Arc Flash

Hazard

Analysis

– Why Bother? With large companies in

specific heavy industries

making a push to implement

Workplace Electrical Safety

Programs (WESPs), you many

have noticed more

manufacturers offering

solutions minimizing hazards

related to Arc Flash and

electric shock. I first noticed

this new push for safety and

compliance when I was

working for a large

multinational mining firm in

Canada back in 2010. There

was a huge push to create an

all- encompassing guidance

document that would

provide Arc Flash safety

training requirements,

implement new personal

protective equipment (PPE)

standards, and require

precise study of electrical

systems to ensure safety to

operations and electrical

workers alike.

With the emphasis and

resources devoted to

gathering the top minds

within the organization, I

thought that it was an

industry requirement to

meet a standard that had

just recently been published;

I’m talking about CSA Z462 to

be exact.

As I discovered, these types

of WESPs were not

mandatory, but were more

of a precautionary measure

to ensure compliance within

legal precedence. For

example, if an employee was

injured while performing

routine maintenance on a

piece of electrical

equipment, an investigation

would be conducted. If the

investigation revealed that

the company had taken no

reasonable measures to

ensure the employee could

safely perform that routine

task, there would likely be

severe penalties for the

company. Accordingly, CSA

Z462 has been developed to

establish a well-recognized

hazard identification and

mitigation tool to be used to

promote a new culture of

safe electrical work. While

not mandatory, the expertise

collected within CSA Z462

can help shed light on

potential safety, economic

and technical issues in the

field.

As you may understand,

although not required, a

WESP could help reduce risk

of injury or death to your

workforce, as well as reduce

potential downtime from

equipment failure and the

associated economic impact.

Most importantly, you will be

ensuring that the people who

add so much value to your

company will be protected

and have greater confidence

in your leadership.

As awareness of social

responsibility becomes more

mainstream, corporate

interests can greatly benefit

from implementing a WESP

that places value on the

safety of their staff, while

also providing more reliable

and predictable electrical

equipment operation.

Utilizing experience in

development of large-scale

WESPs in accordance with

CSA Z462 and other

applicable maintenance

standards, a unique and

concise standard can be

developed for your particular

field. Become a leader in

safety and establish your

own corporate WESP to add

value to your business and

community.

Andrew Jensson is a

practicing professional

engineer working for the

consulting firm ICI Electrical

Engineering in the province

of British Columbia.