Discussing the prevention of Arc Flash with Our President, Mike Davis
While training meetings are a regular occurrence at Hill Electric, every year we host a training meeting specifically geared toward Arc Flash. As an Industrial Electrical Contractor, we take the safety of our employees and clients very seriously and prioritize proper training for our team members. Since the inception of NFPA 70E, we have informed and trained our employees on Arc Flash annually, only the employees we deem qualified attend the Arc Flash meeting. This year, 26 employees will attend– most of which are Hill Electric veterans, and some of which are employees who moved up in the ranks and are ready to be certified in Arc Flash training. Arc Flash is a sobering occurrence in the industrial electrical industry that we actively work to raise awareness of and work to prevent.
Understand the importance of Arc Flash awareness, and Hill Electric’s regimented safety measures directly from our President, Mike Davis:
What is Arc Flash?
“First and foremost, Arc Flash is a defined term through the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and The National Electrical Code (NEC). In its simplest form, it is a rapid release of electrical energy typically created by a short circuit or fault.
The NFPA in conjunction with the NEC provides guidelines for how to perform electrical work and prevent fires. Within the last 10 years, the NFPA wrote an article with codes and standards called the 70E. The 70E further defines Arc Flash and outlines measures to protect employees in conjunction with OSHA standards.
When an Arc Flash happens, the electrical energy is released into the air and then it vaporizes into a flame (that’s where the term “flash” comes from.) Not only is the person performing the work at risk of electrocution, but there can also be terrible burns. It can heat up to 35,000 degrees right there in front of the individual, like a ball of flame hitting them directly.
Typically, Arc Flashes are going to happen at bolted connections where there are conductors terminated to a main switch board, panel board, or switching device. Anywhere that that conductor could receive a short circuit, it could create an Arc Flash.
The potential of an Arc Flash is just part of the work that we do. We must provide training to protect our employees and our customers.
What kind of safety measures does Hill Electric actively implement to raise awareness of Arc Flash, and what certifications do you require of your employees?
“I think what sets us apart is our training. We thoroughly train our employees at a high level for awareness and prevention. Our training specific to Arc Flash occurs annually, and only qualified personnel are in attendance. The 70E article dictates that only qualified personnel can perform work where an Arc Flash could occur. By qualified personnel, it means that the individual has the overall experience level, the training, and the understanding of the various applications where an Arc Flash could occur in a building, whether that is in the panel board, in a medium voltage switchgear, or elsewhere.
In addition, that individual has to be equipped to understand the rules, the approach boundaries, and the levels of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The 70E defines the 5 levels of PPE that are available, depending on the source of a potential Arc Flash, and we ensure our
employees are aware of these.
We have been doing the annual training for a very long time, and have the same employees in the room each year that have already been through it in years past, and then we also usually have some employees who have elevated in the ranks that we deem to be qualified and able to join us and absorb the advanced information.
We also maintain Arc Flash PPE ourselves in our warehouse and store them on-site for qualified individuals. Every suit must be ‘checked out’ in order to be used. None of the work where an Arc Flash could occur ever happens without a veteran superintendent or project manager being aware and/or being present.
As a business owner, it is very important to me to only have qualified individuals be allowed to check out the PPE from our central warehouse. At Hill Electric, we are never going to have a random employee request to use the Arc Flash suit for a project.
Some of our highest performing superintendents and project managers keep minimal PPE gear in their trucks at all times.
In addition, there is an energized work permit that must be filled out prior to this kind of work. It is a known fact that when this type of work is being performed, it is with and around energized parts. Many of our customers require this permit and it takes a number of signatures for
approval.”
What would you say demonstrates the Hill Electric difference in the years you’ve been in these meetings?
“We have 3 men in these meetings who have been with Hill Electric for over half of our entire 65 years in business. They were all hired in the summer of 1986 and came to work for us right out of high school. This is the only job they’ve ever had since.
We are a company that is built for the long haul. Everything we do– the way we compensate, the way we treat our employees and all decisions are geared around that. We exist to provide a quality of life for our employees and their families. Our goal is to have employees for life. It will be my honor to retire with these men one day.”
