Electricity is an amazing, extremely useful and often misunderstood source of power. As science understands it, electricity can be transmitted in two basic forms, AC (alternating current) and DC (direct current). There are a few primary differences between the two. For instance, DC circuits need to be created with distinct positive and negative supply feeds. This is because the current is unidirectional. AC circuits are designed to handle an electric flow that oscillates in a sine wave pattern. One example is the typical household circuit with a frequency of sixty hertz. Another difference is that DC current cannot travel very far without losing voltage. This is primarily why AC current became the electric supply method of choice.
One thing that both electric supply methods have in common is the flash and spark that occurs when grounded. With low level currents this isn’t much of a problem, but many businesses, high rise buildings and numerous other locations carry a high voltage AC current. Keeping these areas safe can require some special training and specific arc flash calculations. Calculating the arc flash is critical to ensure the safety of anyone who may be working on or around both high voltage equipment or electrical connections.
It is important that electrical engineers, electricians, maintenance people or anyone who may be required to deal with higher voltages have some education. A program which supplies tools like an arc nfpa 70e presentation can be critical in providing the right skills. Considering that many people don’t truly understand electricity and even fewer realize the problems with arc flash, such training may be the difference between life and death or serious injury.
Arc flash is generally an incidental energy release. It can occur whenever the power supply that you are working with comes into contact with a grounded conductor or an alternate current source. Because arc flash is a release of unused or uncontrolled energy, it can be very dangerous. This released energy can cause burns, blindness and other problems associated with thermal overexposure.
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough safety rules regarding arc flash. OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) recognizes it as a problem and provides certain guidelines such as labeling. However, these guidelines were based on the NFPA 70E (National Fire Protection Association) and IEEE 1584 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) guidelines.
There are several things that will help to avoid arc flash. First, deactivate the source of current supply whenever possible. Second, avoid any spaces that are marked as arc flash zones unless you need to be there. OSHA, NFPA and the IEEE all have specific recommendations regarding distance. Finally, never attempt to work on electrical systems when you don’t know what you are doing. To this end, you can begin learning about arc flash with help from the arc flash training powerpoint presentation and other information provided by experts. Learn more by visiting the Leedy Electric Blog.
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