PPE is last in line of safety still engineers are busy calculating the Cat of PPE to be worn

There are LOTS of better ways. Almost all current efforts are directed towards decreasing trip times and/or increasing distances to the point where incident energy is as low as practical. Structural changes such as splitting up transformers can make a big difference but requires someone to plan this into the design.

Based on the hierarchy of controls PPE should be considered a last resort; however, lower value controls may be used interim until long-term controls can be implemented.

Elimination > Substitution > Engineering Controls > Administrative Controls > Personal Protective Equipment

Excellent comment - I just did a job with two 800 amp service switchboards located in a building. They were fed by a single 1000 kva transformer owned by the utility. The service disconects were the main 800 amp breakers in each switchboard. In this scheme both switchboards were over 40 ca/sq cm. We changed the design to two outdoor 800 amp customer owned fusible switches. The switchboards in the building were now a HRC #1. We also removed the two 800 amp breakers from the switchboards inside the building, therefore, the cost was the same or less and the arc flash was controllable.

Mr. King,

I don't consider arc rated daily wear as PPE to prevent burns as much as a normal part of electrician workwear just like rubber insulating gloves. It is "what-if" wear rather than a way to skip good engineering. I'm all for "engineering down" the hazards. I think it is disingenious to believe or purport to have "engineered out" the hazards of electricity.

I hope arc rated daily wear is here to stay most of the 150 major injuries and most of the 40 or so fatalities I have investigated or been involved in investigating have been while working on "deenergized equipment" (this was the belief at the time).

Arc rated daily wear which doesn't ignite in the arc will save most of the lives (there will be burns in some cases).

I don't sell it but I sell for it. Too many people used to die from clothing ignitions (not the arc itself). We can do better. You guys keep engineering down the hazard and reducing the risk. Arc rated daily wear will save the rest of the lives. Good combo never believe any one solution always works.

This is a subject that gets me the "are you as stupid as you look" statements when I bring it up. My short term memory is very bad but my long term memory always goes back to a class I attended years ago. That class instilled the "PPE is the LAST line of safety" in me and i can't get it out of my thought process. We remotely operate everything we can. PERIOD.