With each industrial job comes a unique set of hazards. Folks who interact with electrical components daily are vulnerable to arc flashes, which is essentially a blast of energy from misguided electrical currents. Below, you’ll find a few of the different careers that require arc flash PPE to promote employee safety against hazardous electrical components. Those who work in the following careers will don various categories of arc flash PPE depending on the severity of a potential arc flash.
Electrical Machinery Maintenance Crews
Any workers who perform routine maintenance on machinery with an electrical charge should wear arc flash PPE. Should machinery have become faulty since their last maintenance check, electrical machinery crew members may encounter an arc flash. Specialized PPE can protect them from incurring serious injuries and even death.
Road Construction Workers
It’s not uncommon for road construction workers to be surrounded by high-voltage wires or high-current conductors. Some public transportation systems, such as trams and trains, even have an electrical line overhead.
It’s well-known that construction sites already have strict requirements about wearing essential PPE such as hard hats and durable footwear. During construction and upkeeping that involves components with an electrical charge, workers should always wear additional gear. Since several surrounding factors are major contributors to the intensity of an arc flash, it’s critical for road construction employees to don arc flash personal protective equipment.
Electrical Engineer Consultants
A main responsibility of electrical engineer consultants is to assess the electrical safety of various worksites. Consultants will review the entire electrical system at a worksite and offer effective solutions for any electrical safety hazards they catch during their analysis. Because the equipment is not certified as safe when electrical engineers arrive at a worksite, we consider electrical consulting as one of the different careers that require arc flash PPE.
Without adequate protective gear, electrical engineer consultants expose themselves to incredibly dangerous—and in some cases lethal—electric energy. Arc flash PPE protects these safety consultants throughout their assessments.
