The type of required PPE will depend on the work being done, the nature of the equipment, and the available power. Failure to use the right PPE can lead to injuries.

If workers must cross this boundary to work on the equipment while it is still powered, they need specific personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect them from burns. In this case, the Arc Flash Boundary offers another related benefit it tells workers when they need specific gear. Staying away from the equipment is an easy way to keep safe, but sometimes a worker must get closer to do their work. Staying outside the Arc Flash Boundary is a way to reduce or eliminate injuries from an arc flash. The Arc Flash Boundary helps him to determine a safe distance. The electrical worker has to be able to determine his relative risk, according to the distance from the equipment. The Arc Flash Boundary was developed at OSHA’s request by the NFPA to help companies, electrical workers, and employees avoid workplace injuries and fatalities due to shock, electrocution, arc flash, and arc blast, when working in proximity to energized electrical equipment. The Arc Flash Boundary determines the distance from the equipment at which the Incident Energy of an arc flash would be 1.2 cal/cm². The Arc Flash Boundary marks the distance from the equipment at which the Incident Energy of an arc flash would be. These burns are caused by the extreme heat given off by the runaway arc the radiant heat that spreads out in all directions.Īs a result, NFPA 70E includes a “stay-back” distance intended to limit these burns. In an arc flash, the most common and most severe injuries are burns.

The arc flash boundary is