Protecting employees should be the top priority of any company or government agency. In those agencies where employees are exposed to the potentially life threatening hazard of arc flashes, this is an even more serious requirement. Not only are injuries sustained from arc flashes devastating to the employee and their families, but such events have a severe financial consequence as well. Developing safety measures to protect against these incidents should be developed from the very beginning.

Most often agencies focus on system analysis and personal protective equipment (PPE), rather than products or design solutions that reduce or mitigate risk from the beginning. It is not enough for agencies to solely rely on these strategies. The NFPA 70E standard claims that wearing PPEs will only reduce injuries or make them survivable. Agencies need something in place that will reduce the risk before an incident occurs.

Implementing engineering controls is the most effective way to mitigate hazard in the workplace. Engineering controls can be broken down in these categories:

• Avoidance
• Passive containment
• Passive protective devices
• Active protective devices
• Interactive protection

By implementing these systems along with proper PPEs, agencies can decrease hazardous risks and keep employees protected.

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