Filed under: General, Safety, Standards
Safe work practices are not geographically bound. NFPA is US-based, CSA Z463 is Canadian-based, PAS-55 has been adopted by at least 13 countries…all of these really good ideas around safer working practices and the concepts they espouse should be boundary-less or globally recognized standards of practice.
The concept of safety in the UK, United States or India, anywhere really, have in common the same thing: what is proven safe – is safe. We shouldn’t need to be fined by an organization like OSHA or some other regulatory committee to comply with common sense and best-known safety work practices.
Our own internal self-preservation mechanisms should make us want to observe these practices that keep us safe and allow us all to go home at the end of our working day.
In essence, a good idea for safer working practices etc…doesn’t stop being a good idea at the Canadian border or Mexican border. It’s still a good idea no matter where you go!
Filed under: General
We at IRISS get lots of strange questions regarding applications or uses for infrared windows. Tell us your experiences and we’ll post them here. One of the latest we have been hearing is that certain windows require wide angle lenses. Check the product specifications here and “See What You’ve Been Missing”. Check out our YouTube channel for more information on IRISS products.
Filed under: General, IR Windows, Questions & Answers, Safety, Standards, Training
Have you ever wondered just how to start an electrical maintenance program but were unsure of the standards and recommendations available to assist you in working safely and effectively? Join us for a webinar designed to give you an overview of the critical requirements of NFPA, OSHA and CSA to ensure that you have a successful and safe maintenance program.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) enforces electrical safety regulations in the United States. Although OSHA has not adopted and does not mandate NFPA 70E compliance, you can be cited for non-compliance. If you wonder how this could be possible, remember that OSHA’s authority to do so stems from the occupational Safety and Health Act in particular Section 5(a)(1) and 29 CFR 1910.2(g).
WEBINAR OUTLINE
1. Overview of NFPA70B and NFPA70E
2. RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) Processes for Electrical Maintenance
3. Measurement Techniques (IR, Ultrasound)
4. Electrical Safety and Standards Compliance
5. Building the Business Case for an Electrical Maintenance Program
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Implementing NFPA 70B processes in line with the requirements of NFPA70E
2. Understanding RCM processes and their benefits.
3. Correct use of measurement techniques (IR, Ultrasound, etc…) and the required parameters needed for proper data collection and report generation
4. How to successfully combine maintenance tasks with required safety standards
Join us for this informative training session from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Filed under: General, IR Windows, Safety
Thinking about the proximity of workers to energized electrical equipment and all of the potentially devastating effects that an arc flash can have, confounds me. Why don’t more maintenance programs utilize infrared windows and ultrasound inspection ports? Many of you are saying the price…right? Sure, there are costs associated with ramping up a solid condition-based monitoring (CBM) program. You have to buy the right technology, train staff, buy windows or ports and shut down the equipment to install them. Add it all up and it’s a pretty costly endeavor. Nobody would refute that it will take some time before your maintenance techs are fully utilizing each technology to its fullest and so often the return on the investment on a CBM program can fail to show you anything immediate…..which is what everybody wants right? In our fast-food, drive-through lives nowadays, everyone wants instant gratification. Unfortunately, maintenance ROI isn’t one of them. Of all the items listed in the implementation of a sustainable Electrical Maintenance Program (EMP), infrared inspection windows and their installation are NOT where the largest costs lie. In fact, infrared windows and ultrasound ports pay for themselves in as little as two inspection cycles!
Where did this misunderstanding come from?
I believe a lot of engineers base this on the initial cost associated with infrared windows when they were first developed. Sure, Sapphire, Germanium and Calcium Fluoride crystal windows are expensive; however, materials that are transmissive in the long-wave are readily available such that the evolution to the use of them in infrared windows is a natural solution. Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: General, IR Windows, Safety
See the archived presentation on how OSHA and NFPA 70 are intertwined. This recorded seminar was given at CBM 2011 in Fort Myers, FL by Rob Miller, CMRP who has been active in the reliability field for over 20 years.
Filed under: General, IR Windows, Questions & Answers
Over the years I have been involved in the infrared industry I have seen some mistakes made and problems missed using spot temperature measurements on IR cameras, luckily these were rectified using the IR software when the reports were written… (would not have been the case had we been using “report by exception” techniques!).
I have always trained my thermographers to use area measurement at all times, in particular the “area max temperature function” this way we ensure that we do everything to make sure we dont miss anything that may be detrimental during the inspection, and this is more important when inspecting through IR Windows!
There are instances when the use of spot temperature measurement techniques are very effective, especially when trying to compare one item to another in an IR image to see what the temperature difference is, or when trying to correlate one component to another, etc… However as a rule I have always found it best practice to use the area maximum temperature function whilst conducting electrical surveys using IR cameras.
Filed under: Certifications, General, IR Windows, Questions & Answers, Safety, Testing & Certification
I have always tested my product lines to the impact and load test requirements for visual viewing windows laid down in IEEE C37.20.2 a.3.6. there is however a UL standard that requires an impact and load test to be completed on visual viewing windows, that standard is UL 1558. The scope for the standard is as follows:
- These requirements cover metal-enclosed low-voltage power circuit breaker switchgear assemblies containing but not limited to such devices as low-voltage power circuit breakers, other interrupting devices, switches, control, instrumentation and metering, protective and regulating equipment.
- These requirements cover equipment intended for use in ordinary locations in accordance with the National Electrical Code.
- These requirements are intended to supplement and be used in conjunction with the Standard for Metal-Enclosed Low Voltage Power Circuit Breaker Switchgear, ANSI C37.20.1, and the Standard for Conformance Testing of Metal-Enclosed Low-Voltage AC Power Circuit Breaker Switchgear Assemblies, ANSI C37.51.
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: Certifications, IR Windows, Questions & Answers, Safety
At IRISS we see companies implement an infrared (IR) window program for a variety of reasons, but most tend to fall into the following categories:
1. Standards compliance: The use of infrared windows ensures that equipment is maintained in an enclosed and guarded condition without creating a potential electrical hazard during inspection. Therefore elevated levels of PPE are not required when using an IR window.
2. Safety: The non-intrusive inspection (keeping panel doors closed) does not elevate the risk of electrocution or of triggering an arc flash incident.
3. Risk management: The Hierarchy of Control requires engineers and managers to eliminate risk where possible (as opposed to relying on engineering controls or PPE to protect personnel after the accident happens). Use of IR inspection windows eliminates the high-risk behaviors involved with open-panel inspection and replaces them with a non-intrusive work process.
4. Data management: Infrared windows provide a systematic approach to data collection during inspections – same target, same location, same angle, and same distance. Consistency in the data collection process leads to more trendable data in any PdM process.
5. Cost savings/efficiency: Using infrared windows has been shown in time studies to eliminate over 90% of the time involved with inspections. And after all… time is money.
You can find more information on this and other subjects on our website www.iriss.com or by downloading our free information booklet “10 things you need to know about infrared windows”.
Filed under: General, Questions & Answers
I hear the term “Best Practice” used so often and have always wondered what does the term actually mean and who are the people or organizations that actually tell us that something is best practice??
Organizations such as IEEE, CSA, SMRP, AMP, etc… have a fantastic body of knowledge and a membership comprised of the best of the best when it comes to reliably engineering and maintenance practices. But the question still remains… What is a Best Practice and what is the process to decide if indeed adopting a new process or product line can be considered Best Practice ??
I believe that we should look inside of our own industries and operations and look at our everyday processes, and if we can see an opportunity to improve safety, productivity, work-flow and better manage resources then wouldn’t this be regarded as a Best Practice??? I would be interested to hear what your view is on this subject.
Filed under: IR Windows, Questions & Answers
A typical plant is full of equipment that requires periodic infrared (IR) inspection. The challenge, as any thermographer knows, is getting an accurate indication of equipment health. Properly compensating for the various emissivity values of all the components one encounters on the factory floor is possibly the most critical factor in performing accurate and meaningful inspections. Even slight errors in emissivity compensation can lead to significant errors in temperature and Delta T (difference in temperature) calculations. Electrical cabinets are a good example, as they may contain materials with emissivity values ranging from 0.07 to 0.95.
For some components, it can be difficult to determine the correct emissivity value. In the case of a highly polished component like a bus bar, the actual emissivity may be so low as to make temperature measurement impractical. It is strongly recommended that thermographers understand the surface of the primary targets. Once identified, those surfaces should be treated with a high-emissivity covering so that all targets have a standardized emissivity. Thermographers can apply electrical tape, high-temperature paint (such as grill paint), or high-emissivity labels (like the IR-ID labels from IRISS). When all targets have a standard emissivity, refection issues are minimized and measurement errors from reflected ambient energy are greatly reduced. High-emissivity targets of varying shapes can also provide a useful point-of-reference both for the thermographer and the technician making repairs.
Summary
1. Emissivity is one of the most important variables a thermographer must understand.
2. Whenever possible, know the emissivity of your target and compensate for it using the emissivity setting on the camera.
3. Incorrect emissivity settings can have a significant effect on the accuracy of qualitative and quantitative data (thermograms and temperature calculations).
4. Using an emissivity value that is higher than the actual emissivity of the target will result in electrical faults appearing cooler than they actually are.
5. Emissivity errors are not linear, but are exponential in nature (Stephan-Boltzmann’s Law). The exponential nature of the error also means that T values (differences in temperature) can be greatly affected by the errors as well.
6. When installing IR windows it is important to standardize the emissivity of the targets while the switch-gear is open (and deenergized).
7. Common treatments for target surfaces are: grill paint, electrical tape and IRISS IR-ID labels.
For more information on Emissivity and other subjects relating to infrared windows download “The 10 things you need to know about infrared windows” at www.iriss.com.
+1
(941) 907-9128
Posted on August 5th, 2011 by admin
No Comments »