Arc Flash Safety Boundaries
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Arc Flash Safety Boundaries
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May 5, 2016 - $105,600 In OSHA Fines For Manufacturer
Acme Parts, Inc.
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May 5, 2016
Brooklyn, NY
Responding to a report of an elevated blood lead level in a machinist at a Brooklyn brass plumbing fittings manufacturer, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that employees at Acme Parts Inc., lacked adequate protections against lead exposure, hearing loss and hazardous chemicals.
"An elevated level of lead in a worker's bloodstream is a serious health matter, and a sign that employees are not being adequately protected against exposure to this hazardous substance. Lead can damage the nervous system, kidneys, blood forming organs, and reproductive system if inhaled or ingested in dangerous quantities," said Kay Gee, OSHA's area director for Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.
Specifically, OSHA found that the company failed to:
- Train employees about lead hazards and provide them proper protective clothing.
- Prevent lead from accumulating on surfaces in the plant.
- Prohibit employees from consuming food and drink in lead contaminated areas.
- Conduct initial monitoring to determine employees' lead exposure levels.
The plant also lacked effective hearing conservation and chemical hazard communication programs. These violations encompassed:
- Not instituting controls to reduce noise levels.
- Not providing employees a choice for hearing protection.
- Lack of proper training, supervision and fittings for hearing protectors.
- The absence of hazard communication training and chemical safety data sheets.
Finally, Acme Parts failed to review, post the annual summary, and certify its 2015 OSHA illness and injury log. These are two critical means of determining possible illness and injury patterns among plant workers.
"An employer is responsible for providing effective safeguards. This was not the case at Acme Parts," said Gee. "For the health and well-being of its employees, this company must take and maintain corrective actions to eliminate these hazards, prevent their recurrence and maintain a healthful place of employment."
As a result of these conditions, OSHA cited Acme Parts on April 19 for one willful, six serious and two other than serious violations of workplace health standards.
Proposed fines total $105,600.
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On-Site Safety Training Is What We Do
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Electric Utility Facing $112,000 In Fines For Electrician's Arc Flash Injuries
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May 4, 2016 ,
Courtesy of Business Insurance
A Georgia utility company is facing $112,000 in proposed fines from after an arc flash severely burned an electrician at one of its plants.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Georgia Power Co., a unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co., after a 48-year-old electrician working on an electrical cabinet that was still powered was injured by an arc flash at the utility's Plant Bowen generating facility in October 2015, according to an agency news release issued on Monday.
The electrician, an employee of Zurich-based technology company ABB Inc., suffered second and third-degree burns to his hands, arms and torso, according to the release.
Georgia Power received two repeat citations for failing to ensure the electrical cabinet was not powered down before allowing work to begin and not developing specific steps to power down machinery and prevent start up during maintenance and servicing - violations it was cited for in 2014 at the same facility, according to OSHA. The company was also cited for serious violations such as failing to ensure proper grounding of electrical equipment, inform other employers of their electrical lockout program and provide adequate procedures for electrical energy isolation.
ABB was issued two serious citations for its failure to coordinate with other employers on the specific requirements of removing power from equipment before maintenance and servicing and for exposing workers to electrical hazards and is facing $10,780 in proposed fines from OSHA.
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The 8 Troubleshooting Steps a Certified Bad Ass Electrician Does Every Time
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 1. Read and understand every word on the arc flash label.2. Ensure you have the correct level of PPE, based on the label's information or NFPA 70E Tables.
3. Think about where the upstream protective device is and how far away it might be. The farther away, the longer it will take to clear.
4. Note what the end load is and if it is a motor. Motors can increase the incident energy.
5. Choose the appropriate Class of insulated gloves and do a field inspection of the insulated gloves, glove protectors, and your arc-rated PPE for any damage.
6. Visually inspect the insulated tools for wear or damage.
7. Visually and physically inspect your testing instruments for damage and proper function (a known live circuit, then a known dead circuit, then live once more).
8. Last, establish the protective boundaries and don the PPE.
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Learn How Flash Track Can Make You More Profitable
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Read The Article That Has Electrical Contractors Talking...
Simple Steps To Get Into The Lucrative Arc Flash Market
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 Published By Electrical Products & Solutions
October 2015
This article by Bryan Rupert, featured in the October issue of Electrical Products and Solutions is a simple guide with step by step instructions to get you in the Arc Flash market. Here you will learn the process as well as gain insight on how to price this type of work. Don't be the last in your area to get into this very lucrative market. Click Here To Read More
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Download FlashTrack Process Comparison - See For Yourself
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The world's best arc flash data collection software just got better.
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Imagine the possibilities!Facility Results has launched a new website dedicated to providing full documentation, tutorials and knowledge base for FlashTrack.
This website is designed for the user to "meet" FlashTrack.
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FlashTrack™ Arc Flash Data Collection Software
FlashTrack's™ simple, drag-n-drop interface is one of its biggest selling points. Couple that with the tool's intuitive, drop-down menus, convenient component libraries, and keyboard shortcuts, and you'll be up and running with FlashTrack in minutes!
FlashTrack™ is an award winning data collection software tool. FlashTrack™ was developed for the purpose of collecting the required equipment attributes that are needed to conduct an arc flash analysis. These same attributes can be used to complete a coordination study or short circuit analysis. FlashTrack™ allows the qualified data collector to model equipment relationships using a drag-n-drop interface. FlashTrack™ is used to catalog the attributes in the format of a single-line diagram. FlashTrack™ exports the completed files to an Excel file (.xls) or CSV file and produces a "Label Installation Report" containing the location of each item that requires a label to be installed. This report can have up to 4 photographs per item for easier item location. The label installation report will save you time and money and eliminate frustration when locating each piece of equipment.
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