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SMART SOLUTIONS FOR MAINTENANCE & RELIABILITY

PLANT SAFETY:

PRECAUTIONS AGAINST
ARC FLASH &
GROUND FAULTS

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NEW NEC 240.87

REQUIREMENTS FOCUS
ON ARC FLASH
Arc flash relay devices simplify meeting the new requirements
while providing important additional safeguards for people and equipment
By Alex Kalinski, P.E., Littelfuse

The National Electrical Code continues to evolve in the

to be deployed in order to provide secondary protection:

1) zone-selective interlocking, 2) differential relaying, or 3)
an energy-reducing maintenance switch with local status
indicator. Lets look at each of the alternatives allowed by the
2011 standard.
Zone-selective interlocking involves interconnecting
downstream and upstream circuit breakers so that if a
short circuit or ground fault occurs on a branch circuit, the
breaker feeding it will trip instantaneously, and simultaneously send a signal to the breaker just upstream, telling the
upstream breaker to use its time-delay function instead of
tripping instantaneously. This is important because otherwise a downstream short or ground fault could draw enough
current to cause both breakers to trip instantaneously, killing power to branch circuits other than to the circuit with
the fault.
Zone-selective interlocking provides an instantaneous
response to a high value fault, which protects equipment
and workers faster than would a circuit breaker without
instantaneous trip. However, a high resistance arc flash may
not draw enough current to trip either breaker, potentially
resulting in injury, damage, and downtime.
Differential relaying uses current transformers at the inputs and outputs of the electrical equipment being protected
(zones); when a fault occurs, the zone in which the input and

direction of arc flash protection. Plant managers who want

to be compliant need to know what the changes mean. Fortunately, the rewording of a key paragraph will likely make
compliance easier, and will better protect electrical workers.
The NEC changed the name of paragraph 240.87 from
Non-Instantaneous Trip in the 2011 edition to Arc Energy
Reduction in the 2014 edition. As explained in the 2014
NEC Handbook, the changes to this section remove the
mention of instantaneous trip setting from the criteria
for applying this requirement. Instead, an instantaneous
trip is now required where the highest continuous current
trip setting in a circuit breaker is rated or can be adjusted
to 1200 A or higher.
More importantly, the revision to Section 240.87 allows
for a new method that can make the job of compliance a
good deal easier: deploying an energy-reducing arc-flash
mitigation system (or an approved equivalent means).

2011 NEC SECTION 240.87

Paragraph 240.87 of the 2011 edition of the NEC stated that

whenever a circuit breaker was used with a rating of 1200
A or higher (or one that could be adjusted to 1200 A or
higher) and which did not have an instantaneous trip function, one of the following technologies also was required

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Source: Littelfuse

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Figure 1. Arc-flash relays send a trip signal to the circuit breaker in <1 ms.

by reducing the incident energy. The use of an arc flash relay

can greatly reduce the potential for arc-flash injury to personnel and damage to equipment, and also may reduce the
level of PPE required to work on the panel.
Arc flash relays are compact and easy to retrofit into
existing electrical panels: mount light sensors, connect them
to the relay, and connect the relay output to the trip input
of the existing circuit breaker. Some relays are essentially
plug-and-play; more sophisticated relays require moderate
configuration via PC for zone control, delay settings, and incident history. One helpful feature is LED indication on the
relay and sensors that the system is working; if the system is
not blinking, then workers know to close the cabinet.
So far, 36 states have adopted the 2014 edition of the NEC,
and inspectors are citing plants that do not comply with
the revision of paragraph 240.87. Arc flash relays are simple
and inexpensive to retrofit, and they provide a new way for
managers to become compliant with the NEC while also
providing improved protection for workers.

output currents do not match is the location of the fault, and

the appropriate breaker is tripped. Again, this provides fast
protection, but differential relaying is complicated, expensive, and consumes a fair amount of space.
An energy-reducing maintenance switch manually sets
the current pickup lower and the time delay faster to trip the
breaker feeding a panel as fast as possible while someone
is working on it; if there is an arc flash, the breaker should
trip instantaneously and limit the energy delivered. This
rapid response provides protection and may even reduce the
level of PPE that workers must wear before approaching the
panel. The drawback of this approach is that it depends on
human beings: workers must manually activate the switch
before beginning maintenance, and remember to deactivate
it afterward to prevent nuisance tripping or miscoordination. Also, this approach does not provide protection when
maintenance is not being performed.
2014 UPDATE IMPROVES PERSONNEL PROTECTION

In 2014 the NEC was rewritten to widen the set of options

available to plant managers for complying with Section
240.87, including the use of an arc flash relay.
An arc-flash relay (Figure 1) is a device that detects the
light emitted as an arc flash begins and sends an instantaneous trip signal to the breaker feeding the affected panel
or enclosure, which stops the arc and minimizes the danger

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Alex Kalinski is a Regional Sales Engineer for

Littelfuse (www.littelfuse.com), based out of
Atlanta, GA. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Georgia, and has nine years
of experience in the field of electrical power. He
can be reached at akalinski@littelfuse.com.

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TAKE
PRECAUTIONS
AGAINST GROUND
FAULTS
GFCI-compliant electrical systems help
protect workers from a potentially lethal
combination of moisture, metals, and
harsh conditions By Tony Quebbemann, Molex

Preventing workplace accidents, injuries, and

deaths is everyones business. Despite some notable improvements in workplace incident rates, fatalities occur
frequently, with over 4,300 workplace deaths reported in
2012, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI).
Electrical accidents are a leading cause of these on-thejob injuries and deaths. Between 1992 and 2010, an average
of 268 people annually died on the job from electrocution.
Thousands more suffered injuries such as shocks and burns
from electrical accidents. Electrical safety violations are
major cause of these accidents, which in addition to the
human cost have a major economic impact on employers
in the form of financial penalties, medical and disability
expenses, and insurance rate hikes.
Electrical risks exist in varying degrees in many different industries, including construction, manufacturing,
utility, transportation, agriculture, mining, oil and gas,

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food and beverage, and chemical processing. The risks

result from workers performing routine jobs that require
using high-power electrical equipment in harsh, wet, or
hazardous conditions.

Electrical safety violations are major cause

of these accidents, which in addition
to the human cost have a major economic
impact on employers in the form of financial
penalties, medical and disability expenses,
and insurance rate hikes.
These risks include improper connections and any
unprotected electrical connections that are exposed to
moisture, metals, and harsh conditions, which can cause

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openings to protect workers from accidental contact

with conductors.
To ensure proper installation, many companies follow
NEMA ratings and IP standards for watertight receptacles,
connectors, and other components used in wet locations

power f low interruptions. Improper work processes and

uses of equipment can also cause accidents, ranging from
nuisance tripping to short circuits to major malfunctions. For example, employees can inadvertently cause
electrical mishaps by taking shortcuts to complete tasks
more rapidly.
Creating safer workplaces requires rigorous enforcement of electrical safety codes and guidelines. The
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publishes
advisory guidelines intended to safeguard people and
property from electrical hazards. Industrial companies
and their workers must follow Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) regulations for workplace
safety and health. NEC guidelines and OSHA regulations
dovetail on key points.
To protect workers, electrical equipment should be kept
free from hazards that can result in dangerous conditions, injuries or fatalities. The combination of water and
electricity is potentially lethal, and can occur through a
ground faultan unintentional electrical path between a
power source and a grounded surface.
How can these ground faults occur? Current leakage
takes place when an electrical tool is damaged or becomes
wet, causing current to flow outside the circuit conductors.
Severe shock, burns, or electrocution can occur if a person
gets in the path of the current.
As a result, the use of ground fault protection in industrial settings is vital. Ground fault circuit interrupter
(GFCI) devices quickly trip electrical circuits when they
detect ground faults or leakage currents. GFCI technology
saves lives by preventing accidental electrocutions. GFCIcompliant devices can ensure protection is in place even if
workers circumvent safety protocols.
NFPA NEC guidelines and OSHA regulations are
critical to specifying these GFCI-compliant devices. For
example, extension cords used with portable electric tools
need to be 3-wire and employ hard or extra-hard rated
usage cable. That means power cords designed for typical residential applicationswhich can be easily crimped,
bent, or broken under heavy foot traffic or rolling equipment on a plant floorare not appropriate. Instead, rugged
industrial cords constructed of thicker, heavy gauge wire
and insulation must be used. Additionally, cords should
not exceed 100 feet in length to prevent nuisance tripping
and other accidents.
Likewise, electrical boxes must be properly installed
and rigidly supported. Both NEC guidelines and OSHA
requirements require adequate strain relief for cables
entering junction boxes, cabinets or fittings and other

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The combination of water and electricity

is potentially lethal, and can occur through
a ground faultan unintentional electrical
path between a power source and a
grounded surface.
or exposed to gas, fumes, vapors, or harsh chemicals. For
example, electrical components require watertight connections to eliminate or reduce risk of electrical shocks, short
circuits, and electrical fires. Flip-lid protection prevents
moisture from penetrating power outlets. Also, duplex
receptacles should be equipped with a separate flip-lid
over each outlet to prevent moisture from penetrating an
unused outlet when the other is in use.
Finally, companies should take advantage of the latest
technology to better protect their workers. New integrated electrical solutions are raising the bar on workplace
safety and GFCI compliance, such as wet-location wiring
systems that are uniquely designed for industrial applications at outdoor worksites or a plant floor, where processing equipment requires frequent high-pressure washdowns. These integrated, scalable systems can include
outlet boxes, coverplates, cordsets, plugs, connectors, and
receptacles.
Keeping workers safe is the right thing to do and a
good business decision. A wide range of surprisingly
economical, high-performance, GFCI-compliant devices
are available for portable power, new installations, and
after-market equipment upgrades in todays industrial
plants and worksites.
Tony Quebbemann is global product marketing manager for Molex (www.molex.com), and
has worked in the electrical industry for 30
years with positions in sales and marketing
within companies comprised of manufacturing,
distribution and contracting. He holds an undergraduate degree
in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and
an MBA from the University of Chicago. He can be contacted at
Tony.Quebbemann@molex.com.