Arc-rated jacket, parka, rainwear or hard hat liner (as needed).Arc-rated arc flash suit jacket and pants.Arc-rated long-sleeve shirt and pants or coverall.Hazard Risk Category 3 – Requires a minimum arc rating of 25 cal/cm2 Leather or dielectric footwear (as needed).Heavy duty leather gloves, arc-rated gloves, or rubber insulating gloves with leather protectors.Arc-rated arc flash suit hood or face shield and balaclava.Hazard Risk Category 2 – Requires a minimum arc rating of 8 cal/cm2 Leather or dielectric footwear (as needed).Required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Arc-rated jacket, parka, rainwear or hard hat liner (as needed).Arc-rated arc flash suit hood or face shield and balaclava.Arc-rated long-sleeve shirt and pants or coverall.Hazard Risk Category 1 – Requires a minimum arc rating of 4 cal/cm2 Let’s take a look at the clothing and PPE required at each level: The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) uses four Arc Flash PPE Categories to classify the range of hazards. The higher the incident energy level at the point of work, the higher arc-rated PPE you’ll need. How do I choose the correct arc flash clothing and/or arc flash suit?Ĭhoosing the right arc flash clothing and/or arc flash suit depends on your electrical safety requirements. For these reasons, 40cal/cm2 is the largest arc flash exposure that PPE can protect against. Blast overpressure is fatal even down to 2 pounds per square inch where it crushes hollow organ systems such as the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. This gas rapidly expands due to the superheating of air which produces a concussive blast that propels molten shrapnel at speeds that exceed the speed of sound NFPA refers to this condition as arc blast.Ī byproduct of arc blast is blast overpressure which is produced when the blast shock wave reaches the sound barrier. What happens to clothing during an electrical arc flash?Įlectrical arcs can reach temperatures in excess of 35,000 degrees which instantly melts and then vaporizes electrical conductors into combustible plasma gas. However, in the event of an injury or death due to an electrical accident, if OSHA determines that compliance with 70E would have prevented or lessened the injury, OSHA may cite the employer under the general duty clause. Federal OSHA has not incorporated it into the Code of Federal Regulations. NFPA 70E is a national consensus safety standard published by NFPA primarily to assist OSHA in preparing electrical safety standards. Related: For more information about the NFPA 70E Standard and OSHA regulations, check out our extensive article about arc flash protection. Prior to the performance of live work, employees must perform a risk assessment to determine the likelihood and severity of an arc flash to develop based on their work. This standard requires employees to wear arc rated (AR) clothing that meets the requirements of ASTM F1959 whenever there is a possibility of an arc flash and the employee is within the restricted approach or arc flash boundaries. The NFPA 70E standard addresses electrical safety work practices and procedures for employees who work on or near exposed, energized electrical equipment. What is the NFPA 70E 2018 standard for arc flash clothing and arc flash suits? What should you look for when selecting the suit that’s right for you and/or your team? Let’s examine the attributes more closely. The risk of serious injury is greatly reduced when the arc flash suit is worn in the presence of these electrical hazards. Regular work clothes can easily catch on fire by an electric arc flash.

Arc flash suits are tiered into four hazard risk categories.

The strength of the material is dependent on the minimum arc rating required for the specific task, which is determined by the level of risk involved. The arc flash suit consists of a set of flame resistant clothing that protects workers from serious injury or sickness from electrical arc flash hazards, including coveralls, leggings, aprons, footwear, smocks, gloves, pants, jackets, and vests.

2018 nfpa 70e arc flash boundaries