Arc Flash Studies in the UK and Europe?

Hi Steve, it will depend upon who you work for. American owned companies are instructing their European facilities to instigate arc flash studies and also US electrical safety standards. There are a few problems with compatibility with European Law but the basic requirements are the same that you work on de-energized circuits only and if you have to work on, or in proximity to energized conductors then you need a good reason to do so.

The main difference is that of the approach. US standards are quite prescriptive with a definite requirement for PPE whereas European practices are based upon risk assessment where the duty holders will have to account for their actions in putting people to work on energized circuits and the precautions that they employ. Here in the UK you are considered guilty for an accident unless you can prove that your actions were reasonable and that you did everything you could to prevent the accident.

That said, reasonable actions will include the provision of information to enable the energized work to proceed and precautions to prevent injury. The only tool to provide that information that is based upon internationally recognized standards and research is, in my view, the IEEE 1584 guide for arc flash hazard calculations. Article 6(2) of European Council Directive 89/391/EEC on risk assessment sets out employer's duties under the "general principles of prevention" which now appear in many of the regulations in Europe. One of these principles is the requirement - Adapt to Technical Progress/Information. To quote from the prime text book for HSE students in the UK; Introduction to Health & Safety at Work - Hughes & Ferret – “It is important to take advantage of technological and technical progress which often gives designers and employers the chance to improve both safety and working methods. With the internet and other information sources available a very wide knowledge, going beyond what is happening in the UK or Europe, will be expected by the enforcing authorities and the courts.â€

The other thing to take into account is that the arc flash requirement from any study is a very small part of what professional European Engineers should be doing anyway. I had a look at the data gathering exercise in Appendix A of the IEEE1584 guide and the information to undertake the arc flash calculation is only 9% of the total. The other 91% of the information is for a single line diagram, short circuit study and for relay coordination. Any self respecting Engineer would be hard pressed to argue that you don't need any of those.

To summarise, there is not an explicit requirement for arc flash studies to be undertaken in Europe but it is certainly implied even to the extent that the information will influence the decision to work on energized circuits in the first place.