A new film produced by the Electrical Safety Office of Queensland, a northeastern Australian state, highlights the serious dangers of electrical arc flashes.
Donna Heelan, head of the Electrical Safety Office, said arc flash incidents are far too common in Queensland’s electrical industry and it was time to beef up the warnings.
She explained that the film “looks at an arc flash incident through the eyes of an electrical worker who is doing a simple job. The bottom line is we want to remind everyone in the industry — that’s more than 58,000 electrical workers and 12,000 electrical contractors in Queensland — of the dangers of arc flash.”
An arc flash is a release of electrical energy that causes an explosion that can reach temperatures of up to 20,000°C (36,032°F). An arc flash usually occurs in large switchboards but can also occur in smaller switchboards, breaker panels, or large electrical equipment.
The film can be viewed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPUuRizKV3o.
