Safety BASICs

TM
2004 Cooper Bussmann 2004 Cooper Bussmann
Bussmann

Awareness of Safety Issues Campaign

Electrical Hazards
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Electrical Hazards
What are the hazards as you approach
electrical equipment to perform work?
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Electrical Hazards
Shock
Arc flash
Heat
Fire
Arc blast
Pressure
Shrapnel
Sound
Example of an arcing fault
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I = V / Z

What happens with shock?

What happens when there is a fault?

What is the difference between a short-
circuit and an arcing fault?
Basic Electrical Theory
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Electric Shock
Over 30,000 non-fatal electrical shock
accidents occur each year
Over 600 people die from electrocution
each year
Electrocution remains the fourth (4th)
highest cause of industrial fatalities
Most injuries and deaths could be
avoided
2004 Cooper Bussmann
Human Resistance Values
Resistance (ohms)
Condition Dry Wet
Finger touch 40,000 to 1,000,000 4,000 to 15,000
Hand holding wire 15,000 to 50,000 3,000 to 6,000
Finger-thumb grasp 10,000 to 30,000 2,000 to 5,000
Hand holding pliers 5,000 to 10,000 1,000 to 3,000
Palm touch 3,000 to 8,000 1,000 to 2,000
Hand around 1-1/2 inch pipe 1,000 to 3,000 500 to 1,500
Two hands around 1-1/2 inch pipe 500 to 1,500 250 to 750
Hand immersed 200 to 500
Foot immersed 100 to 300
Human body, internal, excluding
skin
200 to 1,000
This table was compiled from data developed by Kouwenhoven and Milnor.
2004 Cooper Bussmann
Electric Shock
Human body resistance (hand to hand)
across the body is about 1000 W

Ohms law: I = V / R amps
= 480 volts / 1000 W
= 0.48 amps (480 mA)

Product safety standards

consider 5 mA
to be the safe upper limit for children
and adults

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Electric Shock
mA Affect on person
0.5 - 3 - Tingling sensations
3 - 10 - Muscle contractions and pain
10 - 40 - Let-go threshold
30 - 75 - Respiratory paralysis
100 - 200 - Ventricular fibrillation
200 - 500 - Heart clamps tight
1500 + - Tissue and organs start to burn
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Electric Current Pathways
(A) Touch Potential (B) Step Potential (C and D) Touch / Step Potential
Current passing through the heart and lungs is the most serious
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Electric Shock Injury
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Arc Flash
As much as 80% of all electrical injuries are
burns resulting from an arc-flash and ignition
of flammable clothing

Arc temperature can reach 35,000F - this is
four times hotter than the surface of the sun
Fatal burns can occur at distances over 10 ft

Over 2000 people are admitted into burn
centers each year with severe electrical burns

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Arc Blast
An arc fault develops a pressure wave
Sources of this blast include:
Copper expands 67,000 times its original volume
when vaporized
Heat from the arc, causes air to expand, in the
same way that thunder is created from a lightning
strike
This may result in a violent explosion of circuit
components and thrown shrapnel
The blast can destroy structures, knock workers
from ladders, or across the room

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Bolted
Short Circuit
A B
Arcing
Fault
A B
Current
Thru Air
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Electric Arc
Copper Vapor:
Solid to Vapor
Expands by
67,000 times


Intense Light
Hot Air-Rapid Expansion
35,000 F
Pressure Waves
Sound Waves
Molten Metal
Shrapnel
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Personnel Hazards Associated
With Arc Flash & Arc Blast
Heat burns & ignition of material
Arc temperature of 35,000
o
F
Molten metal, copper vapor, heated air
Second degree burn threshold:
80
o
C / 175
o
F (0.1 sec), 2
nd
degree burn
Third degree burn threshold:
96
o
C / 205
o
F (0.1 sec), 3
rd
degree burn
Intense light
Eye damage, cataracts
2004 Cooper Bussmann
Pressures from expansion of metals &
air
Eardrum rupture threshold:
720 lbs/ft
2
Lung damage threshold:
1728 - 2160 lbs/ft
2
Shrapnel
Flung across room or from
ladder/bucket
Personnel Hazards Associated
With Arc Flash & Arc Blast
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Flash protection boundaries and
incident energy exposure calculations
both dependent upon:

Duration of arc-fault or time to clear
Speed of the overcurrent protective
device

Arc-fault current magnitude
Available fault current
Current-limitation can reduce

Overcurrent Protection Role
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IEEE / PCIC & NFPA 70E
Ad Hoc Safety Subcommittee
Users
Consultants
Manufacturers
Medical experts

Following are some of the tests run
All of the devices used for this testing were
applied according to their listed ratings

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IEEE / PCIC Staged Arc Flash Test
Set-up
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22.6 KA Symmetrical
Available Fault Current
@ 480V, 3 Phase
Fault Initiated on
Line Side of 30A
Fuse
30A RK-1
Current Limiting Fuse
Size 1 Starter
Test No. 4
6 cycle STD

640A OCPD
Non Current Limiting
with Short Time Delay
Set @ 6 cycle opening
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Test 4 Still Photo
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Test 4 Still Photo
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Test 4 Still Photo
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Test 4 Still Photo
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Test 4 Still Photo
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Test 4 Still Photo
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Test 4 Still Photo
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>225
o
C/437
o
F
>225
o
C/
437
o
F
Results: Test No.4
T1
T2
P1
T3
Sound
141.5 db @ 2 ft.
50
o
C/122
o
F
>2160 lbs/ft
2

> Indicates Meter Pegged
2004 Cooper Bussmann
22.6 KA Symmetrical
Available Fault Current
@ 480V, 3 Phase
Fault Initiated on
Line Side of 30A
Fuse
30A RK-1
Current Limiting Fuse
Size 1 Starter
Test No. 3
601A.
Class L
Current Limiting Fuse
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Test 3 Still Photo
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Test 3 Still Photo
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Test 3 Still Photo
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Test 3 Still Photo
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> 175
o
C/
347
o
F
Results: Test No.3
T1
T2
P1
Sound
133 db @ 2 ft.
62
o
C/143.6
o
F
504 lbs/ft
2
T3
(No Change
From Ambient)
> Indicates Meter Pegged
2004 Cooper Bussmann
22.6 KA Symmetrical
Available Fault Current
@ 480V, 3 Phase
30A RK-1
Current Limiting
Fuse
Size 1 Starter
Test No. 1
601A.
Class L
Current Limiting
Fuse
Fault Initiated on
Load Side of 30A
Fuse
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Test 1 Still Photo
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Test 1 Still Photo
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Test 1 Still Photo
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Test 1 Still Photo
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Results: Test No.1
T1
T2
P1
T3
Sound
(No Change
From Ambient)
(No Change
From Ambient)
(No Change
From Ambient)
(No Change
From Ambient)
(No Change
From Ambient)
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Non-Current Limiting
Reduced Fault Current
via Current-Limitation
Test 1
Test 4
Test 3
Current-Limitation: Arc Energy
Reduction
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Summary
Shock, arc flash and arc blast are the
three recognized electrical hazards
Shock injuries result from electrical
current flowing through the body
Arcing faults can generate enormous
amounts of energy
Injuries from arcing faults are a result of
the tremendous heat and pressure
generated
2004 Cooper Bussmann
Summary
Overcurrent protective devices have an
impact on the two most important
variables of arc flash hazards:
Time (speed of the OCPD)
Fault current magnitude (current-limitation
may help reduce)
Current-limitation may be able to
significantly reduce the energy released
during arcing faults