First in a series of articles Questions People Ask Us?
There is no doubt that wearing gloves is clumsy and makes the electrical worker’s job more difficult. It is not surprising, then, that D.L. Steiner, Inc. is often asked whether or not workers are required to wear their gloves when working on a de-energized panelboard, control panel, or PLC cabinet. The answer to this question has three parts.
Part One: an Observation to Clarify the Situation
What is being considered here is a cabinet in which the local switch has been turned to …

The NFPA 70E now requires regular auditing of an employer’s electrical safety program. What must a company do to stay compliant?

What! more red tape . . .why should I bother with arc flash studies?
An unsuspecting electrician opens an electrical panel only to discover that he has let loose a lethally dangerous explosion—light flashes so bright that it permanently damages eyes, heat that is 4 times the surface of the sun incinerates clothing and flesh, molten shrapnel bores upon him with bullet-like speed, and a blast wave that throws him like a rag doll with a pressure wave of hundreds or thousands of pounds per square inch.
Approximately 2000 workers will be …