scope:

Foreword

This amendment to IEEE Std 1584-2002 offers guidelines on how to apply the document based on experience gained by users since its publication.

As defined by the IEEE operating procedures, a guide is a document in which alternative approaches to good practice are suggested, but no clear-cut recommendations are made. This guide is intended to be used only by qualified people. The complexities of electrical power system configurations and equipment dictate that, like short-circuit studies and protective-device coordination studies, an arc-flash hazard study should only be undertaken by experienced electrical power system engineers or other well-trained professionals. Those who are not this qualified are encouraged to use a table method to select personal protective equipment (PPE). A set of cautions and disclaimers is provided in the guide and reproduced in the spreadsheet calculator to help users understand the limitations in the technology. Proper PPE based on arc-flash hazard calculations or tables is the last line of defense against arc-flash hazards. Other mitigation techniques, as in the following list, provide a much better defense. A facility owner and employees working on equipment should be aware of all the limitations. The warning labels in rated PPE help to do this. However, users should recognize that following codes, standards, guides, and recommended practices does not guarantee that all arc-flash injuries will be avoided.

De-energizing remains the first choice as a means of achieving an electrically safe working condition and reducing the possibility of injury, but that is not always possible. Also, incidents have occurred during the action of de-energizing equipment to create the safe worlung condition and during switching to re-establish power. For these occasions, an arc-flash hazard analysis and the institution of a PPE program provide great value in reducing the likelihood of injuries in an arc flash.

These studies may identify equipment where the possible incident energy levels are so high that PPE is not available or not recommended. In those cases, operating procedure or engineering design changes may need to be considered to reduce the exposure or incident energy levels. Developing these changes is an important part of implementing a study's results. Examples of some of these changes include the following:

Changing operating procedures to eliminate or minimize the time that two sources of power are tied together

Resetting or replacing existing protective devices to get faster fault clearing times

Adding fast operating relays or current-limiting devices to reduce fault clearing times

Adding remote racking and operating capability

Installing arc-resistant switchgear

Notice to users

Errata

Errata, if any, for this and all other standards can be accessed at the following URL: http://standards.ieee.ore/readine/ieee/updates/errata/index.html. Users are encouraged to check this URL for errata periodically.

Interpretations

Current interpretations can be accessed at the following URL: http://standards.ieee.org/reading/ieee/interp/index.html.

Patents

Attention is called to the possibility that implementation of this standard may require use of subject matter covered by patent rights. By publication of this standard, no position is taken with respect to the existence or validity of any patent rights in connection therewith. The IEEE shall not be responsible for identifying patents or patent applications for which a license may be required to implement an IEEE standard or for conducting inquiries into the legal validity or scope of those patents that are brought to its attention.

Participants

When the IEEE 1584 Working Group approved this amendment, it had the following membership:

Craig M. Wellman, Chair

L. Bruce McClung, Vice Chair

Daleep C. Mohla, Secretary

Donald Bauman

Allen H. Bingham

John Cadick

Mary Capelli-Schellpfeffer

Donald Colaberardino

Stephen Cress

D. Ray Crow

Chet Davis

Daniel Doan

Paul Dobrowsky

Mike Doherty

John Gallagher

Tammy Gammon

George Gregory

Dennis Johnson

Ernest Jones

Kenneth S. Jones

Herman "Buddy" Kemp

Mike Lang

Lonnie Lindell

Kevin Lippert

Hugh Longacre

Tommy Lucas

Michael Martin

John (Jackie) Mcalhaney

Ben McClung

Micheal Melnick

Doug Mills

Adib Nasle

Ali Nasle

Tom Neal

John Nelson

David A. Pace

Melvin K. Sanders

Vince Saporita

Brian Savaria

Edwin Scherry

Robert Seitz

Farrokh Shokooh

Conrad St. Pierre

Tony Stokes

Alan Turner

Marcelo Valdes

Kenneth P.

Kathleen Wilmer

Bill Woods

Brian Wright

The following members of the individual balloting committee voted on this amendment. Balloters may have voted for approval, disapproval, or abstention.

Alonza W Ballard

Louis A Barrios

James E Bowen

Frederick Bried

Kristine K Buchholz

Donanld Colaberardino

Gary DiTroia

Daniel Doan

Paul Dobrowsky

Gary Donner

Bruce G Douglas

Kimberly Eastwood

H Landis Floyd

George Gregory

Erling C Hesla

JIm D Hill

Stephen H Kerr

Danny Liggett

Bruce McClung

Michael McNeil

Daleep Mohla

William Moylan

Paul Myers

Tom Neal

Daniel Neeser

John Nelson

Art Neubauer

T W Olsen

David Pace

Lorraine Padden

Giuseppe Parise

John Propst

Melvin Sanders

Vincent Saporita

Mary Capelli Schellpfeffer

Dennis Thonsgard

Michael Toney

Michael Wactor

Craig Wellman

Donald W. Zipse

When the IEEE-SA Standards Board approved this amendment on 23 September 2004, it had the following membership:

Don Wright, Chair

Steve M. Mills, Vice Chair

Judith Gorman, Secretary

Chuck Adams

Mark S. Halpin

H. Stephen Berger

Raymond Hapeman

Mark D. Bowman

Richard J. Holleman

Joseph A. Bruder

Richard H. Hulett

Bob Davis

Lowell G. Johnson

Roberto de Boisson

Joseph L. Koepfinger

Julian Forster

Hermann Koch

Arnold M. Greenspan

Thomas J. McGean

Daleep C. Mohla

Member Emeritus

Also included are the following nonvoting IEEE-SA Standards Board liaisons:

Satish K. Agganval, NRC Representative

Richard DeBlasio, DOE Representative

Alan Cookson, NIST Representative

Noelle D. Humenick

IEEE Standards Project Editor

Paul Nikolich

T. W. Olsen

Ronald C. Petersen

Gary S. Robinson

Frank Stone

Malcolm V. Thaden

Doug Topping

Joe D. Watson

Scope

This guide provides techniques for designers and facility operators to apply in determining the arc-flash hazard distance and the incident energy to which employees could be exposed during their work on or near electrical equipment.