Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008 - (Page 34)

Prevention through design The product, process, and facility lifecycle Business concepts Design Build Operation, maintenance Dismantle, recycle Prevention through design Retrofit The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Prevention through Design initiative emphasizes design impact on worker safety throughout the lifecycle. Source: NIOSH also present in this incident, it may have provided a safer and more reliable power system from an arc flash hazard perspective. In this case, what if an overhead line contact hazard analysis had been conducted during the facilities design, and the site planning had located the construction storage yard in an area not in close proximity to overhead lines? Setting a trend Let’s look at some trends that continue to impact the electrical engineering design profession. Electrification. This is the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century. Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing today, electrification, or the displacement of other technologies with electrical technology, has transformed all aspects of our modern society. Energy generation and distribution, heating, lighting, transportation, food production and storage, and medical diagnostics are just a few examples where electrical technology has displaced previously used technologies to enable extraordinary advancements and conveniences. In celebrating the beginning of the 21st century, the National Academy of Engineering identified electrification as the most significant engineering achievement of the 20th century. This trend continues to expand the depth and breadth of electrical technology applications for the electrical design engineer. Arc flash. The recognition of arc flash as a distinct electrical hazard, and the emergence of NFPA 70E into the media mainstream, has made this a hot topic. Although the arc flash obscurity until a fine print note referencing NFPA 70E appeared in the 2002 edition of the NFPA National Electrical Code. This reference, associated with a new requirement in article 110.116 regarding labeling arc flash hazards, provided the tipping point to bring NFPA 70E to the attention of the vast electrical design, construction, and inspection community associated with the application of the National Electrical Code. Today, hardly a week passes without seeing an article on the topics of NFPA 70E or arc flash hazards in the industry magazines. These two trends are having a significant impact on design and consulting firms. More industrial and commercial facilities are addressing arc flash hazard mitigation in their operations and are engaging consultants in performing arc flash hazard analysis of their power systems. Although many arc flash hazard studies have focused on determining the need and performance requirements of personal protective equipment, facility owners and consulting engineers recognize that design decisions for new facilities and renovation of existing power systems impact the severity and frequency of worker exposure to arc flash Hardly a week passes without NFPA 70E or arc flash hazards being covered in an industry magazine or in a news story. hazard has been present in electric power systems since the first systems were installed in the late 1800s, it was not until the last two decades of the 20th century that arc flash was recognized as uniquely different from electric shock. With expanding knowledge of the arc flash phenomena came understanding that equipment and system designs, safe work practices, and personal protective equipment that served to protect workers from electric shock did not necessarily protect them from arc flash hazards. Although NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, was first published in 1979, it existed in relative hazards. This trend asks the design engineer to make wiser choices impacting the electrical safety for the lifecycle of power system designs. Prevention through Design initiative. One of the prevalent beliefs today is that electrical safety from a design engineer’s perspective is to ensure compliance with building codes, including the National Electrical Code and ANSI/IEEE C2-2002@, National Electrical Safety Code. This serves to protect occupants and the public from electrical hazards in the facility. However, construction and maintenance workers interact with electrical 34 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • FEBRUARY 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008 Contents Viewpoint News M/E Roundtable How To Write Control Sequences Mentoring Engineers: Myths, Motivations, and Models Keep Young Electrical Engineers Grounded Protecting a Vulnerable Population Codes & Standards Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertisers Index Green Space

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - February 2008

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