Our Services
Pre-Start Health and Safety Reviews | Hazardous Area Classification | Arc Flash Hazard Analysis | Design and Development | Verification and Certification | Project ManagementPre-Start Health and Safety Reviews
When modifying existing machinery or installing new machinery, it is your responsibility as an employer to determine if a
pre-start health and safety review is required.
In general, any new machine not certified with a letter of declaration from the manufacturer or an existing machine being modified requires a pre-start health and safety review if a provision and a circumstance from Ministry of Labour Regulation 851, Section 7 applies.
If you are a machine manufacturer, you may have been requested by a client to satisfy all applicable requirements for machine safeguard-ing. Your course of action would be the certification approach, providing your client with a letter of declaration. In this scenario a machine assessment is required.
Hazardous Area Classification
ProSafe Inc. provides the following engineering services for Hazardous Area Classification:
- Complete site inspection and chemical data sheet review;
- Classification under CSA C22.1 and NFPA Standards;
- Drawings showing the extents of classification;
- De-Classification calculations for negligible quantities of flammable materials.
Arc Flash Hazard Analysis
ProSafe Inc. provides the following engineering services for Arc Flash Hazard Analysis:
- Calculation for incident energy and arc flash distances;
- Single line diagram modeling the power system;
- A list of the required Personal Protection Equipment and labels for each source location;
- Resources for data collection and placing labels.
Note: ProSafe Inc. only uses qualified, licensed electrical contractors when collecting data and placing labels.
With the recent introduction of CSA Z462 Workplace Electrical Safety standard workplaces are required, by the standard, to provide a practical safe working area for workers exposed to electrical hazards.
The standard applies to Canadian workplaces, contract job sites, and contractors working in Canada. It is mentioned that users of the standard should always refer to provincial and federal safety regulations that have jurisdiction over their work facility, contract job site, or profession.
The legal requirement driving the need for Arc Flash Protection is indicated in the Canadian Electrical Code Part 1 and Shock Hazards Rule 2-306 Shock and Flash Protection. In addition, there is an employer's overriding duty to their workers to protect their health and safety under the General Duty Clause found in the Occupational Health & Safety Act of every Province and Territory in Canada.
As with any new standard there are questions on application and the requirements needed to comply with the standard. The most prevalent element from the standard is the need for an Arc Flash Study.
- What is it?
- How is it completed?
- What is the cost?
What is it?
The standard is divided into three main clauses: Clause 4 applies generally to safety related work practices; Clause 5 applies to safety related maintenance requirements for electrical equipment and installations in workplaces, and Clause 6 supplements or modifies Clause 4 with safety requirements for special equipment.
As indicated above, the purpose of the standard is to provide a practical safe working area for workers and part of this is establishing the Shock Protection Boundary and Arc Flash Hazard Boundary.
The shock protection boundary consists of a limited approach, prohibited approach, and restricted approach. The standard provides tables for qualified workers with approach distances based on a voltage range. Limitations are also provided for unqualified persons.
An Arc Flash Hazard Analysis is used to determine an Arc Flash Protection Boundary and the personal protective equipment (PPE) required to be used by workers within that boundary.
How is it completed?
There are two main parts to an Arc Flash Hazard Analysis: Site work to identify potential arc sources and record data about the source; and analysis work to calculate arc flash distances and for complex systems produce a one line diagram modeling the plants power system.
The result of the Arc Flash Hazard Analysis produces the available incident energy and the arc flash distance required for each source location. Additional information may be provided such as the required PPE to be worn by workers. The standard requires labels to be posted at each source location indicating the incident energy and arc distance or hazard risk category. Listing PPE requirements on the label is a good practice to include particularly when you consider how often contractors work on your power system.
What is the cost?
Depending on your resources there are several ways an Arc Flash Hazard Analysis can be completed. You can significantly reduce costs if you have the resources to identify and collect the data required for calculating incident energy and arc flash distance. You can also use your own electrical contractors to collect data or you can contract all the work required to complete the study.
A major factor in the cost is the number of sources to be analyzed. A typical amount of sources is between 300 and 600 points to be calculated. That's 300 to 600 sources to collect data on site and return to place 300 to 600 labels.
Keep in mind, a complete study according to the standard includes the development of an Electrical Safety Program.
Design and Development
ProSafe's method involves meeting with all stakeholders during the design stage. This may include the owner/purchaser, system manufac-turer and designers, operators and system maintenance personnel.
The goal is to discuss all aspects of the system and required safety methods to reveal the necessary design parameters as set out by each group or applicable design standards.
The result may include changes to the original safeguarding proposal or re-affirm the design through to construction, thus providing a compliant system with little or no modifications required when deployed for production.
Integration and Installation
Once a safeguarding design is established, it is important to see the design through to completion. Seamless communication results in few design changes and ensures all stakeholders have a clear understanding of what is required to comply with the legislated standards.
ProSafe provides integration and installation assistance at various intervals during construction and on demand to suit each situation. The process may involve site inspections at the builder's site or final installation location. ProSafe provides world wide site inspections to meet either demand.
Verification and Certification
ProSafe's verification service is the final inspection and document stating the system is installed as designed.
ProSafe's certification represents the final step to ensure that the equipment builder has met the applicable safeguarding standards and the end user has the documentation necessary to satisfy Pre-Start Health & Safety Review exemptions.
ProSafe's approach is to provide the best course of action for our customers, whether it involves working with your machine designer during the assembly phase prior to a letter of declaration, or provide a Pre-Start Health & Safety Review after machine assembly and in-stallation, or verify the machine or process meets applicable design standards and certify the installation once complete and ready for production.
Project Management
ProSafe's project management capabilities are your assurance and peace of mind that the safeguarding needs of your new project or modifications and upgrades will be handled from design through to installation.
With the ever increasing cut backs and workload pressures, managers find it more difficult to respond to the daily production and company demands let alone to implement a safe and cost effective installation that meets all the requirements of
legislated standards.
Let ProSafe work with you to design the best safeguarding installation to complement your process and manage the pricing, procurement and installation of these solutions by competent and qualified contractors.
The easy solution to a certified and hassle free 'turn key' installation.