Importance of Arc Flash Hazard Analysis and Mitigation in New Zealand

Arc flash is an undesirable discharge, which spreads through the air between conductors or the conductors to the ground.

An arc flash can cause potential hazards -major injuries, electric burns, and death, as well as other injuries such as blindness, hearing loss, nerve damage, and cardiac arrest.

How Can Arc Flash Disrupt Business?

The result is a powerful burst of energy. When the temperature reaches 20,000°C, the explosion will evaporate the switchgear components. Undoubtedly, the direct cost from this is very high. The indirect cost of production losses may be higher.

Things that Lead to Arc Flash Hazard:

• Human error and carelessness.
• Avoid using insulated tools.
• Excessive dust
• corrosion
• Incorrect installation or maintenance of switches and circuit breakers.
• Substandard parts used.
• Condensation, water, or other liquids near electrical equipment.

How Often Arc Flash Should be Assessed?

The arc risk assessment shall be reviewed every five years or whenever changes are made to the installation that may affect the test results.

What Can be Done to Avoid Arc Flash Hazards?

• Turn off the power to the equipment and evacuate personnel
• Understand the dangers and use low-risk techniques
• Redesign the electrical system and controls
• Strengthen safety training and risk awareness
• Create and implement reliable safety procedure

Arc Flash boundary: The external limit is the limit farthest from the power source. If an arc occurs, workers will be exposed to 1.2 calories per square centimeter (cal/cm2), which can cure second-degree burns. Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn to avoid secondary or multiple burns in the event of an arc flash.

Limited approach boundary: The distance between live parts with electrical hazards, where unqualified people can stand up safely. No untrained worker can approach this limit to energize.

Restricted approach boundary: Only qualified workers who have been trained and possess appropriate personal protective equipment can cross this restriction.

In addition, employees must have approved work permits and written work plans. The plan must include anti-collision measures to prevent all parts of the body from always crossing the prohibited work area.

How Care Labs Can Help?

Care Labs will provide a full study and analysis of arc flash hazards during the process

• Full assessment on site.
• Arc simulation.
• Equipment evaluation related to short-circuit current.
• Align the system with the detailed one-line diagram of the electrical model.

Care Labs provides quality services and/or will provide any services required by your work team, local electrical contractor, or engineering company. Our expertise has been widely recognized in the industry, and our professionals follow IEEE, NFPA, and IEC standards for performing arc flash analysis study.

Benefits of Performing Arc Flash Hazard Study & Analysis:

• Build a safer power system by applying NEC 110.16, OSHA, NFPA 70E, IEEE 1584, and NESC standards or requirements.
• Fully integrated short circuit, over-current, hardware evaluation, and arc evaluation modules can be used with clothing, protection, and bus-level libraries to save time.
• Provide a safer working environment by specifying the appropriate level of clothing. For obvious reasons, wearing inappropriate clothing is dangerous, but due to limited mobility and visibility, wearing too much clothing is dangerous.
• Evaluate alternatives quickly and easily to create the best design.
• Improve safety margin by user-defined arc resistance.
• Save time by automatically generating labels and work permits.
• Avoid possible fines, lost productivity, and higher insurance and litigation costs.

Arc Flash Guidelines in New Zealand:

• Complying with NFPA 70E
• IEEE Std 1584-2002, IEEE Standards for Performing Arc Hazard Calculations and IEEE Std. 1584a-2004 (Revision 1)
• NFPA 70E, 2015 Workplace Electrical Safety Standard
• New Zealand standard AS/NZS 4836:2011 – Safe working environment on or near electrical installations and equipment

The arc flash hazard from accidental contact with energized parts of electrical system can be life-threatening and can cause severe personal and financial loss. Companies should take extra effort to reduce the potential for an arc flash and implement solutions to eliminate arc flash hazards.  

Performing arc flash analysis is tedious. By hiring Care Labs electrical professional, will help you achieve necessary safety requirements and ensure that everything at your company is up to code and in line with state regulations.

Care Labs offers its services across New Zealand including Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Otago. Book your arc flash hazard analysis or get a quote today!

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Electrical Engineer, Care Labs