Arc Flash Information
Resource Center
This site provides employers and safety personnel with a comprehensive introduction to arc flash and arc flash safety. Our goal is to provide you with the tools and information you need in order to protect your workers and your business against the threat of arc flash. Use the links at left to navigate.
Why Should Arc Flash Matter to Me?
Arc flash is one of the most dangerous workplace hazards, causing hundreds of serious injuries and fatalities each year and costing companies millions in worker's compensation and damage to equipment--not to mention OSHA fines and legal fees. A study* by the Electrical Power Research Institute estimated direct costs to an employer from a fatal electrical accident at $1.3 million, with indirect costs adding another $2 to $8 million. Unfortunately, many employers are unaware of the risk, and many more have not implemented important safety procedures and devices to protect their workers.
History of Arc Flash
Prior to 1982, it was assumed that electric shock was the major risk associated with live electrical work. In 1982, Dr. Ralph Lee first identified arc flash, in a paper presented to the IEEE-IAS titled "The Other Electrical Hazard: Electric Arc Blast Burns." According to this paper, as many as 80% of electrical injuries resulted from arc flash rather than from shock. Over the next several years, industry awareness of the hazard began to grow, especially in the petrochemical industry.
In 1990, the threat of arc flash was well-established, and OSHA updated 29 CFR-1910 Subpart S to recognize the need for arc-flash safety. A few years later, NFPA 70E was revised to include the calculations necessary to establish arc flash protection boundaries. Also in the mid-1990s, equipment manufacturers began to offer arc-resistant switchgear as a means to minimize arc flash hazards.
The first requirement for arc flash warning labels appeared in the 2002 revision of the NEC. The same year, the IEEE introduced its Standard 1584, providing guidelines for conducting an arc flash hazard analysis.
Arc flash safety is an ongoing concern of the electrical industry. In recent years, new safety devices have been developed to help combat arc flash. New regulations, including changes to NFPA 70E requiring additional information on warning labels and the introduction of a Canadian arc-flash code, are scheduled for release in upcoming months.
For the most current information and news about arc flash, visit the Arc Flash Blog.
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* Electric Power Research Institute, 3rd International Conference on Electrical Injury. 1998.
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