As a safety professional, you should understand recent changes to arc flash modelling – and why they’ve been made.
There are a few approaches safety professionals can use when modelling arc flashes. These vary from the relatively simple (albeit, conservative) to others that are increasingly complex. Since 2002, IEEE has produced a helpful document that might not be considered simple, but certainly manageable. The 2018 edition of IEEE’s 1584 Guide for Performing Arc Flash Calculations has pushed this manageable document well into the complex!
Arc flash models are tricky things – conductor material, shape, orientation all matter, and these (along with many other factors) are now part of the new standard.
In short – current, distance and clearing times do not provide the full picture.
More complex? Yes.
But it’s a necessary complexity if we are to strive to continually improve the level of safety in our organizations.
There are a few approaches safety professionals can use when modelling arc flashes. These vary from the relatively simple (albeit, conservative) to others that are increasingly complex. Since 2002, IEEE has produced a helpful document that might not be considered simple, but certainly manageable. The 2018 edition of IEEE’s 1584 Guide for Performing Arc Flash Calculations has pushed this manageable document well into the complex!
Arc flash models are tricky things – conductor material, shape, orientation all matter, and these (along with many other factors) are now part of the new standard.
In short – current, distance and clearing times do not provide the full picture.
More complex? Yes.
But it’s a necessary complexity if we are to strive to continually improve the level of safety in our organizations.
#safety #safetyprofessionals #measurewhatmatters #arcflash