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Latest News From The Industry

Counterfeiting Kills

Each year, the counterfeiting of well-known brands and products continues to rise, creating an even more threatening problem. Such well-known counterfeited brands, including consumer safety and critical electrical products, are estimated to be five to seven percent of world trade. The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) estimates that the counterfeiting of distinguished brands costs industries $600 billion each year worldwide and may result in as many as 750,000 lost jobs every year in the United States.

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Buyer's Guide

News & Trends

2024 CE Code Training - Better Understanding of the Rules

CE Code training is intended to do a lot more than instruct about what changes have taken place since the last time Canada issued a national electrical code. We are producing a series of courses across Canada by one of Canada’s leading experts on the 2024 Edition of Canada’s Electrical...

Electrical Safety

Safe Electrical Maintenance Checklist

Reduce the risk of arc flash hazards with CSA Z462

BY ROBERT BURGESS, Lineman’s Testing Laboratories

Safe electrical maintenance practices and on-going personnel training can minimize the likelihood of electrical injuries and fatalities due to electrical shock, electrocution, arc flash and arc blast. At risk are employees who work on or near exposed energized electrical conductors or circuit parts including electrical maintenance personnel, operators, troubleshooters, electricians, linemen, supervisors, site safety personnel or anyone exposed to energized equipment of 50 volts or more. The majority of hospital admissions following electrical accidents are due to arc flash burns, not
electrical shock...

CSA Z462 and CSA Z463: A Powerful Combination

I recently viewed a destroyed 600-volt electrical panel board that had exploded when an operator reset an 800-ampere (A) breaker. His leather-palmed gloves had synthetic backs that ignited and seriously burned the back of his hands. His flame-resistant (FR) shirt was untucked and he was burned on his right side.

It is unfortunate that he was not following Canadian Standards Association’s CSA Z462 standard: “Workplace Electrical Safety” clause 4.3.7.3.10 (d). It is incredibly fortunate that his employer provided arc-rated clothing, as only a few years ago, he would have been wearing cotton coveralls.

Consequently, this incident would have resulted...

Popular Electrical Safety Articles

Underestimating Arc Flash Hazards

While most discussions about arc flash involve the calculation methods and associated personal protective equipment (PPE), electricians have a number of ways to protect themselves and their gear, including arc-resistant equipment and remote actuation and racking systems that eliminate—rather than...

Workers & Safety Garments

It may seem like all flame-resistant (FR) garments are the same. After all, government regulations demand that every FR fabric protects workers to a certain degree. However, the real issue isn’t protection. The issue is compliance. For your workers to be compliant, protection and comfort must go...

Arc Flash Analysis in DC Power Systems

Advanced approaches to addressing direct-current arcing faults BY MICHAEL FURTAK & LEW SILECKY, Mersen Let’s face it: there is not very much information available about direct current (DC) arc flashes. And, if you have searched in vain, well hopefully this feature will give you some insight...
Electrical Safety Tools

Guide to Arc Flash Apps

Arc flash applications are increasing in popularity among engineers and electricians when examining hazards presented by an arc flash. Professionals search for accessible tools to help reduce dangers associated with arc flash as well as to assist in selecting adequate personal protective equipment...