6 simple rules to ensure substation safety.pdf

8/11/2019 6 simple Rules to ensure substation safety.pdf

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Subject 6 Simple Rules to Ensure Substation Safety

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ate Monday, January 27, 2014 6:11 PM

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6 Simple Rules to Ensure Substation Safety

Importance of safety protection

Another extremely important substation engineering aspect is associated with safety protection. It is fair to

say that safety is always a No. 1 priority in substation design, operation and maintenance.

Unlike the case where a higher reliability required a larger investment, we cant put a price tag on safety

since there is no such thing like working conditions being more or less safe. It should always be 100% safe

to workat or visit the substation.

There are numerous laws, rules, codes, etc. governing safety requirements; of the most important

being IEEE Standard C2-2012. 2012 National Electrical Safety Code (NESC)

The main mission of all these regulations is safeguarding of personnel from hazards arising from the

installation, maintenance or operation of substation equipment.

Safety standards contain requirements for:

Enclosure of electrical equipment

Rooms and spaces

Illumination

Floors, floor openings, passageways, stairs


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Exits

Installation of equipment:

Protective grounding

Guarding live parts

Working space above electrical equipment

Specific rules for installation of all typical substation equipment

All these measures are based on common sense and the goal to provide a safe environment for

substation personnel.

6 rules to provide substation safety

Rule no. 1 (clearance)

Enough clearancefrom energized parts should be provided to avoid accidental contact with them. If that

cant be met, live parts should be guarded or enclosed.

Rule no. 2 (minimum height)

A minimum height f rom the groundto any ungrounded part of an electrical installation should be 8-6, so

a person staying on the ground cant touch a substation element or its part which may become energized

accidentally. For example, the bottom of a post insulator supporting an energized bus does not normally have

any potential.

However, if bus flashover to the ground over insulator occurs, touching the bottom of the insulator may

become unsafe. Thats why an 8-6 distancefrom the bottom of insulator to the ground should be provided.

Rule no. 3 (illumination)

There should be sufficient illumination for personnel to clearly see their surroundings and perform any worksafely. Required illumination levels are specified in NESC [1].

Rule no. 4 (passageways)

All passageways and stairsshould be wide enough for personnel to navigate them safely, adequate railing

should be provided, and floor openings should have guard rails.

Rule no. 5 (evacuation routes)

Exits should be clearly markedand evacuation routes should be free from obstructions. Depending on thefunction of the building (for example, control house), it may require several exits to avoid personnel being

trapped during equipment fault, fire, etc.

Rule no. 6 (ground ing, as always)

All substation metallic structures, fences, and equipment tanks should be connected to a station ground

gridwhich should be designed to ensure that step and touch potential values are lower than the ones

stipulated in the applicable standards.


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Reference:Fundamentals of Modern Electrical Substations; Part 3: Electrical Substation Engineering

Aspects by Boris Shvartsberg, Ph.D., P.E., P.M.P.

Jump to original technical article at EEP - 6 Simple Rules to Ensure Substation Safety

Category & Tags: Power Substation, Safety, clearance, evacuation routes, grounding, passageways,

station ground grid, subsation, substation safety

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1/28/2014

6 simple rules to ensure substation safety.pdf

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