Technical Articles

Emerging Electrical Safety Technologies and Trends

Don't Be a Dummy - Poster

Don’t Be a Dummy – Poster

Don’t Be a Dummy – Poster: While I was conducting a 2 day electrical safety training program for a large electric utility, we took a substation tour for a demonstration. Upon entering the control house, there it was. A pole top rescue dummy just begging to…

Read More »
Jim Phillips - IEC Office in Geneva Switzerland

IEC TC 78 Live Working Standards

By Jim Phillips, P.E. International Chairman IEC TC 78 As the International Chairman of IEC TC 78, a frequent question that I receive is “What is IEC TC 78?” IEC is the acronym for the International Electrotechnical Commission based in…

Read More »
FREE Download Arc Flash Hazard Calculation Guide

The 2017 NEC and Arc Flash

By Jim Phillips The 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC) contains several changes regarding arc flash: Download FREE Arc Flash Calculations 110.16(B) Arc-Flash Hazard Warning of Service Equipment 240.87 Arc Energy Reduction (Circuit Breakers) 240.67 Arc Energy Reduction (Fuses) The severity…

Read More »
Arc Flash Labeling Requirments

Arc Flash Labels and ANSI Z535

If you ask five different people what an arc flash label should look like, you will likely receive five different answers. Although there are no hard and fast rules regarding the label format, there are some minimal requirements found in…

Read More »
FREE Download Arc Flash Hazard Calculation Guide

Utility Short Circuit Data – Different Formats

Utility Short Circuit Data – Different Formats: National Electrical Code 110.9 Interrupting Ratings states that: Equipment intended to interrupt current at fault levels shall have an interrupting rating at nominal circuit voltage at least equal to the current that is available at the line terminals of the…

Read More »

2018 NFPA 70E Update – What’s New? What’s Changed?

2018 NFPA 70E Update – What’s New? What’s Changed?: Published: June 2017 By Jim Phillips Based on Jim’s article originally published in the May 2017 Issue of Electrical Contractor Magazine . It is hard to imagine that three years have passed since I wrote the 2015 NFPA 70E update…

Read More »

Arc Flash Study Top 10 FAQs Part #3

How Does Everyone Else Do This? By Jim Phillips 3-Part Series ARC FLASH LABELS What do you list on an arc flash label when the prospective incident energy is greater than 40 cal/cm 2 ? This question is a variation…

Read More »

Arc Flash Study Top 10 FAQs Part #2

Arc Flash Study Top 10 FAQs Part #2: How Does Everyone Else Do This? By Jim Phillips 3-Part Series ELECTRICAL SAFETY PRACTICES Does your company or client permit energized work where the incident energy is greater than 40 calories per centimeter squared (cal/cm2)? This question is about the…

Read More »