Arc Flash Hazard Analysis

The procedures and policies set forth in ANSI/AIHA Z10-2012 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems can be used as part of an electrical safety program to mitigate the hazards of arc flash and electrical shock. This chapter describes approaches that are not always effective for arc flashes caused by electric arcs which produce an incident energy that exceeds 40 cal/cm². Some design techniques which reduce the possibility of such high levels of incident energy are discussed here. Design for safety is critical because engineering methods that reduce the amount of energy associated with the electric arc and the duration of the arc may not be available for use with levels greater than 40 cal/cm². Flash hazard analysis has developed as a field within electrical engineering. There are three major aspects to this: safety by prevention, operational safety and safety by protection.