Risk + Reward - Assessing the need for electrical system shutdowns
By David L. Stymiest, P.E., CHFM, FASHE
Consider conducting Shutdown Risk Assessments
This article first appeared in the August 2012 issue of HFM magazine.
NFPA disclaimer: Although the author is chairman of the NFPA technical committee on emergency power supplies, which is responsible for NFPA 110 and 111, the views and opinions expressed in this article are purely those of the author and shall not be considered the official position of NFPA or any of its technical committees, and shall not be considered to be, nor be relied upon as, a formal interpretation of the discussed standards.
Citing concerns for worker safety, tighter insurance requirements and Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement actions, most electrical contractors and electrical service companies now do their work in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.
They are no longer willing to maintain or to modify "hot," or energized, electrical equipment. Consequently, increasing numbers of hospitals have been undertaking the field investigations and electrical system studies necessary for applying those ubiquitous arc flash labels on electrical equipment. What's more, new maintenance requirements have increased the urgency of this process.
