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Using absence of voltage testers during maintenance

02Mar

Electrical enclosures commonly found in industrial facilities can contain high voltages, ranging from 110 or 220 line voltage to many hundreds of volts. Regulations covering these enclosures require the verification of an absence of high voltages inside before any updates, repair or maintenance work can begin.

This requires operators to put on bulky personal protection equipment before turning off power to the enclosure and opening the door. The operator must then go through a manual process of testing the internal voltages. The test equipment must undergo a self-test before and after verifying the absence of voltages. Only then can the operator begin maintenance on the enclosure. This is a time-consuming and error-prone procedure that must be repeated for each enclosure.

Protecting human operators from electrical hazards

Industrial automation facilities are required to comply with all local standards applicable to the workplace environment. These include workplace procedures to protect from injuries caused by live power lines, such as electric shocks, electrocution, arc flash, and arc blast.

When performing maintenance on electrical enclosures, a technician must first safely verify that there is an absence of voltage inside.

Read the full article in PBSI's March issue