electrical safety improve compliance build culture

8/16/2019 Electrical Safety Improve Compliance Build Culture

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Special Report

Electrical Safety:How to Improve Compliance

& Build a Lasting Safety CultureGreat Power,

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Increased Safety,

Decreased Cost

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North American

Electrical Safety

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Sheila Kennedy, Plant Services contributing editor, and

Ryan Downey, P.E., AVO engineering division manager

Great Power

Great ResponsibilitySignificant changes to NFPA 70Esince 2012 compel updated electrical

safety training

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NFPA 70E: Standard or Electrical Saety in theWorkplace® is an indispensable work in progress. For more

than 35 years, NFPA 70E has delivered on its mission to

create saer workplaces through improved

electrical saety practices, but the standard

continues to evolve.

Approximately every three years, NFPA

70E is updated to incorporate the latest in

electrical saety research, risk assessments,

work practices, design considerations, and

personal protective equipment (PPE) in

an effort to reduce the number o deathsand injuries caused by electrical shock, arc

flash, and arc blast. Tis voluntary how-to

guide to assist in Occupational Saety and

Health Administration (OSHA) compli-

ance can play an invaluable role in helping

plants mitigate their electrical hazards,

protect workers, promote saety requirements, and keep

their acilities up and running.

Much is learned every year. When the National Fire

Protection Association (NFPA) initiated the voluntary

standard at OSHA’s request in 1979, the first edition ad-

dressed only electrical installation requirements related

to electrical saety. It wasn’t until the 1995 edition that arc

flash hazards were addressed, and numer-

ous workplace saety requirements have

since been added.

As the saety sta ndard evolves, so must

the companies and electrica l workers

who use it. he 10th a nd latest release,

NFPA 70E 2015, contains some signi i-

cant di erences rom its 2012 predeces-

sor. It is essential to understand thesechanges and why they matter in order

to remain compliant with OSHA, avoid

risking l ives, reduce liability, and prevent

unexpected and costly downtime.

SUMMARY OF NFPA 70E 2015 CHANGES

Te new edition strives to ensure a saer

workplace and clarifies the responsibilities o employees

and employers by making the ollowing major changes, in

addition to extensive minor adjustments:

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• “Risk assessment” replaces the phrase “hazard analysis”

throughout the standard as part o an effort to make us-

ers more aware o the devastating risk o ailure and losscaused by shock, arc flash, and arc blast hazards. Specifi-

cal ly, the “risk assessment process” now is defined as

including identification o shock, arc flash, and arc blast

hazards; estimation o the potential severity o injury or

damage to health; estimation o the likelihood o injury

occurrence or damage to health; and determination o

whether protective measures and PPE are required.

• Maintenance status is now an integral par t o the risk

assessment.

• Te electrical saety program must now include mainte-

nance on electrical equipment as a primary element.

• Clariication was made that a comprehensive riskassessment, not just an incident energy analysis, is

required (see sidebar on best practices or conducting a

risk assessment and incident energy analysis).

• he responsibility or proper instal lation and main-

tenance is assigned to the equipment owner or the

owner’s designated representative.

• Te short-circuit current and clearing time o the over-

current protective device must be known or an incident

energy analysis.

• Hazard/risk category (HRC) tables have been replaced

with new hazard identification tables and PPE category

tables. All reerences to HRC have been replaced with the

term “arc flash PPE category.” Tis will orce a culture

change because HRC has become institutionalized termi-

nology in the industry.

• o use the PPE category tables, the short-circuit current

and clearing time o the over-current protective device

must be known.

• HRC 0, the standard PPE worn every day or normal

construction activities, has been eliminated; now, the

qualified person must make a risk assessment based upon

normal operation o equipment that meets all o the ol-

lowing criteria:• Te equipment is properly installed

• Te equipment is properly maintained

• All equipment doors are closed and secured

• All equipment covers are in place and secured

• Tere is no evidence o impending ailure

• Companies can develop their own PPE numbering system.

• Warning label content was modified to include:

• Incident energy at a corresponding distance or PPE cat-

egory selected using 70E tables, but not both

• Site-specific level o PPE

RISK ASSESSMENT

The new standard’s risk assessment process broadens the scope

of employees who must receive electrical safety education.




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• Labels must be updated when a hazard risk assessment

review renders the label to be inaccurate

• It’s clarified that the electrical equipment owner is nowresponsible or the documentation, installation, and

maintenance o field-installed labels.

• he requirements or construction and maintenance

work were separated rom outdoor work to enhance

usability.

• Te prohibited-approach shock boundary was eliminated.

• Te table update or restricted-

approach boundary dimensions added clarity.

• A new requirement covers risk assessment associated

with battery work.

WHY DO THESE CHANGES MATTER?

NFPA 70E provides instructions on how to comply with

OSHA’s electrical saety regulat ions. OSHA is able to

cite companies or noncompliance, with t he consensus

standard as a reerence, when an electrica l accident

causes a serious injury or death, even though NFPA 70E

is voluntary rather than a ederal regulation. Certain

states and industries wit h more-restrictive occupational

health and sa ety laws require NFPA 70E compliance.

NFPA makes it the responsibility o the employer to

educate employees, including qualiied and unquali-

ied electrical workers, on saety standards. In act, a

plant manager can be held cr iminal ly responsible or a

worker’s injury i the worker did not have proper saety

training. Personnel in any industry who work on or

around or who or interact with electrica l equipment, AC

or DC voltages o 50 volts or more, or are responsible

or saety in the workplace, must receive electrical saety

training according to NFPA 70E 2015.

Te new standard’s risk assessment process broadens

the scope o employees who must receive electrical saety

education. Employers must assess generally recognized

arc flash and shock hazards in the workplace and provide

protection rom those hazards, and all employees must be

made aware o the potential hazards. Saety consulting and

engineering services can be called upon to help expedite

and refine saety education and compliance initiatives.

Te 2015 edition also requires an arc flash risk assess-

ment to determine whether an arc flash hazard exists. Even

the process o establishing an electrically sae work condi-

tion puts the employee at risk. I an arc flash hazard exists,

the employer must determine the risk to employees and the

required sae work practices, arc flash boundary, and PPE.

Similarly, shock risk assessments are required to deter-

mine the voltage, shock boundaries, and PPE. Employees

must be trained in these new skills, and must quicklyimplement them. Te practice o hiring an engineering

firm to perorm an arc flash incident energy analysis now

must be ollowed up with a risk assessment.

All employees who are exposed to electrical hazards

where the risk has not been reduced to a sae level (with no

exposed energized conductors or parts o equipment and the

equipment is essentially stagnant) require risk and avoidance

training, according to the new standard, rom electricians

and operators to mechanics, janitors, office workers, or any-

one who may plug into an electrical outlet.

NFPA 70E 2015 Training Objectives

• Identify the common factors of electrical accidents

• Understand the arrangement of the NFPA 70E material

• Explain the hazards of electrical work and their effects

• Describe the main elements in an electrically safe

work program

• Identify the requirements for establishing an

electrically safe work condition (lockout/tagout)

• Identify the requirements for a shock risk assessment

• Identify the requirements for an arc flash risk

assessment

• Establish approach boundaries for

shock protection for qualified and

unqualified employees

• Select PPE for shock protection

• Select safe work practices if an

arc flash hazard is present

• Understand the use of the arc

flash boundary

• Select PPE for arc flash protection

• Explain contractor and employer

compliance responsibilities

Hazard/risk category (HRC)

tables have been replaced with

new hazard identification tables

and PPE category tables.




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In order to train employees to identiy, understand,

and avoid the electrical hazards and risk o injury asso-

ciated with the tasks that they are required to perorm, itis recommended that a job/task analysis and task hazard

analysis with shock and arc lash risk assessments be

conducted or each employee. he exposure or potential

exposure to electrica l hazards should be recorded in the

employee’s job description and their training require-

ments determined accordingly.

Finally, employers must document that the hazard assess-

ments were perormed and authorize energized electrical

work permits as needed. Companies must be prepared to

share these records i requested during an OSHA inspection.

COMPLIANCE MAY NECESSITATE OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE

OSHA requires employers to document and implement

an electrical saety program that addresses exposure to all

existing hazards and those likely to exist in the work-

place. Te program must be published and available to all

employees who might be exposed to the hazards. OSHA

also has specific equipment labeling requirements.

Unortunately, the language used by OSHA can make

its electrical standards diicult to interpret and apply.

raining on each new edition o the OSHA, NFPA 70E,

and NEC electrica l standards should be delivered by

someone who has a thorough understanding o the latest

requirements and how they apply to individual aci li-

ties and who can relay the complicated material in an

easily understood manner. hird-party electrical saety

experts ca n support hazard assessments, incident energy

analysis, and ollow-up activity speedily and in accor-

dance with NFPA and IEEE standards.

Multiple delivery options are available or electrical

saety training. Custom courses can be designed to match

a company’s industry and environment, including its

voltage, energy level , and circuit and electrical equip-

ment conditions. Online and on-site training options

avoid incurring personnel travel time and expenses. Fullyequipped, regional training centers provide skills-based

training combined with hands-on labs.

Arc lash and power system analysis studies per-

ormed by licensed engineering irms identiy and

mitigate the hazards created by electr ical equipment and

systems. Folding these engineering studies into the latest

industry standards enables continuous improvement o

workplace saety, OSHA compliance, equipment reli-

ability, and uptime.

EFFECTIVE TRAINING

Everyone must be trained to identify, understand, and avoid

the electrical hazards and risk of injury associated with the

tasks that they are required to perform.




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5 REASONS TO CHOOSE AN ENGINEERED ANALYSIS OVER THE CATEGORIESMETHOD TO PERFORM YOUR

ARC FLASH ASSESSMENT

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METHOD OVERVIEW

IEEE (Engineered) NFPA (Category / Table)

IEEE Standard 1584 “Guide for Performing

Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations” is a commonlyused engineering approach for conducting anarc flash risk assessment and for selection ofpersonal protective equipment (PPE). It providesdetails on the theory and calculations used todetermine the danger a worker could beexposed to.

This method categorizes tasks and indicates ifPPE is required. If required, the PPE category(1 through 4) is then determined based onequipment type, voltage, short-circuit current,and fault clearing time.

The IEEE method establishes the calculated short-circuitcurrent at each piece of equipment, which results in a

specific incident energy level.

The NFPA category method is often applied withoutknowing the short-circuit current. By assuming that the

short-circuit current is within the limits set by the NFPA

tables, workers may be over or under protected.

The IEEE method takes into account the specificovercurrent protective device characteristics and arc

duration, which allows for a calculation of incident

energy and resulting PPE.

The NFPA category method assumes fault clearing timeswhich may leave workers over or under protected.

Due to the detailed information gathered as required for

an incident energy analysis, the IEEE method allows foran overcurrent protective device coordination study to be

conducted. Improper coordination can lead to higher than

necessary arc flash energy, or nuisance tripping.

The NFPA category method does not take overcurrentprotective device settings into consideration.

By first calculating the available short-circuit current, the

IEEE method can identify equipment that has insufficientwithstand ratings, and by calculating the specific incident

energy, it allows for arc flash risk level reduction strategies.

The NFPA Method does not calculate short-circuit current.

The IEEE method requires complete electrical system datacollection and the creation of a complete electrical system

single line diagram. This data will give a facility an overall

“map” of the electrical system.

The NFPA category method looks at pieces of equipmentindividually.



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Bells Brewery (www.bellsbeer.com) is a multiple-site production operation located in Kalamazoo, Michi-

gan. It brews more than 20 beers or distribution across

a 19-state area, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.,

through a network o more than 80 wholesalers. Tedemand or craf beer has been on the rise in the United

States, according to the Brewers Association (www.brew-

ersassociation.org). With an industry growth o 15% by

volume and 17% by dollars in 2012 compared to 13% by

volume and 15% by dollars in 2011, Bells Brewery has seen

a corresponding growth or its products.

In 2012, Bells Brewery produced more than 216,000 bar-

rels and anticipated producing more than 250,000 barrels

in 2013. “We have expanded beyond our original acility,”

says Jeff Carter, acilities and utilities manager o Bells

Brewery. “We added 12 800-barrel ermenters and a can

line. We added Oberon beer in a 16 oz can this year. And

i two major construction projects aren’t enough, we are

doing a large upgrade to our process cooling systems. So,

we are always looking or ways to decrease our costs when

sourcing materials and equipment.”

Bells is a craf brewery that produces a ull line o ales,

beers, and stouts. It specified Meltric Decontractor Seriesswitch-rated plugs and receptacles or its construction

expansion project to connect and disconnect equipment

as varied as grain handlers, conveyor motors, portable

pump carts, and keg washers. Te brewery has been using

Meltric plugs and receptacles since 2006.

Prior to installing Meltric switch-rated connectors on its

production equipment, Bells Brewery used pin and sleeve

connectors, requiring an additional line-o-sight discon-

nect switch. o reduce installation costs, Bells Brewery

decided to purchase the switch-rated plugs and receptacles,

Increased Safety,Decreased Cost

Switch-rated connectors make LOTO easier and safer at craft brewer




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which are UL/CSA-rated or motor-

circuit and branch-circuit disconnect

switching and also are an approved

NEC/CSA line-o-sight disconnect

switch. “When we were planning ourfirst cellar expansion, I was pricing

the cost o three pump stations, which

consists o two outlets with line

reactors and disconnects, and two

portable pumps,” explains Carter.

Te line o switch-rated plugs and

receptacles combine the saety and

unctionality o a disconnect switch

with the convenience o a plug and

receptacle. Te integral switching

mechanism allows users to saely

make and break connections under

ull load and provide protection in

overload and short circuit conditions.

Teir enclosed arc chambers

ensure that the load is saely discon-

nected and that all live parts are

isolated and inaccessible beore the

plug can be removed. Tis design

shields users rom potential arc flashhazards at all times while making

and breaking connections.

As Bells Brewery’s production

acilities have grown, so has its

maintenance department, which

now consists o packaging, acili-

ties, and utilities departments. Te

switch-rated devices have the ad-

ditional benefit o limiting downtime

associated with maintenance and

equipment changeouts by up to 50

%, since no hardwiring o connec-

tions is necessary. Te spring-loaded,

integral switching mechanism

can disconnect a circuit simply by

depressing the pawl where it ’s then

ejected in the off position in only 15

ms. Te user only needs to rotate the

plug and withdraw it rom the recep-

tacle to complete the disconnecting

operation. In addition, the silver-nickel, butt-style contacts controlled

by a spring-loaded integral switching

mechanism eliminates reliability

problems associated with contact

mating and connection quality

that are intrinsic to sliding riction

contacts. “Te time savings associ-

ated with prewired replacements will

save us downtime, which is an added

bonus,” says Carter.

LOCKOUT/TAGOUT

Te need to requently lockout and

tagout equipment or maintenance at

Bells Brewery is not only crucial or

worker saety, but also a more requent

operation as the brewery has expanded

its operations and capacity. “We use

the lockout/tagout eature or our

pumps,” says Carter. “All you need is

a lock and insert it in the hole on the

plug, Te saety that comes with thelockablity is something that influenced

our purchasing decision, as well.”

With a 5/16-in. lockout hole in the

plug shroud, the device can be locked

out by inserting a user-provided lock

through the hole in the male plug. Te

lock on the disconnected male plug

prevents insertion into the emale re-

ceptacle and provides visual verification

o deenergization.




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With updates to NFPA 70B and 70E, as well as CSA Z462 and Z463, North American standards for electrical safety

have taken a giant step forward. Tese two articles look at current and future applications of these standards.

erry Becker, electrical safety consultant, reviews Canada’s recent improvements to the standards and reflects on its

similarities to U.S. standards. UE Systems’ Adrian Messer makes a case for airborne ultrasound in the standards.

Safe installations, safe work practices, and adequate electrical equip-

ment maintenance come together in an electrical safety trifecta

By Terry Becker, P.Eng., NFPA CESCP

North AmericanElectrical Safety

U.S. and Canadian standards lower risk of working with electrical systems

Workplace electrical safety has evolved in the UnitedStates and Canada with the application o NFPA 70E, the

U.S. standard or electrical saety in the workplace, and

CSA Z462, Canada’s workplace electrical saety standard

published on Dec. 28, 2008. With CSA Z462 now in its

published second edition and the third edition in the works,

energized electrical work in Canada will never be the same.

But is this enough? Have we missed a key variable in electri-

cal saety? What about electrical equipment maintenance?

Tere are really three key elements to electrical saety

and ensuring that risk related to energized electrical

power systems is reduced to as low as reasonably practi-cable (ALARP): sae installations, sae work practices, and

adequate electrical equipment maintenance. Tis triecta

o electrical saety will result in achieving the lowest risk to

workers and highest reliability or electrical power systems.

Sae electrical power distribution installations have

ocused on only legal requirements. In the past, Canadian

ederal, provincial, and territorial regulations had no

specific ocus on shock and arc flash. Neither did OSHA

regulations in the United States. Tat has changed.

HISTORY, CULTURE, BEHAVIORS

When we consider the history o energized electrical work,

it’s hard to believe we’ve neglected the electrical hazards o

shock and arc flash. Specifically we’ve allowed electricians

to use their bodies as voltage detectors. Hard to believe, but

rom 1942 until 1960 the American Electricians’ Handbook

taught electricians to use pain as a means o detecting that

voltage was present in electrical conductors and circuit parts.

Workers accepted this and accepted completing repair

and alteration o energized electrical equipment as “part o

the job o an electrician.” oday this wouldn’t be accept-

able. In the past we ocused on sae electrical instal lations;this is how we controlled exposure o all workers to shock

and controlled electrical aults with overcurrent protec-

tion. But what about arcing aults and arc flash? Tey had

not been identified in the past. How can we eliminate them

rom occurring or control the probability?

Worker behaviors have been a problem, and they still are.

Change is required, but it’s a challenge to make the change

and ensure it wil l be sustained. How can we put controls in

place that will have a positive impact on worker behaviors?




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WHY DO WE NEED ELECTRICAL SAFETY?

History, statistics, and the results o electrical saety au-

dits tell us that employers and employees have a long way

to go to achieve sustainable electrical saety and to elimi-

nate or reduce the risk o exposure to shock and arc flash.

Electrical installations are not constructed or maintained

to the CEC or the NEC. Incidents occur in which equip-

ment and workers make contact with overhead power

lines. Electricians continue to be shocked and accept it;

they do not wear rubber insulating gloves with leather

protectors. Electrical saety audits identiy that workersare not “electrical saety competent.” LOO processes

and procedures are not in place or practiced correctly,

Engineering “saety by design” is not practiced, or there

may be errors in incident energy analysis studies. Electri-

cal hazards are not identified, and adequate controls

aren’t put into place. No electrical sae work procedures

are written and used. Tere’s no electrical-specific PPE,

tools, and equipment, or, i they have been procured, they

haven’t been managed effectively.

We’ve accepted the condition o energized elect rical

power distribution equipment. We may not have imple-

mented any electrical equipment maintenance practices

or the electrica l equipment maintenance that has been

perormed hasn’t been appropriate or completed at

acceptable requencies. Without electrical equipment

maintenance the probability o abnormal conditions oc-

curring on energized electrical equipment increases, and

thus the risk increases.

EVOLUTION AND CHANGE

How can we effect change? How can we ensure the change

is sustainable? We need to use management systems and

apply the tools in standards/guidelines within the manage-ment systems. We need to deploy the management systems,

get them to work or the benefit intended, audit their

perormance, implement corrective actions, and implement

a continuous improvement philosophy.

We need to overcome the challenges that make change

difficult:

• Change is ear.

• Change is overwhelming.

• Change is hard.

• Change is necessary.

Change is good. Change is inevitable. We must commit

to change. Without change, we cannot improve.

Te Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1, C22.1, and the Na-

tional Electrical Code, NFPA 70, were developed to effect

change in sae installations. Te NFPA 70E standard and

the CSA Z462 standard were developed to effect change in

electrical sae work practices.

NFPA 70B and the NEA MS standards were devel-

oped and have evolved to effect change in electrical equip-

ment maintenance. In Canada, the CSA Z463 guideline

on maintenance o electrical systems published in January2014 will effect change in Canada with respect to improve-

ments in electrical equipment maintenance.

A triecta or electrical saety is achievable. What do I

mean by this statement? I’m not a gambler, and this is not

a horse race, but I know that, when it comes to electrical

saety, it is within our power to achieve this level o success.

Tis is the result o managing electrical saety to the high-

est levels — doing everything possible to reduce the risk o

exposure to the electrical hazards o arc flash and shock.

his result can be achieved and the risk can be re-

duced to as low as reasonably practicable by using the

electrical saety triecta: using approved equipment,

installed to CEC, Part 1, or NEC; establishing electri-

cal sae work practices, such as test-beore-touch on

de-energized equipment; and implementing eective

electrical equipment maintenance. All three o these

elements should be implemented and maintained using

appropriate ma nagement systems.

APPROVED EQUIPMENT INSTALLED TO CEC, PART 1, OR NEC

his is a legal requirement and an expectation with re-

spect to energized electrical equipment. he equipment

is designed to perorm as intended and installed so thatit operates with inherent saety under normal operating

conditions. Electrical quality management programs can

be developed and implemented to ensure we procure ap-

proved equipment and that it’s installed to CEC, Part 1,

or NEC and that jurisdict ional requirements or permit-

ting and inspections occur.

ESTABLISHING ELECTRICAL SAFE WORK PRACTICES

With the addition o the CSA Z462 workplace electrical

saety standard to the tools we have available in Canada,




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we can use it to implement electrical sae work practices.

Applying CSA Z462 or NFPA 70E within an occupation-

al-health-and-saety-management-system approach, by

developing and implementing an electrical saety pro-

gram, wi ll guarantee measurable and sustainable electri-

cal saety perormance.

EFFECTIVE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE

raditionally electrical power distribution equipment has

been maintained to guarantee some level o reliability and

to protect electrical equipment rom damage by ensur-

ing electrical protective devices operate as intended. Areocusing o electrical equipment maintenance prioriti-

zation will ocus on ensuring arcing aults do not occur,

or limiting incident energy i an arcing ault and arc flash

occur, and ensuring that the workers perorming ener-

gized electrical equipment maintenance are protected. In

Canada, the new CSA Z463 Guideline or Maintenance

o Electrical Systems released in January 2014 will be

Canada’s electrical equipment maintenance guideline;

it will realign electrical equipment maintenance priori-

ties to worker saety, reliability, and limiting damage to

electrical equipment. By using CSA Z463 in Canada and

NFPA 70B and NEA MS standards throughout North

America or developing electrical equipment maintenance

programs, we can ensure that energized electrical equip-

ment is maintained to a normal operating condition and

achieve an electrical saety triecta.

Terry Becker, P.Eng, is an NFPA-certified electrical

safety compliance professional (CESCP) and owner

of ESPS Electrical Safety Program Solutions, an

engineering-based electrical safety consultancy in Calgary,

Alberta. Becker has more than 22 years of experience as an

electrical engineer working both in engineering consulting and

for industrial oil and gas corporations. He also is the first past

vice chair of the CSA Z462 Workplace Electrical Safety Stan-

dard Technical Committee and a voting member and leader of

Working Group 8, Annexes. Becker also is a voting member of

the IEEE 1584 Technical Committee, associate member of the

CSA Z463 Guideline for Maintenance of Electrical Systems

Technical Committee, and a member of the NFPA 70E Techni-

cal Committee Annexes Working Group. He’s also a profes-

sional engineer in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia,

Saskatchewan, and Ontario. Becker has presented at Canadian

Standards Association (CSA), IEEE, and industry confer-

ences or workshops on electrical safety in Canada, the United

States, and Australia. Contact him at [email protected].

When does airborne ultrasound fit in the standard?By Adrian Messer, UE Systems

When it comes to establishing an electrical main-tenance program or your acil ity, there are many

resources at your disposal. For inspection o energizedelectrical equipment, an inrared camera is probably

the i rst tool that comes to mind. However, a growing

number o maintenance and reliabil ity proessionals

have come to realize that airborne ultrasound is a viable

tool that can be used to inspect a nd diagnose conditions

such as corona, tracking, arcing, and partial discharge

in energized electrical equipment.

Te standards that maintenance and reliability proes-

sionals access or guidance in establishing procedures and

best practices or inspecting and maintaining electrical

equipment in acilities are National Fire Protection Asso-

ciation (NFPA) 70B, and Canadian Standards Association

(CSA) Z463. Both o these documents have been estab-lished to create recommended practices or inspecting and

maintaining electrical assets in order to prevent accidents

and reduce downtime.

According to NFPA 70B, the standard or electri-

cal maintenance, an electrical preventive maintenance

program is “a managed program o inspecting, testing,

analyzing, and servicing electrical systems and equipment

with the purpose o maintaining sae operations and pro-

duction by reducing or eliminating system interruptions

and equipment breakdowns.”




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When it comes to t he inspection tools that NFPA 70B

recommends or inspecting energized electrical equip-

ment, the document only mentions ultrasound in two

sections. he irst mention is in Sect ion 11.21.3.3.2.2

when discussing part ial discharge. he other mention

is in Section 15.1.2.2, which discusses corona in substa-

tions and switchgear.

Canada’s NFPA 70B equiva lent, CSA Z463, goes

into more detail when discussing ultrasound technol-ogy. CSA Z463 reads in Section 7.10.2 that “ultrasound

inspections use collectors that detect t he high requency

produced by the emissions caused by electrica l arc-

ing, track ing, and corona.” his section also goes on to

mention the act that the sound heard by the inspector

can be recorded and then urther analyzed in spectrum

analysis sotware or an accurate diagnosis o what was

detected by the ultrasound instrument.

Users o airborne ultrasound, a technology that was once

considered just a leak detector, have come to realize the

instruments could be used or other applications, such as

condition monitoring o rotating equipment and electrical

inspection. o many, airborne ultrasound has become a

necessity when inspecting energized electrical equipment.

Te primary driver o this application is saety. In most

cases, airborne ultrasound inspection can be done with-

out opening energized electrical cabinets. Perorming an

inspection without opening energized electrical equipment

helps to reduce the risk the inspector aces rom potential

exposure to arc flash hazards.

Te ultrasound inspection can be done by scanning any

openings on the cabinet itsel, such as vent openings, seals

around doors, or louvers. Tereore, beore any energizedelectrical cabinet is opened or maintenance or urther

inspection, a pre-inspection can be done with ultrasound

to see i any anomaly is heard. I there is a condition, such

as corona, tracking, or arcing inside the electrical equip-

ment, the ultrasound produced by those anomalies wil l be

heard by the inspector via those openings. Te source o

the ultrasound produced is ionization and, in some cases,

vibration rom mechanical looseness.

Te next revision o NFPA 70B, scheduled or release

in 2016, could include additional inormation regarding

ultrasound and its useulness or electrical inspections. Both

documents go into great detail regarding the inspection

and maintenance o any electrical asset in a acility. Recom-

mended procedures are discussed regarding asset criticality

and establishing an electrical maintenance program.

Adrian Messer is manager, U.S. operations, at UE Sys-

tems. Contact him at [email protected].

Before any energizedelectrical cabinet isopened for maintenanceor further inspection,a pre-inspection can

be done with ultrasoundto see if any anomalyis heard.

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