Compliance News: Electrical Arc Flash Safety: Why is it important?

By David Stymiest, PE, FASHE, CHFM, GBE


With the release of the 2009 edition of NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®, increased attention is being focused on electrical power system safety and the dangers associated with electrical arc flashes.

According to CDC’s National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), electricalhazards cause more than 300 deaths and 4,000 injuries in the workplace each year. Someelectrical injuries are instantly fatal, while up to 40% of electrical injuries are ultimately fatalaccording to a paper written by three critical care physicians and referenced in a recent electrical industry magazine article. A research and consulting firm specializing in workplace injuries hascompiled often-quoted statistics indicating that five to ten reported electrical equipment arc flash explosions occur per day in the USA.