Providing safety at the presence of arc flash hazard risk in the high voltage equipment

Abstract

The hazards of electric arcs in Bulgarian norms, as the Regulations on Health and Safety at work in electrical installations of electrical and thermal power stations and electric power lines and Ordinance №9 on the technical operation of power stations and electric power lines mainly govern the safety at work with high-voltage equipment, are not subject to a special section. NFPA 70E Standards for electrical safety in the Workplace requires to assess whether there are arc-dangers; to calculate the energy released by the arc; to define the permissible arc protection boundaries; to provide adequate personal protective equipment and to label the equipment. The aim of the paper is to summarize the Bulgarian requirements connected somehow with the flash hazard, to compares similarities can be found in approaches to ensuring electrical safety with those of international standards.