Page 48 - Occupational Health & Safety, October 2019

ELECTRICAL SAFETY
information is published, safety managers should re-examine their electrical PPE programs to account for the relevant changes in the updated industry standard. With each update to NFPA 70E, there may be important and valuable information, which will help en- sure employee safety and help mitigate potential workplace inju- ries. Updates may seem confusing and overwhelming; however, the new standards are vital to building compliant PPE programs and ensuring proper jobsite precautions are taken.
4. Human error must be considered in risk assessments and affects PPE best practices. The 2018 revision to NFPA 70E now includes taking the potential for human error into account when conducting a risk assessment and will likely affect your current PPE program. This addition helps to provide a more comprehensive method of protecting employees by identifying human weakness and implementing measures to further ensure employee safety. Human error precursors that may be present can now be consid- ered and countered in risk assessments and are grouped into four categories: task demands, work environment, individual capabili- ties, and human nature. They include numerous, familiar error pre- cursors such as time pressure, distractions, lack of knowledge, and complacency. Informative Annex Q of NFPA 70E identifies human performance modes that employees work in as well as human per- formance tools used to counter the error precursors listed above. While Annex Q of the 2018 edition of 70E is not required for com- pliance to the 70E standard, it has excellent information regarding human performance and workplace electrical safety.
Daily wear AR/FR programs are now a PPE best practice over low energy (PPE CAT 2), task-based PPE programs and help ad- dress and minimize the risk of injury due to human error when arc flash hazards are present. If an employee is required to wear daily AR/FR garments, he or she will be better protected against unexpected arc flash hazards because he or she will have the daily wear on, which is not always the case with low energy, task-based AR/FR PPE coveralls. A daily wear program reduces the risk of an employee forgetting to put on PPE when performing an energized task. It also eliminates common excuses for not donning appro- priate AR/FR body PPE such as lack of time, lack of knowledge, discomfort, and complacency. Therefore, wearing daily wear for the entirety of the work day can help provide better overall protec- tion. With today’s FR technologies, daily wear AR/FR garments are more comfortable, breathable, and almost indistinguishable from street clothing. Having AR/FR garments that employees are com- fortable in helps ensure they will wear the garments and remain better protected against workplace hazards.
5. Adding arc ratings of two garments do not necessarily add up to achieve a combined rating. Proper hazard assessments iden- tify the arc rating required to help mitigate injury in the event of an arc flash. Layering AR/FR clothing can be useful in achieving the desired level of protection; however, two arc ratings on separate garments do not necessarily “add up” to make a combined rating of the two. For example, a 4 cal/cm2 shirt paired with an 8 cal/cm2 jacket do not necessarily create a 12 cal/cm2 system. According to NFPA 70E requirements, a layered system must be tested via ASTM F-1959 in a qualified lab to determine if the layers produce the required level of AR/FR protection (PPE CAT) or arc rating for your workplace. Reputable fabric and garment manufacturers will be able to provide layered arc rating data and may be able to test your preferred layered garment system to determine the accurate combined arc rating.
Additionally, if an employee is working in an environment where arc flash hazards may be present, his or her outermost layer must be an AR/FR garment even if his or her other cloth- ing is sufficiently rated to protect against thermal hazards. If the outermost layer is not an AR/FR fabric, the garment can ignite and continue to burn after the arc flash is over and may result in severe burn injuries.
Daily wear AR/FR garments are a simple and effective way to help mitigate the risk of burn injuries from arc flash incidents, but it is important to note that AR/FR PPE should be the last line of defense, the last risk control for thermal hazard protec- tion. Utilizing the risk controls in the hierarchy and addressing how human error can affect the various risk controls should be the key priorities when working on a project. AR/FR daily wear PPE should be worn the entire work day as a precaution against arc flashes and should not be seen as an uncomfortable suit of ar- mor. Appropriate safety protocols should always be taken to help prevent hazardous events.
Scott Francis is the Technical Manager for Westex by Milliken. In- volved in the safety industry since 1991, Scott has extensive expe- rience with protective apparel fabrics and apparel programs. He participates in a number of industry organizations and frequently addresses trade associations regarding relevant safety topics.
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