Causes of Arc Flash – Electrical Incident
Part 2 ADNOC & GULF HSE Interview
RISK MANAGEMENT ( With Pictures )
Arc flash/Arc blast both are a serious incident
electrical maintenance or condition monitoring which is having high potential
for the employee life and property damage. This incident happen due to many causes
which is explained here to control such incidents in industry. An arcing fault
is the flow of current through the air between phase conductors or between
conductors and a neutral or ground.
An arcing fault can be caused by many number of
things, ranging from faulty panel wiring to simply dropping a non insulated screwdriver
or other tools inside a live panel.
The energy that results from an arcing fault
manifests as an arc flash, an arc blast or a combination of the two, which is
very dangerous to human safety.
3 - WORK AT HEIGHT PRECAUTIONS -
An arc flash can be spontaneous or result from inadvertently
bridging electrical contacts with a
conducting object. Other causes may include
dropped tools or the buildup of conductive dust or corrosion. An electric arc
flash can occur if a conductive object gets too close to a high-amp current
source or by equipment failure (for instance, while opening or closing disconnects).
Conditions under which arc flash can occur:
Human Error, which is considered the most common cause:
Dropped or unintentional contact with live
circuit with non-insulated tool or conductive object
Improper installation of equipment
Negligent or improperly done preventive maintenance
Failure to de-energize equipment whenever possible
Working on live equipments
FREE - Training Module on PERMIT TO WORK
Equipment Failure:
Due to failure of electrical equipment and or system
design
Due to faulty system design
Spontaneous:
Buildup of conductive dust
Corrosion
Moisture or conductive liquids/vapor
Animal contact (rodent, snake, bird, etc.)
Example of incident:
A worker was injured while laying block for a
surface electrical installation. He was cleaning the mortar joints with a piece
of metal conduit when the conduit fell through the top of a 660 VAC panel,
causing a short.
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