ELECTRICAL SAFETY NEED & TRENDS

T.Nityananda S.
Ex-Director, National Safety Council & Ex-Asst.General Manager,Loss Prevention Assn.of India

ELECTRICAL ACCIDENT SCENARIO IN INDIA

15 -16 deaths / day due to electrocution [5663 in 2000] 30 - 35 % of fires are of electrical origin 8% of fatal accidents in factories are due to electrocution Unestimated loss of production / business interruption, loss of management time, legal costs and negative impact on company image.

PRESENT STATUS
Low ES Awareness. Slowly growing because of
- campaigns (Seminars, Workshops, National Safety Day Campaign, Electrical Safety Week, etc.) by Government and professional bodies [LPA, NSC, etc.] - thrust on ES as part of overall safety in the safety certification and safety audit process in industries
contd.

Present Status (contd.)

MCBs / RCCBs being used increasingly in industries as well as offices and residential accommodation Better enforcement of statutory provisions by better informed enforcement officers
contd.

Present Status (contd.)

As sequel to globalization, many industrial and business establishments are attempting to adopt best practices based on overseas collaborators safety practices and international standards (NFPA, IEEE, etc.)

TRENDS IN ELECTRICAL SAFETY

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs)/ Residual Current-Operated Circuit Breakers (RCCBs) - Earth leakage protection - Electric shock protection - Delayed-tripping RCCBs - RCCBs with integral overload protection (RCBOs)
contd.

Trends (contd.)

Automatic Safety Shutters for Sockets RCCB Protected Sockets / RCCB Adapter for Sockets Good Finger Grip for Plugs Pins made of solid brass revetted to the base Double Insulated Portable Electric contd. Tools

Trends (contd.)

Thermography / Hot Spot Detection

Very useful in preventive and predictive maintenance of electrical installations. Specialists job requiring careful interpretation of thermal images of critical equipment.
contd..

Trends (contd.)

Fire Retardant Low Smoke Cables (FRLS) & Fire Survival Cables Increasingly used as part of fire protection system Halogen-free Fire Retardant (HFFR) Cables Improvement over FRLS cables in smoke generation
contd..

Trends (contd.)

Automatic Fire Detection & Extinguishing System -- Linear Heat Sensing Cables (LHSC) with application in cable trays in cable galleries -- Local flooding inside electrical switch gears / control panels

INNOVATIONS ABROAD
Arc Fault Current Interrupters (AFCIs)
Detects arcing waveforms and trips

Glowing Connection Detector (GCDs)

Typical glowing connections are loose connections at terminals, which are not detected by traditional protection devices such as fuses, MCBs, RCCBs
contd..

Innovations (contd.)

Non-Contact type Voltage Detector Socket Tester & Plug-In Type Wiring Checker Detects wiring defects such as missing earth, reverse phase & neutral
contd..

Innovations (contd.)

Cable / Conduit Detector To detect cables and metallic conduits laid underground / concealed in wall Improved Lightning Protection Systems

NEED OF THE HOUR

Electrical Safety Audits Electrical Risk Assessment
contd

NEED OF THE HOUR contd.

Maintenance Programme
Preventive Predictive Reliability Centred

contd

NEED OF THE HOUR contd.

Lightning Protection Review

contd

NEED OF THE HOUR contd.

Scientific (Forensic) Investigations of Electrical Fires

contd..

NEED OF THE HOUR contd.

Electrical Risk Management Programme

System for identification of electrical hazards on continuing basis Assessment of electrical risks in various areas / installations for risk mitigation and control to reasonably practicable level