Whenever an electrician or technician makes a voltage measurement on a live conductor, there is a risk of electrical shock. Comtest, Fluke’s local channel partner, has the safety of these workers truly at heart, and here are five safety tools to prevent arc flash, one of the biggest risks they may face.

Limiting workers’ exposure to electrical hazards like arc flash or electrocution is a solid foundation for any electrical safety programme. Combine that mindset with the right non-contact tools and more electrical workers will be kept out of harm’s way.

Workers who are exposed to electrical hazards are required to establish arc flash boundaries and wear the appropriate arc-related clothing and rubber insulating gloves. Safely reducing the amount of PPE worn and limiting the amount of time workers spend inside the boundary are some of the major safety advantages of non-contact measurements.

Click here to watch a video regarding the testing of Fluke instruments

1. Fluke PQ400 electrical measurement window

Electrical measurement windows are permanently installed into a cabinet with voltage and current connections made inside the panel. The PQ400 gives workers access to critical power quality and energy data while decreasing testing time and maintaining a high level of safety. Users can plug power quality tools directly into an electrical measurement window to collect the data needed.

Benefits include:

• Reducing the risk of arc-flash and electrocution
• Decreasing maintenance costs and reduce downtime by making critical power quality and energy measurements without opening the panel door
• Enabling logging and monitoring at any time - without disrupting operations
• Increasing measurement efficiency while reducing the need for full arc-flash PPE

2. Fluke CV400 ClirVu 4in window

Infrared windows are a permanent fixture that gives a view of what’s on the other side of a panel without exposing workers to live voltage or needing full PPE. Workers can save time and effort while increasing efficiency with the Fluke CV400 ClirVu 4in. The widest Fluke window option available offers the most visibility into a panel for the thermal camera, simplifying the inspection process:

• PPE needed significantly reduced with fewer work permit requirements
• Reduce time and cost of preventive maintenance
• Faster and more comfortable preventive maintenance inspections
• Reduced risk of arc-flash and electrocution
• Increased the safety of your personnel

3. Fluke TiS60+ thermal camera

Most troubleshooting and preventive maintenance can begin with a thermal camera. Get a temperature reading on equipment without making physical contact, through an IR window or not, so users can know what’s running too hot, or too cold, before anything breaks down. The Fluke TiS60+ is a great thermal camera option to capture and measure the heat energy emanating from a source. It offers useful features:

• Compare changes thermal scans over time with Fluke Connect
• Reduce time and cost of preventive maintenance with faster inspections
• One-handed image capture, review and save capability

Keeping other infrared measurement products on hand can also help users keep a safe distance from the arc flash boundary.

• IR thermometers offer a temperature measurement from a distance using a laser beam to aim at the area to be measured. When it comes to safety, grabbing an IR thermometer can mean avoiding climbing up ladders or reaching around rotary shafts to check for hot spots.
• Visual IR thermometer blends a visual image with an infrared heat map overlay.

4. Fluke 233 remote display digital multimeter

Remote display tools have a detachable display so the measurements can be read and marked down outside of the arc flash boundary, similar to wireless tools.

The Fluke 233 remote display digital multimeter:

• Cuts down on the time technicians spend inside the arc flash boundary
• Easy to read display with large digits and bright backlight
• Can also be used as a conventional meter

5. Fluke 376 FC clamp meter

Wireless tools, like the 376 FC clamp meter, let you set up the measurement and transmit the data from inside the arc flash boundary. Someone within 20 m of the equipment can then open the Fluke Connect app and see the measurement from outside the boundary.

The 376 FC clamp meter lets users:

• Monitor the measurement safely from outside the arc flash boundary
• Increase safety and decrease the time technicians spend in the arc flash boundary
• Remotely log, trend and monitor measurements to pinpoint intermittent faults
• Inrush measurement to filter out noise and capture motor starting current

Contact Comtest, Tel 010 595-1821, sales@comtest.co.za, www.comtest.co.za