New Industrial Electrical Safe Work Practices

Copyright Material IEEE

Paper No. ESW-39
Sal Sferrazza

Heath Garrison.

Member, IEEE
NREL
15301 Denver West Parkway
Golden, CO 80401
USA
sal.sferrazza@nrel.gov

Member, IEEE
NREL
15301 Denver West Parkway
Golden, CO 80401
USA
heath.garrison@nrel.gov

Abstract - This paper shares electrical work practices and

recommends additional training and qualifications for industrial
electrical workers. It introduces new work methods to safely
work with special electrical hazards for power electronics
equipment and underground electrical distribution equipment.
The paper will be of most interest to industry, outdoor electrical
construction workers, manufacturers, and other institutions
where a variety of this type of equipment exists. These work
methods have recently been placed in practice at the National
Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden CO.
.

equipment, as well as the medium voltage class equipment

(1000-34.500 volts for example) that feeds it.
Industrial employers should and do usually provide electrical
safety training for their staff, typically under a limited budget.
With this consideration, the amount of training required for
industrial electrical workers can be technically and financially
daunting. The employer expects their electrical workers,
engineers, and safety managers to be knowledgeable of
electrical safe work practices based on training, their electrical
licensing, credentials and skill of craft. This requires electrical
workers to be part time machine tool electrical designer (for
minor machine modifications), repairman, electrical inspector,
industrial electrician, and lineman. Oftentimes workers in
industry still lack the necessary training and experience their
employers expect them to have. Specifically, more training in
medium voltage (MV) equipment, ie outdoor distribution, battery
safety, and power supplies and power electronics is needed.
Of course, industrial employers try to segregate electrical tasks
to those most familiar and rely on contractors to supplement
their own electrical skills. It is inevitable that the in house
electrical workers will be called upon to also work with this
specialized equipment, even when the employer generally does
not require them to.
Historically, NRELs research campus has been faced with
the electrical workers training and skill dilemma just described.
NREL has addressed this situation by improving its electrical
safety program and employee skill set. The plan provided
additional specialized training to a subset of its electrical
workers, and then allows even fewer trained employees to
perform hands on electrical work. NREL distinguished these
specially trained electrical workers from other electrical workers.
NRELs Electrical Safety Professionals are embedded
throughout the organization to oversee and perform work in
their area of expertise. For example a facilities electrician or
wind farm research electrician will have different responsibilities
than a power electronics researcher or a photovoltaic
fabrication equipment electrician. Qualification cards have been
developed to track and authorize electrical workers to perform
the tasks they have been trained for.

Index Terms Power electronics equipment, underground

distribution, NFPA 70E, OSHA 1910.269, electrical safety
management, electrical safety training, UPS
I.

INTRODUCTION

This paper recommends specialized training and identifies

requirements to qualify industrial workers to safely build,
inspect, and maintain electrical equipment & systems. This
includes development of new work methods, partially made
possible as a result of specialized training. This includes new
methods for industrial workers to perform hazard analysis on
power electronics and work practices for underground electrical
distribution equipment, industrial equipment, power electronics
and supplies.

II.

A.

QUALIFYING INDUSTRIAL WORKERS TO

SAFELY BUILD, INSPECT, AND MAINTAIN
SPECIALIZED ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT &
SYSTEMS

Industrial electrical workers need

safety training

additional specialized

Employers, such as large manufacturers, industrial sites,

and research campuses (such as NREL) may struggle with
providing their electrical workers with enough electrical
training. There is a variety of electrical equipment that their
workers are exposed to during operation and maintenance.
Besides the low voltage (less than 1000 volts) typical
electrical distribution most electrical workers are familiar with,
there may be large power supplies or power consuming

B.

An extensive training program was initiated for NRELs

electrical workers as follows:
1)

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Recommended training for Industrial equipment and

medium voltage equipment

National Electric Code for Lab Workers

2)
3)
4)

NFPA 70E Electrical Safety in the Workplace

Specialized electrical equipment training for Lab Workers
National Electric Code Inspector Class (ICC Inspector
Certification prep class)
Medium Voltage Power Systems
SEMI S22 Safety Guidelines for the Electrical Design of
Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment & EN 60204-33
Safety of Machinery Requirements for Semiconductor
Fabrication Equipment
NFPA 79 Electrical Standard for Industrial Equipment
Medium Voltage Training for Electricians (certification is
the goal)

5)
6)

7)
8)

DC Thermal Risk Assessment:

The maximum short circuit current of one bank is 3600 amps.
A short circuit caused by jewelry or a bare metal tool will
result in instant metal heating and melting. 2nd and 3rd
degree burns will occur to any part of the body in contact with
the jewelry or tool.
Controls No hand, arm, or dangling jewelry shall be worn.
Tools designed for battery work must be used. See NFPA
70E 2012 article 320.3(C) (3) for details about battery tools.
DC Capacitor Risk Assessment:
The capacitors rating in microfarads is 4400 F. The voltage
is 300 volts. Energy is 198 joules. A short circuit caused by
jewelry or a bare metal tool will result in instant discharge and
release of energy. Discharge methods should be designed to
keep the operator outside either the arc flash boundary or the
restricted approach boundary, whichever is greater.
Controls Soft Ground Hook Discharge followed by hard
Ground Hook. (the auto discharge circuit can be utilized as
the soft ground hook, verification of operation must be
utilized).

III NEW INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICAL SAFE WORK

PRACTICES
A.

Industrial Equipment and Power Electronics

Power Electronics and other industrial or manufacturing

electrical equipment often contain batteries and capacitors.
The 2012 version of NFPA 70E contains some information
for workers to assist in calculating the DC incident energy,
the short circuit ratings and arc flash incident energy for
batteries. Below is a sample hazard analysis which also
considers the thermal hazards from batteries and the
capacitor electrical risk for an uninterruptible power supply
(UPS), a very common piece of power electronics equipment.
[1]
1) Hazard Risk Assessment for a 5.3KVA UPS.

DC Arc Flash Risk Assessment:

Using 2012 NFPA 70E, Informative Annex D, D.8 DC
Incident Energy Calculations, D.8.1 DC Arc Flash
Calculations, D.8.1.1 Maximum power method. [2]
Iarc = 0.5 *Ibf
IEm = 0.01*Vsys*Iarc*Tarc/D2
where Vsys = the system voltage, in volts 48 for this analysis
Ibf = system bolted fault current, in amperes 3600 for this
analysis
Iarc = the arcing current, in amperes 1800 for this analysis
Tarc = the arcing time, in seconds 2 for this analysis
D = the working distance, in centimeters 45.72 for this
analysis
Iem = the estimated DC arc flash incident energy at the
maximum power point, in cal/cm2
A 3x multiplying factor for arc-in-a-box is used when this
hazard exists.
Thus,
Iarc = 0.5*3600 = 1800
IEm = 0.01*48*1800*2/45.722 = 0.83cal/cm2
Arc Flash Boundary is 14.95 inches.
Controls Appropriate AR PPE shall be worn while working
within the arc flash boundary. All parts of the body entering
the arc flash boundary shall be protected to the incident
energy level.

AC Shock Risk Assessment:

The input voltage is 208 VAC. The output voltage is 120 / 208
VAC. This is above the hazardous level of 50 VAC.
Define the approach boundaries per NFPA 70E 130.4(B)
Limited Approach Boundary is 42 inches.
Restricted Approach Boundary is avoid contact.
Controls Class O voltage rated rubber gloves with leather
protectors shall be worn during any work above 50 VAC.
AC Arc Flash Risk Assessment:
Using arc flash software the incident energy level for this
UPS is 1.2 cal/cm2. The arc flash boundary is 18 inches.
Controls Appropriate AR PPE shall be worn while working
within the arc flash boundary. All parts of the body entering
the arc flash boundary shall be protected to the incident
energy level.

Hazard ID Label for the UPS

With the information available today for DC systems, and
adequate training, the hazard identification labels should
include the capacitor and battery DC hazards as well as the
thermal hazards from the batteries. A sample label is shown
in Figure 1 below which identifies these hazards.

DC Shock Risk Assessment:

The batteries are model xxx batteries, with a 12 volt per
battery, and a short circuit current of 3600 amps.
The maximum voltage in the system is the 54.6 VDC, float
voltage, with no load.
The nominal voltage is 48 VDC.
This is below the hazardous shock level of 100 VDC.
!
Controls Class O voltage rated rubber gloves with leather
protectors shall be worn during any work above 100 VDC.

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Figure 2 - A Battery Label with additional hazards identified

Figure 1 Hazard ID Label for 5.3 KVA UPS that incudes

capacitance and DC hazards

Easy to learn and use label printers are now available to

create labels identifying the additional hazards. Information
can be typed manually onto preprinted labels without the
need for engineering software. An example printer is shown
in Figure 3.

Note: Energy for a capacitor is E = CV^2 where C is

capacitance in microfarads and V = the voltage
A not widely accepted method to conservatively calculate the
arc flash boundary for a capacitor is as follows: Assume all
energy is converted into radiant heat (worst case)
2 and energy
in a box (x 3 energy of free space), and 5 J/cm limit for 2nd
degree burn
Energy density = 3 x E/ 4r^2
then the arc Flash Boundary for 5 J/cm^2,
r = (0.05 x E)^1/2 cm
where E is the total available energy in J

E
2)

Industrial Equipment Hazard identification and Labeling

There are advantages and costs of labeling equipment

with hazard information. There may also be advantages for
industrial owners and other institutions to label beyond
current code requirements, such as when no arc flash hazard
exists. For example, in the UPS above, it is prudent to ensure
the UPS contract repairman is aware of all the hazards in the
power electronics and batteries in order to comply with plant
safety requirements. As of today it is no surprise to those in
the electrical safety industry, as to how much
misunderstanding of electrical hazards and PPE exists. A
battery label with additional hazards identified is shown in
Figure 2.

Figure 3: Easy to use Label Printer

3)

Portable data base tools

Tools for data base tracking are also more affordable than
ever. Plants may be required to keep track of their power
equipment. Equipment is generally inspected upon arrival and
some type of acceptance criteria developed and documented.
The importance of this is apparent as more local jurisdictions
start to inspect and approve manufacturing equipment in US
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plants and factories. For example, a local manufacturer now

works cooperatively with its local jurisdictions to inspect and
identify its equipment to NFPA 79. This requires a record of
such inspections. A sample from a field generated computer
tablet report is shown in Figure 4.

and for entering manholes.

1)

Utility Locates

Owners of underground utilities may rely on both private and

public utility underground locate companies. Years of
underground utility installations and inadequate documentation
may make the task of locating all electrical utilities challenging.
The best method to improve the locate process is to use locate
tools that have global positioning and CAD importing
capabilities.. These tools include survey tools, marker balls, and
custom CAD software. Owners who dont want to invest in
these technologies or the skills to use them are best served by
partnering with a private utility. A CAD drawing showing GPS
and marker ball locations is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: CAD underground site plan indicating GPS and

marker balls locations
2) Manholes, Penetrations, and Duct Banks
Manhole penetrations
OSHA 1910.269 is the US standard for Electric Power
Generation, Transmission, and Distribution and provides
general requirements to protect workers in underground
manholes and vaults. OSHA 1910.269(t) requires shielding to
protect cables if there is a risk of damaging a cable while
performing the task.
A complete well-documented plan as
illustrated in Figure 6 may prevent cable damage and reduce
risk. [3]

Figure 4: Field generated (with hand held computer tablet)

equipment inspection report

B. Class Outdoor Distribution Equipment

Industrial plants and other campuses typically own their
outdoor medium voltage equipment. There are new tools and
safe work methods for utility locating, manhole penetrations,

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III. CONCLUSIONS
Manufacturing and research equipment, power electronics,
and outdoor medium voltage equipment/distribution are
examples of specialized electrical equipment. Electrical work
on this equipment requires specialized training for employees
and documented qualifications/credentials. With specialized
knowledge new work practices can be developed as
demonstrated in this paper.
.
IV. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are grateful for the work and assistance from the
DOE Energy Facilities Contractors Group (EFCOG) electrical
safety subgroup members for all their years of ongoing
technical and organizational support.
V.
Figure 6- Manhole from inside documenting the
proposed penetrations.

REFERENCES

[1] NFPA 70E-2015, Standard for Electrical Safety in the

Workplace, National Fire Protection Association,
Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA
[2] NFPA 70E-2012, Standard for Electrical Safety in the
Workplace, National Fire Protection Association,
Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA
[3] OSHA 29CFR 1910 269 Electric Power Generation,
Transmission, and Distribution

Portable wearable voltage detectors

OSHA 1910.269(t) requires workers to deenergize before
entering manholes if there is evidence of abnormalities that
indicate an impending fault. Where no impending fault is visible,
workers can protect themselves by using voltage detectors
while entering a manhole with energized conductors. Note that
these electric field voltage detectors will not work on shielded
cables. An illustration of such a detector is shown in Figure 7.
[3]

VI. VITA
Sal Sferrazza has over 20 years experience working as a
facilities electrical engineer in research and manufacturing. He
spent 14 years with at AT&T/Lucent Technologies where he
supported corporate real estate, manufacturing, and Bell Labs
research facilities worldwide. He has spent the last 12 years at
the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, CO as their
facilities electrical engineer. His early career provided
experience in the nuclear, oil, & defense industries working as a
field and systems integration engineer. He holds a bachelors
degree from San Jose State in Electrical Engineering and has
Masters Degrees from the University of Colorado in Electrical
Engineering and Telecommunications. He is a registered
professional engineer in the state of Colorado.
Heath Garrison is a master electrician with 15 years of
commercial, industrial, and residential experience. He is a
certified ICC electrical inspector, NFPA certified electrical safety
compliance professional, and an NFPA 70E committee
member. Currently, Heath Garrison is the Electrical Authority
Having Jurisdiction for the National Renewable Energy Lab in
Golden, CO

Figure 7- Portable wearable voltage detector

Revision 2, 2008
Copyright notice: 978-1-4799-4782-9/15/$31.00 c2015 IEEE