How Electrical Safety Training Helps Reduce Arc Flash Hazards

Arc flash hazards or accidents cannot be tackled merely by wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or Fire resistant Clothing (FRC). These electrical accidents can only be prevented by making your employees undergo a thorough course of OSHA arc flash training as per NFPA 70E standards.

This will help to create a secure work environment and compliance with OSHA electrical safety regulations. An arc flash training program can be quite challenging to develop and put in place. The following tips will help you to start with some basic steps for an arc flash training program:

Conduct arc flash training programs – The main goal of these training programs is to educate your employees about the importance of electrical safety procedures, particularly those related to arc flash, electrocution, arc blasts and shock. OSHA does not consider electrical workers capable unless they undergone arc flash training.

FRC clothing and PPE – Make sure that you have enough PPE and FRC for all your employees in hazardous areas. These are essential for protecting people from the severe burns caused by arc flash accidents.

Warning labels – In order to prevent arc flash hazards, NFPA regulations demand that all hazardous tools and equipment be marked with cautionary tags. These include panel boards, switchboards, meter socket enclosures, industrial control panels, motor control centers and others. The tags should be clearly visible to those employees who are in charge of assessing, altering, servicing or maintaining the hazardous tools and equipment.

Hire a manager for the electrical safety program – Identify one of your own employees who has the requisite knowledge and expertise of electrical safety standards. This individual should have sufficient experience of electrical code requirements and should be able to impart electrical safety training to other employees.

Properly maintain all components of the electrical distribution system – These systems contain several energized parts including circuit breakers, fuses and protective relays that secure the system against electrical problems. Protective devices are essential for protecting your employees against arc flash hazards and blasts, and they need to be properly maintained.

Maintain and update documentation related to electrical distribution – Proper documentation of your electrical distribution system is crucial for preventing arc flash hazards. Important documents include short circuit and coordination studies, electrical one-line diagram and other important documentation that is often poorly maintained in organizations.

I hope these tips help you in your quest of providing protection from arc flash hazards to your employees.