Electrical Safety Flashcards
What is an arc flash protection boundary (FPB)?
It is the distance at which a worker is exposed to the specific level incident energy.
What is an arc flash?
It is an electrical current that passes through air between ungrounded conductors or between ungrounded and grounded conductors that produces high temperatures.
What are ark flash hazards?
They are dangerous conditions associated with the possibility of release of energy caused by an electrical arc.
*arc flash hazards are in every electrical system.
What are arc faults?
They are high power discharges of electrical energy that change into heat.
What happens during an arc flash event?
And arcing fault releases a huge amount of energy. Steel and copper can change from solid to vapor, creating an explosive pressure wave. The amount of energy released depends on the voltage, available fault current and clearing time of overcurrent protection devices.
What would happen to a person if they were exposed to an arc flash event?
They would likely receive severe burns, shrapnel embedded from the blast, temporary blindness and temporary hearing loss.
What is the document most referenced for electrical safety?
The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z462: Workplace Electrical Safety.
Arc Flash Hazard Analysis determines what?
The risk of personal injury as a result of exposure to incident energy from electrical arc flash.
What is a flash protection boundary?
It is an approach limit at a distance from exposed to live parts within which a person could receive a second-degree burn if an electrical arc flash were to occur.
What equation is an arc flash protection boundary (FPB) measured by?
1.2 calories/cm²
What is incident energy exposure?
It is the amount of thermal incident energy to which of workers face and chest could be exposed at working distance during an electrical arc event.
What is an arching fault current?
And arcing fault current results from the short-circuit or electrical contact between two conductors at different potentials in which the impedance or resistance between the conductors is essentially zero.
What is arc duration?
It is the total time it takes system protective devices (breakers, fuses) to detect and interrupt fault current.
What is the definition of a qualified person?
A qualified person is one who has the skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of the electrical equipment and installations and has receive sufficient training to recognize and avoid the hazards involved.
What are the three shock protection approach boundaries?
Limited approach boundary, restricted approach boundary and prohibited approach boundary.
How many hazard/risk category (HRC) levels are there? What are they numbered? In how many levels do you need to wear arc-rated PPE clothing?
5 levels numbered 0-4. Arc-rated PPE must be worn in levels 1 through 4.
What is one abnormal condition that can increase the risk of exposure to arc flash?
(Any 1) Hinged doors on energized equipment. Electrical equipment covers that are open. Over current conditions where the gap between conductors is compromised. Energized electrical equipment operating near flammable or conductive dusts.
Arc flash can be caused by a number of things, name four:
•Dust or conductive dust in electrical equipment •dropping tools inside of electrical equipment •accidental touching of electrical equipment •condensation in the electrical equipment •material failure •corrosion •faulty installation
What are the three factors that determine the severity of an arc flash injury?
- proximity of the worker to the hazard 2. temperature
3. time it takes the circuit to break
What are some negative effects from an arc flash?
- Burns from clothing burning onto skin
- fire
- flying objects such as molten metal
- blast pressure upwards of 9700 kg/m²
- A sound blast in which noise can reach 165 dB
- heat upwards of 20 000°C