IEEE 1584-2018: Statistics

4 min read
INSIGHTS
About 40% of 6,000 fatalities from 1992 to 2012 involved voltages under 600V while another 40% of 6,000 fatalities within the same period involved overhead power line contact.
More arc flash incidents occur with 480V equipment than on other equipment of higher voltage.
About 30,000 arc flash incidents occur in the US every year.

Some statistics that show the importance of the latest changes to the IEEE 1584-2018 standard are:

Every year, some 30,000 arc flash incidents occur in the United States.
Arc flash events can occur even at 480V. In fact, more arc flash accidents occur with 480V equipment than with other equipment.
Out of the 6,000 arc flash fatalities that occurred from 1992 to 2012, 40% of them involved voltages under 600V.
Out of the 6,000 arc flash fatalities that occurred from 1992 to 2012, 40% of them came from overhead power line contact.

IEEE 1584-2018 VS IEEE 1584-2002
IEEE 1584-2002 was arrived on after 300 arc flash tests that were used to develop "empirically derived equations." On the other hand, the IEEE 1584-2018 edition is based on almost 1860 additional arc flash tests on a "wide range of voltages, configurations and parameters."

The new arc flash model constructed by the IEEE 1584 working group consists of formulas derived from experimentation. This means that the formulas are more accurate than those of the previous models, though more complex.
The changes include:
calculations for enclosed equipment with voltages greater than 2.4 kV are based on experimentation and test results as opposed to extrapolation used in the previous model.
low voltage now runs from 208V through to 600V. Low voltage does not include equipment of up to 1,000V.
"Incident energy at the boundary distance is now defined as 1.2 cal/cm2."
Supported frequencies are either 50 Hz or 60 Hz and do not include the frequencies in between.
The new model does not support working distances less than 12 inches since they are considered to be within the plasma.
According to the new test results, system grounding has no impact hence it's no longer considered.

ARC FLASH INCIDENTS' STATISTICS IN THE USA

In every year, there are:
30,000 arc flash incidents
7,000 burn injuries
2,000 hospitalizations
400 fatalities

80% of electrical worker fatalities are caused by burns, not electric shocks.

In 2016, 53% of all electrical fatalities were from the construction industry. In 2015, 60% of all fatal electrical injuries occurred in the construction industry.

In 2016, there was "one electrical fatality for every 34 fatalities from all causes."
In the same year, 5,190 workers died from an occupational injury.

According to a USA Today article on the top 25 most dangerous jobs in America, the job of an electrician is number 22 on the list. Telecommunications line installers and repairers come in at number 19, while electrical power-line installers and repairers are ranked 15th. When it came to top ten most dangerous jobs in the US, Time ranked the job of electrical power-line installers and repairers at position 9. Most occupational accidents in these three job categories mostly involved "overexertion, bodily reaction, and slips."

Scouring through the OSHA reports, Wellman identified well over 600 arc-flash related burn injuries.

Out of 6000 fatalities from 1992-2012, 98% involved electrocutions.

80% of electrical accidents and fatalities involving qualified workers are mainly caused by arc flash.

ARC FLASH INCIDENT STATISTICS IN THE UK

In the UK, about 57% of electrical workers have experienced an arc flash incident first-hand. This means that they've experienced it themselves or witnessed someone else suffer an arc flash incident during their career.

Around 1,000 workplace electrical incidents get reported to the HSE each year. Around 25 people succumb to their injuries each year.

Arc Flash Incidents Statistics based on components are as follows:

About 40% of nearly 6000 fatalities from 1992 to 2012 involved voltages under 600V while another 40% of the same number of fatalities from 1992 to 2012 involved overhead powerline contact.

Even at 480V, arc flash incidents can be sustained. In fact, more accidents occur with 480V equipment than with other equipment of higher voltage.

According to field tests and surveys, 22% of breakers operate at an efficiency that is less than 100%, and more than 10% of breakers do not close at all.

About 30,000 arc flash incidents occur in the US every year. Out of all the 6,000 arc flash fatalities that occurred between 1992 and 2012, about 40% of them involved voltages under 600V while another 40% of the fatalities involved overhead power line contact. More arc flash incidents occur with 480V equipment than on other equipment with a voltage higher than 480V.

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