Also I noticed that the victims never move(test dummies).
It is a natural instinct to get the hell away from the arc, not sit there and burn lifeless.
Yes and have you ever notice in those films showing FR clothes in a fire they never show what 100% cotton or wool does in a flame. Seems like they want to sell FR garments.
Also I noticed that the victims never move(test dummies).
It is a natural instinct to get the hell away from the arc, not sit there and burn lifeless.
Actually some of the video I saw did show cotton around an ARC. The lightweight T-shirts got blasted off the front of the dummy and the edges caught fire. The heavy cotton shirts did catch fire and smolder or burn but that was around a high ARC. For low power ARCs the heavy cotton did not catch fire. That's why the NESC rules say cotton is adequate up to 2 cal/square cm (section 410 A.3). Unfortunately most of us exceed 2 calories per square cm on our primary lines. Therefore NESC requires ARC rated clothing.
By the responses I am getting, there is no answer for what is driving the boot issue. FR shirts, and probably FR pants are a good thing although I believe a lot of it was vendor driven. When FR was the new game in town every salesman in the country was pushing there shirts. I don't believe that lineboots that may have synthetic materials with the leather would cause worse harm to the body in the event of a flash. Am I wrong?
Our company requires Di-electric footwear that has been rated to the Canadian Standard, which is 18,000 volts. Some of our service territory is 25kv. It severely limits your options on which boots you can buy. All of the more well known Lineman boot makers offer the EH rated boots, i.e. Hoffman, Wesco, White, Danner. Redwing makes a couple as does Halls. But that's about it. I did find a company that makes a winter boot to the Canadian standard. Baffin. They seem to be fairly well constructed. We don't have a lot of need for the cold weather one like some of you here. I have a nice pair of Hoffmans that I purchased in 1994 and they still do the trick. Just can't wear them any longer due to the new company rules.
You have that right Lewy. It doesn't get that cold here in the Mid-Atlantic for those boots. Some of are rated to -100 and -140 or so. But I'm not one for having cold feet when working. I probably only wear them about 2-3 weeks worth during the winter.
Check out this site for information http://www.e-hazard.com/ E-Hazard has done quite a bit of Arc Flash studys on clothing and boots. The leather boots survive very well in an arc flash incident. As for EH rateings on boots there is a EH rated overshoe that can be worn that has 20KV protection for not only the sole but the toe and upper portion of the shoe. Salisbury makes both a 14KV overshoe and a 20KV rate overshoe. As for fall restraint if it is synthetic it aint worth a dang. Far West Line Specialties has a device called a pole lariate and Bashlin makes it. I dont think a arc flash incident would destroy it as it is a cable. Our leather safety straps will hold out well in an arc flash incident. One thing to remember about overhead is arc flash is disipated by vertue of the fact that it is open air and the flash is not directional. the worst accidents occur from arc in a box or directional arc flash and arc blast. Stay Safe Wear YOUR GLOVES and remember "God Said Let There Be Light and then a Lineman Threw the Switch"