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Monitoring systems and methods for ensuring a proper use of personal protective equipment for potential hazards presented to a person while servicing an electrical power system

  • US 8,207,858 B2
  • Filed: 08/07/2007
  • Issued: 06/26/2012
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An access control safety system for a plurality of workers servicing electrical circuitry in an electrical power system without de-energizing the electrical circuitry, wherein at least a first set and a second set of personal protective equipment is provided for use by each of the plurality of workers tasked with servicing an electrical panel in the electrical power system, the first set including at least one item of protective equipment providing a first level of thermal insulation to a part of the worker'"'"'s body, the second set including at least one item of protective equipment providing a second level of thermal insulation to a part of the worker'"'"'s body, the first level of thermal insulation being different from the second level of insulation whereby the first and second sets of personal protective equipment provide different levels of protection to the respective plurality of workers while servicing energized electrical circuitry in the electrical panel, and the first and second sets of personal protective equipment each being provided with a respective equipment sensor tag configured to uniquely identify the first and second sets,wherein the system comprises:

  • a lockout device being normally closed to prevent physical access to the circuitry in the electrical panel by any of the plurality of workers;

    at least one electronic detector configured to identify the first and second equipment sensor tag when either of the first and second sets of personal protective equipment are brought within a predetermined spatial distance from the electrical panel by the worker; and

    a processor-based device in communication with the lockout device and the detector, the lockout device operatively responsive to the processor-based device, and the processor based-device configured to;

    determine, based on whether the first or second set of personal protective equipment have been identified and in view of the potential arc flash energy intensity for the circuitry to be serviced in the electrical panel, whether the identified equipment tag and corresponding set of personal protective equipment provides a sufficient degree ofprotection if an arc flash incident were to occur while the energized circuitry is being serviced; and

    if the sufficient degree of protection is provided, operate the lockout device to allow physical access to the energized circuitry in the electrical panel;

    wherein each of the plurality of workers is assigned to one of a plurality of predefined working zones while the energized circuitry is being serviced, the plurality of working zones being different from one another and at least one of the zones requiring a worker assigned thereto to remain at least a predetermined spatial distance from the panel, the processor-based device being further configured to determine whether the sufficient degree of protection is provided for each worker based upon the zone that each worker is assigned to while the energized circuitry is being serviced; and

    wherein the possible arc flash energy intensity exposure to each of the plurality of workers is dependent on the respective working zone to which each worker is assigned, and wherein the sufficient degree of protection for a first one of the plurality of predefined working zones is different from the sufficient degree of protection for a second one of the plurality of predefined working zones, the processor-based device further configured to determine whether the sufficient degree of protection is provided for each worker present in the first and second ones of the plurality of predefined working zones.

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