Complacency is Your Enemy: Anatomy of an ARC Flash Incident and Lessons Learned

• Published in: IEEE transactions on industry applications Vol. 57; no. 1; pp. 1122 - 1128
• Main Authors: Martinez, Tommy R., Trujillo, Julian K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.01.2021; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Arc discharges; Breakdown; Buildings; Circuit breakers; Cleaning; Electrical arc flash; electrical injury; electrical risk assessment; electrical safety; Flashover; Hazards; Human error; human performance; Maintenance engineering; Monitoring; Preventive maintenance; Risk analysis; Risk management; Substations; Switchgear

On May 3, 2015, a serious electrical incident occurred at one of the Department of Energy's national laboratories. Preventative maintenance was being performed on 13.8-kV switchgear, which included the task of cleaning individual switchgear cubicles. A wireman unknowingly entered an energized c...