Starting today, this blog page will be adding NFPA, ASTM and other regulatory standards to help you better understand what these regulations mean and how to best apply them. We will be posting a different regulatory standards on a regular basis.

NFPA 70E Electrical/Arc Flash/FRC Standard

The NFPA 70E standard dictates the electrical safety of a workplace. This standard is produced and maintained by the National Fire Protection Association. This standard basically serves to protect workers from electrical hazards in work places. Three specific situations are outlined by the NFPA 70E standard:

• Electrical conductors and equipment installed within or on buildings or other structures, including mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and other premise (yards, carnival, parking lots, and industrial substations)
• Conductors that connect installations to a supply of electricity
• Other outside conductors on the premises

So what’s all this mean? NFPA 70E breaks down risks into 4 Hazard/Risk Categories (HRC’s).

• HRC Class 1: A minimum ATPV (Cal/cm^2) of 4. This class will typically include shirts, pants, and single base layers of protection.
• HRC Class 2: A minimum ATPV (Cal/cm^2) of 8. This class will typically include under garments, coveralls and 2 or more base layers of protection.
• HRC Class 3: A minimum ATPV (Cal/cm^2) of 25. This class will typically include under garments, jackets, coveralls and 3 or more layers of base protection.
• HRC Class 4: A minimum ATPV (Cal/cm^2) of 40. This class will typically include jackets, coats, under garments, multi-layer flash suits and 4 or more layers of protection.