Our collaborative abstract has been accepted for Full Presentation at ESW 2023
Please join ArcWear, a Division of Kinectrics, at the 2023 Electrical Safety Workshop in Reno, NV. The March 2023 event will feature a Full Presentation (45 min) from a collaborative effort of industry leaders. The team of experts includes representatives from ArcWear, Kinectrics, a product manufacturer, and a major utility company. Collaboration between the test lab, manufacturers, and end users brings much needed checks and balances to a study of this nature.
Full Abstract
Companies with electrical workers use arc ratings of fabrics for selecting appropriate PPE to protect against arc flash hazards. Workers need to match PPE rating against the incident energies calculated using hazard assessment methods. Variation in arc ratings of fabrics not only poses challenges for end users but also manufacturers and test laboratories. In this paper a test laboratory, a manufacturer, and a large US electric utility partnered and performed repeat tests on fabrics to study variation in arc ratings. The work included cross-referencing data from testing performed on control fabrics and comparison of results from different laboratories. The results help gain an understanding of factors that influence arc rating to help improve test methods and standards, guide users to select appropriate PPE to match their hazards and enable manufacturers to validate claims on their products. Lastly, the paper gives recommendations to end users regarding best practices to accommodate arc rating variability in their programs.
Continuing to Collect and Analyze Data
We are continuing to perform arc ratings at multiple labs using various fabrics. Please stay tuned to our Blog for preliminary findings as they become available.
Contact us to arrange arc flash testing or any of our various other tests on your products today.
