|
2006 Hamilton Carhartt
Retailer of Excellence Award Recipient |
| NFPA-70E - Standards and Regulations |
|
|
The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) has served as an authority in the U.S. on fire, electricity and building safety since 1896. In 1979, the NFPA published NFPA 70E, a Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. NFPA 70E is a comprehensive national consensus standard for electrical safety issues covering work practices, installation, maintenance and special equipment.
Over the years several editions of NFPA 70E have been published. The 2000 edition was the first to include electric arc flash hazard and required flame resistant clothing (FRC) to protect workers against it. The most recent edition approved on February 11, 2004, added sections on personal protective equipment (PPE). OSHA recognizes NFPA 70E as an industry practice and has referenced it in citations.
Flame resistant clothing is addressed in Chapter 1 of the standard, Safety-Related Work Practices. It states that all equipment must be de-energized before being worked on unless the employer can demonstrate that de-energizing introduces additional or increased hazards or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations. If de-energizing the equipment is not feasible, the employer must establish a "flash protection boundary" which is the minimum distance from an arc source where a person could receive a "curable" or second degree burn if an arc flash occurred. An employer must determine the appropriate PPE including FRC required for all employees who cross the flash protection boundary. A hazard risk assessment to determine arc hazard level must be completed. NFPA 70E provides several options for determining arc hazard level and it is defined by "calories per square centimeter" or cal/cm2.
After arc hazard levels have been assigned for job tasks, required protective clothing may be determined. The table above, adapted from NFPA 70E-2004 (Table 130.7(C)(11)) gives the five hazard risk categories, corresponding required minimum arc rating of PPE and the Carhartt HRC color codes. Layering FRC increases thermal protection and should be considered when evaluating required PPE.
For more information or to purchase a copy of the NFPA 70E standard visit: www.nfpa.org.
|
|
©
1999-2007 CONTRACTORS CLOTHING COMPANY INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
CARHARTT AND THE CARHARTT LOGO ARE REGISTERED BY CARHARTT INC.
|
