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In This Issue
Arc Test Dates
OSHA 10 Hour T&D Class at e-Hazard.com
Two Electrical Incidents in the News
Sponsor an NFPA 70E Class
Utility Safety Rap
Arc Tested Sunshade Data from Paulson
CSA Z462 in French
ASTM F2676 Arc Flash Blanket Standard
FREE Arc Layer Data Online
Burn up the Myth: Does NESC allow EBT ratings?
Sponsor
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Milliken Amplitude Arc Flash's New Material
e-Hazard Classes
New 2009-NFPA 70E
NFPA 70E-2009
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July 2009

Dear ArcLetter Member,

The ArcWear™ Electric Arc and Flash Fire Newsletter is a quick update on Flame Resistant Clothing issues and news from OSHA and standards committees. This newsletter is FREE and will bring you up to date on the issues that surround flame resistant clothing for flash fire hazards and the electric arc. For previous newsletters or to sign up, visit http://www.arcwear.com
ArcWear™ Arc Testing Dates
Need Arc Testing?
 
2009
August 10-13
Sept 21-24
Oct 26-29
Nov 23-26 
 
ASTM F1959, ASTM F2178, ASTM F887 fall protection arc testing and mannequin testing at the Kinectrics Lab in
Toronto on the dates above.
 
Ship materials or clothing to:
Hugh Hoagland
ArcWear.com
13113 Eastpoint Park Blvd.
Suite E
Louisville, KY
40223
PH: 502-314-7158
[email protected]  
We must receive one week before the test date for sample preparation or make arrangements to ship to lab. New and non US/Canadian Customers must make payment before test date.  Testing is offered on a first come/first served basis with priority for consulting customers.  New policy: $100 per material for prep/washing and cutting panels and $100 for international report shipping. No guarantee is made of when testing will occur.
Sponsor link (Look at Milliken's arc flash material)
Milliken Amplitude 
New OSHA Certified 10 hr. T&D Safety Course
Mike Gibson OSHA 10 Hour T&D Arc Flash Traininge-Hazard adding a new class and technical trainer
Mike Gibson is joining e-Hazard today full time.  Mike is a former utility trainer from EON.  Holds a M.S. in Safety and is Adjunct Professor in Safety at Indiana University (SouthEast) and one of a few qualified, certified trainers for OSHA 10 Hour T&D Class, and OSHA 500 class.  Mike joined the e-Hazard.com team because of the quality of trainers we required and the high quality of training materials for electrical safety.
 
Mike's class brings our utility classes to three.
 
1. Arc Flash Calculations and PPE (Advanced utility safety engineering class)
Steve Cress & Hugh Hoagland
 
2. NESC and Arc Flash Safety (Our most popular utility safety class)
Hugh Hoagland or Mike Gibson
 
3. OSHA 10 Hr. T&D (Certified by OSHA)
 
Famous Arc Flash Incident Settles with Utility
 The Patrick Cudahy "video" arc flash incident court case ends with utility.
The famous Patrick Cudahy accident caught on video complete with melting hairnets and burning coveralls has settled the part of the case for one man with the utility.  Patrick Cudahy Meat Packing was 53% liable but they sued with one of the workers to hold the utility partially liable. WE Energies was sued for not installing a lock on their equipment. The worker will receive little of the money since they had settled with the employer  who was a plaintiff in the case. The workers and the company were NOT following NFPA 70E.  The standard properly followed would have eliminated any injuries.
 
Read the story from the Milwaukee Journal Article
 
Sponsor an NFPA 70E/CSA Z462 Class
 e-Hazard.com arc flash training
e-Hazard NFPA 70E/CSA Z462 Training class sponsorship
Many companies have only a few electrical workers at a site and want training so e-Hazard offers class sponsorship.  The host can be a distributor or an end-user of arc rated clothing.  The host provides a place for the training to occur and sends their folks who need training.  e-Hazard will help publicize the class, pay for the day's meal and invite outsiders to fill the class.  If the class gets >20 attendees paying the tuition, the sponsor shares in the profits with a discount.  Do you have a training room that will hold a min of 20 students?  Can outsiders come to use that training room?  Do you need arc flash or NFPA 70E training?  Contact Hugh Hoagland at 502-314-7158. There is no cost to you other than for the individuals you have trained.
Utility Safety Rap!
Safe Rap for electric utility arc flash safetyDominion/VA Power Linemen Rap
Very good rapping on utility line worker safety.  Fun quick safety meeting.  Play this for your team if they are a traveling crew this covers a lot of the safety items a utility needs to save lives.
 
 
Sun Shade Brim Extenders Tested for Arc
Arc Flash Brim Test 09-2898 In the arc not everything is equal
Paulson Manufacturing tested its brim extender using the ASTM F2178 test method.  The brim extender began to melt at 8.7 cal/cm�.  Previously we had tested another brand which did the same at 5.7 cal/cm�.  There is no requirement to test this type of PPE but PPE in electric arc exposures should be evaluated to ensure it will not cause injury.  Paulson asked to have this data published.  The report can be found at the link below and the photo here is of a ~20 cal/cm� exposure.  We appreciate companies who release data on potential issues even without requirements to test these devices.  This is a new generation device.
 
 
CSA Z462 now in French
Now there is a French, Portuguese, Spanish and English Electrical Safety in the Workplace Standard.  NFPA, CSA and the Brazilian MOU offer all these languages.  The Brazilian standard differs but the others are basically the same.  If you want CSA Z462 training in French contact us at e-hazard.com.
 
 
ASTM F2676 Arc Blanket Test Method Published
 ASTM F2676 Arc Flash TestArticle Subheading 
We now have a test method for testing arc flash blankets.  This method has been in development at ASTM F18 for about 7 years.  With lots of work from the taskforce, blanket manufacturers and utilities including ConEd, DTE Energy, Kema test lab and Kinectrics and donations from ArcWear.com, Oberon, Thermequip, Salisbury and Burlington Safety Labs the new standard is published.
 
 
FREE Arc Flash Layer Data Now Online
ArcWear.com now offering free data & subscription data
We have negotiated with some utility clients to offer a discount for releasing arc data on fabric layers tested which are from multiple companies.  This will save money for the industry and spur innovation and true compliance with the intent of the NESC, OSHA 1910.269 and NFPA 70E at a lower cost to the end user.  Our database is just beginning but it will be added to each month for the next year.  We also plan to offer detailed studies on a subscription basis.  Have a question you want answered with arc testing?  It could be part of our subscription program to spread the cost of studies across many customers.
 
First study is to test the effect of sweat and heat transfers on layered clothing systems.  If you are interested in this study the projected cost for the report is $2000 and will include 6 arc ratings of different materials.
 
Burn up the Myth: Does the NESC allow EBT ratings?
 
Question: The NESC made arc assessments mandatory January 1, 2009.  We must "ensure that an assessment is performed to
determine potential exposure to an electric arc for employees who work on or near energized parts or equipment." Our assessment is >2 cal/cm� so we require employees an effective arc rating of 4 cal/cm�.  The NESC does not mention EBT but it does mention ATPV.  Is an EBT of 7 cal/cm� allowed to meet this 4 cal/cm� protection level?

Answer: Yes,  That would exceed the ATPV of 4 cal/cm�. The NESC refers to Arc Rating OR ATPV.

For years folks thought that ATPV was the only rating because the first materials tested were woven shirt and pant materials but EBT ratings have always been around. I have talked with three members of the NESC taskforce and all have confirmed that the EBT is equivalent for the NESC. All standards allow ether version of the arc rating.  We changed the standards in ASTM several years ago to call both ATPV and EBT an Arc Rating with a designation as to which one you used. 
Materials are all tested with the same test but material responses differ.  Knits tend to get EBT's because they are more insulative from burns and break open (1 inch crack in the fabric) before the sensor shows burn. Which is better?  Really they are equal but the EBT is a little more conservative.  EBT does NOT show burn yet on the sensor but we know there might be burn UNDER the 1 inch crack.  Arc Rating (ATPV) or Arc Rating (EBT) are functional equivalents.  Arc Rating (ATPV) is a 50% probability of second degree burn on a flat panel. Arc Rating (EBT) is no second degree burn but a small crack or hole has appeared in the fabric.  Either are very protective.
 
Our newsletter is sponsored by many companies around the world.  If you have ideas for articles or have questions, don't hesitate to write.
 
Sincerely,

Hugh Hoagland
ArcWear.com
13113 Eastpoint Park Blvd. Suite E
Louisville, KY 40223
PH: 502-314-7158