Please read the attached file. I wrote this after a heated argument with someone at the Electrical Safety Workshop in Louisville this past January. In my attachments I give example there the use of tables would get your in big trouble. Since this is such a serious topic I need to pass on the cost of one accident I'm investigating. The medical cost have now reached $6,000,000 for one person..
I agree with your observations. Actually, the odds of specifying adequate arc flash PPE using the NFPA 70E tables (50%) are about equal to the odds of survival of placing a single round in a revolver, spinning the cylinder, placing the muzzle against ones head, pulling the trigger and repeating the procedure four (4) times in a row. I wonder who will ultimately pay the bill.