Testing PPE for Arc-Hazard Protection IEC 61482-1 Test-Rig Evaluation Including Proposed Changes

The International Electrotechnical Commission Standard 61482-1 describes procedures for measuring the thermal performance of fabrics and garments intended for use in clothing for workers exposed to electric arcs. This paper demonstrates that the tests in this Standard fail to produce controlled laboratory conditions. The dominant magnetic and thermal buoyancy forces have been minimized leaving two undefined and uncontrolled forces to randomly dominate arc motion, plasma flow, and thermal stress. The tests also produce hazards significantly different from those faced by victims in real situations. The velocity of the plasma impinging on a victim is incorrect. The color of the radiation is incorrect. The molten metal droplets impinging on the victim are incorrect. The tests only consider clothing stretched over a surface, whereas loose and unbacked cloth suffers considerably more stress. In order to emulate real arcing faults, it will be necessary to use parallel copper and aluminum electrodes. In addition, for personnel working on high-voltage, a “pop-out” test needs to be developed because a fault current that starts by entering and exiting the body becomes an arc inside the clothing.