1. Create Your User Profile and Status Updates

    Arc Flash Forum members are invited to create a user profile. Let others know who you are, what you do and even add a picture or avatar of yourself. What are you up to? Let people in the arc flash and electrical safety community know with "status updates"!
  2. Welcome to the All New Arc Flash Forum

    Arc Flash Forum is a community where we help each other learn about arc flash and electrical safety. There is still much to be learned about arc flash, standards, PPE, studies and more and We need your HELP!

    If you have good information about Arc Flash - Post It! If you have a question about Arc Flash - Post It! If you can provide answers to Arc Flash questions - Post it!

    Sign up as a today member! Feel free to link to this site www.arcflashforum.com. Tell your friends. We want to help everyone be safe in the workplace!
  3. Bigger and Better!

    As you have no doubt noticed, the forum has been through quite an upgraded and looks and feels very nice! There are loads of new features and ways in which this site can now be even more useful to the community in learning about Arc Flash and Electrical Safety.

    Create your detailed user profile
    Add a profile photo of yourself
    Like the forum on Facebook
    "Like" users' posts
    Publish your articles in the library
    ...and much, much more!

    Learn More About the New Features Here
Create Your User Profile and Status Updates Welcome Message Arc Flash Forum has been Upgraded!

Interacting With Equipment

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Ex twidget, Apr 17, 2009.

  1. Ex twidget Member

    Interacting With Equipment is discussed on various threads. Is there a general consensus on what this means, other than what's in the
    130.7(C)(9) tables? There are a couple specific cases that come to mind, these both apply to facilities with calculated IE levels and AFBs:

    1. Branch Circuit work in a panel with a main. After the breaker is opened, (or just before ;)) appropriate PPE is donned, the panel is checked dead on the load side. Now that the load side is dead, does working in the vicinity of energized line-side bus mean that this is live work? Does it matter if this work does not put the electrician within the limited or restricted approach boundary?
      .
    2. Changing fuses on a main BPS. This is on a service switchboard, with IE>40 cal/in2. The BPS would be opened, so the fuse terminals would be de-energized. I'm told that the fuses can be changed through a hinged access door, and the BPS has the line side up, so there's no hazard of dropping something onto live bus. Depending on the size of the BPS, there is anywhere from 6" to 12" from the top of the fuse terminals to the line side contacts. It may even take a fish tape to get up there, working through the fuse access door.

    Both of these aren't uncommon evolutions. Are they considered live work? Interaction with equipment in a manner which may cause an arc flash? I appreciate input from the arc flash community.
    Ex twidget, Apr 17, 2009
    #1

  2. Zog Well-Known Member

    70E defines live work as work within the LAB, so IMO both are live work. (#1 may depend on the configuration of the equipment)
    Zog, Apr 17, 2009
    #2

  3. Ex twidget Member

    Zog, I see the definitions for "exposed" and for "working on" in 70E.

    "Working on" is explicitly defined as direct contact.

    "exposed" is a little vague.

    Using the limited approach boundary to define live work puts us at 3'-6" for LV systems, which would include just opening doors or IR scanning in the hot work category. It seems like those things can be done without even breaking the plane.
    Ex twidget, Apr 17, 2009
    #3

  4. Zog Well-Known Member

    Hmm, the 2004 version made that clear but you are right, they changed the definition to "clarify" it, which now has me confused. Now I am going to have to re-think this one.

    Geez, just when you think you have it all figured out :)
    Zog, Apr 17, 2009
    #4

  5. mayanees New Member

    mayanees, Apr 22, 2009
    #5

Share This Page