The behavioral components of incidents, injuries, and fatalities must be studied and understood to change the safety culture. This element of study has been missing from the data available to assist in improving workplace safety. Often, this type of information has never been compiled and reviewed. Figure 1 shows the relationship between incidents, injuries, and fatalities. As shown in Figure …
As energy storage systems (ESS) become more integrated into our society, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) provides resources to ensure they are installed safely and that our firefighters are prepared to respond to the safety issues they present. Even though batteries have been around for hundreds of years, new innovations allow us to do more with them than ever …
Established in 1982, Hood Patterson & Dewar (HP&D) provides testing services in mission-critical facilities across the country and around the world. A full-service testing firm with offices in Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, HP&D offers engineering expertise and industry experience in complex mechanical and electrical power systems analysis, testing, and commissioning. A 100% employee-owned company, HP&D’s staff includes professional and …
Not all equipment is created equal when it comes to production objectives versus safety objectives in an electrical power system. Certain devices should be tested and maintained to ensure uptime; others should be inspected to ensure they perform properly to protect workers in an arc flash event. When considering arc flash safety and selecting the associated PPE, the condition of …
NETA has announced that PowerSouth Testing is the latest to achieve the respected NETA Accredited Company (NAC) status. Located in Cedartown, Georgia, PowerSouth’s workload is currently concentrated in the southeastern United States. The company’s story began when three previously accredited technicians decided to come together and open PowerSouth’s doors to provide electrical testing services to the public. The PowerSouth team …
Electrical workers, supervisors, and managers are instinctively aware that getting to the root cause of electrical incidents involving the safety of their people and/or the integrity of their equipment requires insightful questions. Failure to find the foundational root cause is a tragedy that compounds the incident itself. Unfortunately, if the first question asks, “Why did it happen?” the answer often …
The 2021 edition of the NFPA 70E is almost upon us. In June 2020, it should be approved at the technical meeting during the NFPA Conference and Expo, and the Standards Council will issue the standard soon thereafter, likely in August 2020. A pdf version of the standard will likely be released in September, with a printed copy available in …
ANSI/NETA ATS–2017 Revision Underway ANSI/NETA ATS–2017, Standard for Acceptance Testing Specifications for Electrical Power Equipment & Systems continues an American National Standard revision process that is scheduled to be completed in fall 2020. A project intent notification published in ANSI’s Standards Action on January 3, 2020, announced the opening of a 45-day public comment period. The initial ballot was issued …
The NFPA 70B committee continues to update the existing guide to a standard. They meet every other Friday for a two-hour conference call to make progress on various chapters. The chapter numbers have changed to improve the flow of the document and make it easier to follow. The progress has been a bit slow, and now that issue has been …
The proven advantages of digital technology for power system protective relays are now commonplace in the power producing and delivery industry. Digital relays provide unsurpassed reliability and extended capabilities at an economical cost. However, keeping pace with the testing and commissioning requirements of these devices has proven to be a challenge for both protective relay engineers and technicians. Although testing …