Risk Assessment & Training. A major tool in assessing risks are electrical studies and their resulting mitigation strategies. When supported with appropriate staff training, these tools can reduce the hazards involved in working with electrical equipment and more importantly, improve worker safety and confidence.
For it’s part, electrical safety ultimately hinges on a strict, well-rehearsed facility-level safety plan that addresses risk assessment, project preparation, safety auditing, training and qualification review, and understanding work involving electrical hazards.
Electricity is an ingrained part of our modern world and essential to a productive workplace. But no employee should ever work in fear of unsafe conditions. Fortunately, today’s corporate culture puts an emphasis on improving safety
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The Approach
1 Planning 2 Risk Assessment 3 Training
Planning
1
An electrical safety program is anything but “one size fits all”. Each company and facility must carefully analyze the hazards present to their personnel and construct a plan for implementing appropriate, manageable, effective safeguards. Areas to consider include: Risk Assessment: Risk assessment involves identifying hazards, assessing risks and implementing risk control. The key here is to involve employees in this process. Once they understand the big picture, they are more likely to buy-in and follow protocols. Every facility is different and contains many unique risks, which means there is no set road map. However, comprehensive analysis of electrical systems, such as those discussed in the following pages, is a great place to start. Job Briefings: A briefing should be held before each project to identify the person in charge, hazards involved, work procedures and the Personal Protective Equipment required. More information on PPE is available on Page 10. Auditing: Companies should audit their program every three (3) years for compliance, and audit the field work every year to ensure staff is performing work safely and correctly. An outdated program or one that isn’t practiced by staff is ineffective and costly. Training: Employees must be trained on the specific hazards, work practices and procedures put in place for their safety. They need to understand the relationship between hazards and possible injury in order to respect the situation and dangers involved. Training types should involve both classroom instruction and on-the-job education.
Greater Hazard Interruption of life support and/or emergency alarm
Emergency response training is vital as well. All employees should know CPR, first aid and AED usage. Each should also understand shock hazards and how to safely release someone who is locked on – using a non-metal object to pry them off instead of grabbing them and being shocked as well. Details on the specific subject matter and degree of training required for compliance is covered on Page 11.
Shutdown hazardous location ventilation
Qualified Person: Certain staff are trained and capable of performing given tasks (Ex: verification of the opening of a disconnect –how many blades are there 3 or 6? There are 6: 3 main blades and 3 arc chute blades.)
Infeasibility
When inspecting, staff need to know the construction and operation of the equipment they are working on to identify/avoid the hazards. Not everyone is trained to work on every piece of equipment, particularly since each manufacturer might have a different construction and operation method.
Test, voltage measuring, amp reading, equipment start-up, integral part of continuous process. This is a key statement because these items are likely to be a part of every motor in the facility.
Work Involving Electrical Hazards: There will be times when working on energized equipment is justified. Each facility should have a plan in place that dictates terms such as circumstances that could present a greater hazard to life if electrical systems were de-energized, if the process is simply infeasible or if the current is less than 50 volts.
< 50Volts NFPA 70-E
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The Approach
1 Planning 2 Risk Assessment 3 Training
Risk Assessment
2
In order to implement an effective safety program, you first have to understand what risks exist. There are any number of processes and procedures for assessing and preventing electrical risk. Studies, such as infrared thermography, protective device coordination and arc flash, have proven to be some of the most effective and actionable approaches. Of these, arc flash (or incident energy) analyses have become increasingly more popular as a reliable and important safety initiative for many companies. In fact, since creating our Electrical Specialties Division in 2013, West Plains Engineering has performed an increasing number of arc flash assessments across the various industries in the Upper Midwest, including military, commercial, manufacturing, government and education. Understanding the Danger An arc, by definition, is an unintended electric current through the air. An arc flash, or incident energy, event can result in a number of hazards to human life (Sargent and Fontaine): • Thermal Radiation – Temperatures up to 35,000 degrees F. • Intense Light – Damage to vision. • Pressure Waves – Collapse lungs and/or knock you off your feet. • High Decibel Sound Waves – Damage to hearing • Shrapnel – Pieces of metal sent flying If this current comes in direct contact with a human body, the result is an electric shock. The degree of the shock depends on the current, but anything over 1 milliampere can be felt – and anything beyond 5 milliamperes can cause pain and injury. The type and degree of incident energy events an arc flash assessment evaluates and strives to reduce can typically cause extreme pain, severe burns and death.
NFPA 70-E
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The Approach
MIDCO MIDCO is one of the largest and most highly diversified communications and network providers in the Upper Midwest – with more than 150 locations in nearly half a dozen states and hundreds of employees. This sheer size and geographic diversity is part of what makes MIDCO’s dedication to safety so impressive. In fact, across all of its sites, MIDCO routinely addresses the critical process of review, analysis, mitigation and education that is at the heart of electrical safety.
2
Why Arc Flash? Clearly, the justification behind performing a comprehensive arc flash assessment in any building structure is simple: safety. Not surprisingly, many companies choose to perform incident energy analyses because it’s the right thing to do. They genuinely care about their employees and want to know that the utmost has been done to assure their safety on the job. But it also comes as no surprise that employers are actually required by federal regulation to assess workplace risks, measure potential electrical arcs and equipment ratings needed, and provide PPE necessary to protect against risk. Federal regulators like OSHA perform routine audits for compliance, and a failure to meet standards is a serious offense. This leads to yet another driver behind arc flash studies – fiscal responsibility. National statistics show that a single arc flash incident can cost a company between $12-15 million (“Program of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health”), which includes: • Medical Expenses (Average cost of medical treatment for one survivor is $1.5 million) • Lost Productivity of the Worker • Equipment/Facility Down Time • Equipment Replacement • Insurance Complications • Fines and Fees • Litigation
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A single arc flash incident can cost a company between $12-15 million...
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1 Planning 2 Risk Assessment 3 Training
Risk Assessment
OSHA fines can reach or exceed $400,000 alone for failing to comply with electrical safety regulations (“29 CFR 1910 OSHA General Industry Regulations”). Furthermore, any non-compliant company that has an employee injured or killed from an arc flash accident is also subject to major third party lawsuits due to their failure to properly label hazards, provide proper PPE and educate workers. In fact, recently building and business owners have personally been found negligent in some electrical accidents above and beyond the responsibility of the company itself (“29 CFR 1910 OSHA General Industry Regulations”).
As a company, it’s clear MIDCO recognizes and values the techniques and training available to the industry to prevent capital losses and, more importantly, harm to employees.
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The Approach
1 Planning 2 Risk Assessment 3 Training
Just to Name a Few.... ADP Amega West American Water Capitol One CHS, Inc. City of Bismarck, ND City of Sioux City, IA Cloverleaf Cold Storage Crow Butte Resources DaPro Rendering Plant Electrical Testing Solutions Eureka Hospital Farmland Foods Homestake Mine/Barrick Gold Mine Michael’s Foods MIDCO Mountain View Regional Hospital Northwest Iowa Community College Northwest Rural Public Power District Red River Energy Roosevelt Pulic Power District RPM & Associates, Inc. Shine Brothers/TJN Enterprises South Dakota State University Terex Truxedo University of South Dakota
Risk Assessment
2
Where to Begin The best way to protect both workers and the financial wellbeing for any company is to perform a comprehensive arc flash assessment of all relevant systems every five (5) years (Sargent and Fontaine). This not only meets industry regulations (thus protecting against legal action), but also provides relative peace of mind that workers are safe. There are a number of companies that offer arc flash assessments at varying degrees, but not all of these provide a comprehensive, compliant service. To assure the quality and accuracy of reporting, arc flash assessments should be completed by a licensed and registered professional electrical engineer. The “practice of engineering” is governed and regulated in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The language and specifics of this regulation vary somewhat depending on state laws and board rules, but the bottom line is that it is unlawful to practice engineering or use the title of engineer unless an individual is authorized by the state board that governs the practice. By definition, this practice states that any engineering analysis must be performed by a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.), and as arc flash assessments fall under this recognized type of analysis – a professional engineer should conduct, review and report on the study. Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) Licensed in the State where the Study is Performed Full-Time Employee or other Principal of the Firm Represented Arc flash assessments aren’t reserved for large industrial companies and utility services. In fact, arc flash analysis is recommended on all facilities other than dwelling units. Some facility types with ongoing electrical work, and are of a critical nature, find the analysis helpful and also have a desire to comply with the NFPA 70E standards.
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The Approach
1 Planning 2 Risk Assessment 3 Training
Risk Assessment
2
Analysis & Reporting Understanding the reasoning behind performing an arc flash assessment is critical, but it’s also helpful to know exactly how the study works – essentially, what you’re getting for your money. There are two stages of an assessment: Analysis & Reporting and Risk Control or Mitigation. The Analysis phase includes two major components: data collection and software modeling. Site data collection involves the gathering of all necessary data for analysis, possibly performing an infrared thermography review and evaluating equipment for code violations. This stage is typically performed by a licensed electrical contractor or individual with equivalent experience, as it involves the opening of electrical equipment. In the software modeling phase, the engineer takes the collected data and performs short circuit calculations to identify the magnitude of short-circuit current at each point, as well as a coordination study. An arc flash energy, or incident energy calculation, will be performed considering the available amount of short circuit and the electrical coordination provided by the protection of the system. Finally, incident energy is calculated for arc flash working distance for each bus or point (“1584-2002 IEEE Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations”). All of the collected site data and software modeling calculations are compiled into a comprehensive Report for the client. This report will include recommendations for system design adjustments in order to optimize the results of the study as it relates to safety and reliability. It’s the findings from this critical report that lead to the next stage of the assessment – Mitigation Strategies.
Barrick Goldstrike Mines When Barrick Goldstrike Mines, Inc., needed an arc flash and infrared thermography study at the Homestake Mine in Lead, S.D., there was certainly an important task ahead. Our professional engineers were able to spend a week at the site’s water treatment plants with a local electrical contractor. After comprehensive data collection, a findings report, and mitigation strategies were presented to Barrick’s operations team for review and implementation.
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The Approach
1 Planning 2 Risk Assessment 3 Training
Risk Assessment
2
Mitigation Labeling A key result of the Analysis & Reporting stage are arc flash labels. Once the incident energy has been calculated for arc flash working distance, these labels are prepared per NFPA 70E 2015 standards and applied to the respective points. The labels include important information that enables the working personnel to understand the arc flash risk in the system and wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to prevent injury. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Any personnel working around electrical hazards is required by federal regulations to wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This includes not only garments, but ropes, insulated tools, ladders, shields, covers, guards, alerting techniques, etc. The obvious is the wearable gear: hard hat/face shield, Fire Rated clothing, shock resistant gloves, hearing protection, safety goggles. All these things require maintenance/laundering, inspection and some certification. The type and degree of PPE an individual wears is determined by the incident energy levels identified in the work environment and the dangers they present (see chart below). The labels applied as a result of the arc flash analysis communicate to personnel which level of PPE is appropriate at all times. This resource, coupled with the training the individual should have received on electrical safety, sets the stage for their safety on the job site.
PPE Classifications
Required Minimum Arc Rating of PPE (cal/cm2)
Typical Clothing Description
ARC
FR shirt and FR pants/coveralls Faceshield/Hardhat One (1) layer natural fiber underlayer allowed
ARC
4
1 2
FR shirt and FR pants/coveralls (1-2 layers) Faceshield/Hardhat with balaclava
ARC
Arc Rated Category
3
FR shirt and FR pants/coveralls + FR covers or two(2) FR coveralls (2-3 layers) with arc flash hood
ARC
The current version of NFPA-70E uses the classification standard of Arc Rated PPE Categories. Each category encompasses range of calculated cal/cm2.
4
FR shirt and FR pants/coveralls + multilayer flash suit (3 or more layers) with arc flash hood
8 25 40
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The Approach
1 Planning 2 Risk Assessment 3 Training
Training
3
Personnel training and education is the final key piece of the safety puzzle. Reviewing, analyzing and upgrading equipment and systems is as important as ever – but educating the men and women who use them is simply too critical to be ignored. Training should be provided by a Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional (CESCP), who has the knowledge to provide the NFPA 70E education these workers need. At the end of training, a person should be able to identify electrical hazards, know which safety equipment to use in various situations and how to maintain electrical safety equipment. Specifically, the training should cover: Identification and understanding of electrical hazards OSHA Safety Standards (including CFR1910) NFPA-70E Safety Requirements Protection against electrical hazards, including lockout/tagout and personal protective equipment (“PPE”) Selection of protective clothing and PPE NFPA 70E Essentials The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), requires a workplace free from recognized hazards (“29 CFR 1910 OSHA General Industry Regulations”). OSHA recognizes NFPA 70E as the standard to following for the elements of a safety program:
1 Maintenance
2 Awareness & Self Discipline 3 Principles, Controls & Procedures Emphasize self discipline Instill safety principles & controls
Annex E of NFPA 70E is a great resource
Electrical Safe Work Conditions Electrical safety work condition is defined as a state in which an electrical conductor or circuit part has been disconnected from energized parts, locked/tagged in accordance with established standards, tested to ensure the absence of voltage and grounded if determined necessary. To verify that these steps have been followed (Sargent and Fontaine): • Determine all possible sources from as-built drawings (generators are also a source) • Interrupt the load current and open disconnected • Visually verify opening of contacts where possible. • Apply lockout/tagged devices • Confirm de-energization o Test Phase – phase & phase-ground o Test Voltage and confirm operation of test instrument before and after each test • Apply temporary protective grounding equipment where necessary 11 | westplainsengineering.com
The Take Away When it comes to electrical safety, the old adage of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” simply won’t work. Waiting for a “close-call” or some other reportable incident is an extremely risky strategy and one that could lead to injury, code violations and financial loss for the company and it’s ownership. The good news is that there are tools available to help businesses of any shape and size review their existing electrical systems and create cost-effective solutions. Risk assessment, including a complete arc flash analysis, followed by mitigation strategies, employee education and system design improvement will affect not only the well-being of valuable team members, but also the bottom line of the company. One mitigation technique engineers can use is the Time Current Curve or TCC. The image below shows breakers that are properly coorindated so the fastest clearing times are provided and the closest breaker to the fault opens.
The key is to find what works for each individual business, right down to the facility level. The right combination of electrical contractors, engineers and safety trainers can be a valuable asset in auditing, developing and maintaining a custom safety program. A good partner will continue to work with that business to develop processes for their program to be readily adopted, implemented and reviewed over time. After all, the electricity that powers the modern world isn’t going anywhere – but the dangers around it can. The West Plains Difference With more than 50 employees across five states, and an entire division devoted to electrical assessments, West Plains has the technical resources and expertise to perform complete electrical studies and training. Todd Weidner, P.E., CESCP, RCDD, is a 28-year professional engineer and a Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional, who has performed dozens of analyses on sites across the Upper Midwest. Todd works with corporate and facilities personnel to bring these locations into complete compliance by executing the full gamut of electrical study services. Daren Beckloff, P.E., is located in our Rapid City office and has been a consulting engineer for more than 20 years. Daren joined WPE in 2006, and has worked with companies across the region to perform arc flash and other safety studies, particularly as they relate to medium to high voltage systems. For more information on our firm’s detailed approach to electrical safety analysis and training, call any of our five regional offices and ask to speak with an office manager. Rapid City: Sioux Falls: Bismarck: Casper: Cedar Rapids:
(605) 348-7455 (605) 362-3753 (701) 751-7322 (307) 234-9484 (319) 365-0030
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Works Cited 1584-2002 IEEE Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations. IEEE / Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Incorporated, 2002. Sargent, S. Jeffrey., and Michael Fontaine. 2012 NFPA 70 E Handbook for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. National Fire Protection Association, 2012. “U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov/. United States, Congress, “29 CFR 1910 OSHA General Industry Regulations: Including Part 1903- Inspections, Citations, and Proposed Penalties: Part 1904- Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses: Part 1910- General Industry: Part 1928- Occupational Safety and Health Standards for Agriculture: Letters of Interpretation: Addendum Including: General Duty Clause, SIC Division Structure, Most Common Standards Cited, Safety and Health Management Guidelines, Multi-Employer Citation Policy, NAICS Codes, Sharps Injury Log, OSHA Office Directory, OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301, Injuries and Illnesses Incidence Rates, It’s the Law? Mandatory Posting, OSHA Instruction Std 1-11.6A.” 29 CFR 1910 OSHA General Industry Regulations: Including Part 1903- Inspections, Citations, and Proposed Penalties: Part 1904- Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses: Part 1910- General Industry: Part 1928- Occupational Safety and Health Standards for Agriculture: Letters of Interpretation: Addendum Including: General Duty Clause, SIC Division Structure, Most Common Standards Cited, Safety and Health Management Guidelines, Multi-Employer Citation Policy, NAICS Codes, Sharps Injury Log, OSHA Office Directory, OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301, Injuries and Illnesses Incidence Rates, It’s the Law? Mandatory Posting, OSHA Instruction Std 1-11.6A, Mancomm/Mangan Communications, 2009. United States, Congress, “Program of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.” Program of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, The Institute.
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