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Arc Flash and Big Business

s we have done with pre-vious columns this year, here we are exploring the topic of changing safety with thought

leaders willing to share their perspec-tive on three questions regarding personal experience, role/ job impact, and the chal-lenges ahead.

Our guest contributor, Ben C. Johnson (BJ), senior consultant with the Ther-mon Manufacturing Com-pany, San Marcos, Texas, has been a leader at all levels of standards development, including his service as the IEEE Standards Association president. He provided indispensable guidance in the development of IEEE Standard 515, Recommended Practice for the Test-ing, Design, Installation, and Mainte-nance of Electrical Resistance Heat Tracing for Industrial Applications, and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard based on IEEE Standard 515. As a U.S. dele-gate to the IEC TC 31, he is the con-vener for the IEC/IEEE 60079-30, Joint Development for Electrical Resistance Trace Heating Equipment in Explosive Atmospheres, and also serves as the U.S. technical advisor for the IEC TC 27, Safety in Electroheat Installations. John-son holds eight patents in the domain of surface heating and is responsible for numerous innovations in that field. Most recently, he served as the Steering Committee cochair for the

IEEE/National Fire Protection Asso-ciation (NFPA) Arc Flash Phenomena Collaborative Research Project.

Q: What have you experienced as the biggest change in electrical safety?

BJ: On a global basis, I have seen quantum changes in the rec-ognition, awareness, and importance of electrical safety as well as the advance-ment and knowledge base of arc flash. Beyond the phe-nomena’s increased visibility, a key learning point I would share is that the subject of arc flash is not just about

safety—it is also about “big business.”

Q: How has your role/job been impacted because of safety priorities?

BJ: Before my involvement with the IEEE/NFPA col-laboration on arc flash research, my role at the IEEE was gover-nance, leadership, and participation in specif-ic standards. My focus was ever mindful of the need to expand the IEEE’s global recogni-tion in electrical stan-dards. When asked to cochair the collabora-tion, my hours of work doubled. I was truly challenged.

Because of the big business aspect of arc flash, I made many new friends and dealt with a few with different perspec-tives. With help and support from all in the community truly interested in

improving safety, the collaboration project is near completion of the first milestone of a new three-phase arc flash model development and validation.

Q: What challenges do you antici-pate with the transitions ahead in the energy business? Specifically, how will these impact your work and per-sonal life?

BJ: From my perspective, the energy business today is quite similar to where the United States was when the U.S. Space Program and NASA began their quest to put men and women in space. The convergence of new and emerging technologies to develop new sources of energy will challenge all businesses involved in and related to energy, from smart grid technologies to shale oil fracking.

The depth and breadth of the geo-political issues swirl-ing around energy are almost beyond com-prehension. Just think of the Keystone Pipe-line and all that has been said and written on this subject. Multi-ply the awareness of this single proposed pipeline with the magnitude of all the energy projects that cross national and po-litical boundaries and then factor in their

economic impact: all life and business are being and will be affected.

IAS

A

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MIAS.2014.2314251

Date of publication: 9 June 2014

Ben c. Johnson, guest contributor

Ben C. Johnson.

thE suBJEct of Arc flAsh

Is not JustAbout

sAfety—it is Also About BIg BusInEss.

electr ical safety | mary capelli-schellpfeffer