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Wednesday, 19 April 2023

AlES: The successful experience of the introduction of workwear for protection from electric arc has been realized

Every year 281 employees use special suits in the company

When servicing and repairing equipment at power plants, one of the main risks to the life and health of workers is electric shock. Working with electrical equipment requires high qualifications and responsibility from operational and repair personnel. Therefore, in order to protect personnel from electric shock, JSC "AlES" fulfills all the necessary safety requirements for the maintenance and repair of electrical equipment, conducts training, briefings and training of personnel.

An important component of protection to preserve the life and health of operational and repair personnel engaged in the maintenance and repair of electrical equipment is the use of special suits to protect against electric arc.

Knowing the statistics, causes and consequences of accidents at facilities, when choosing special clothing from deadly thermal risks, we were guided by the requirements of the TR CU, GOST standards and international experience.

The suits protect the employee from the thermal risks of an electric arc, high voltage and are able to save lives in case of electric shock. To this end, since 2018, the company has begun work on providing this category of employees with suits for protection from electric arc instead of the usual special clothing, which did not provide the necessary protection for personnel when working in electrical installations.

– We have studied the properties and characteristics of various special suits for protection against electric arc for compliance with norms and standards. These are the duration of the fabric's fire resistance, antistatic properties, and wear resistance. Convenience and comfort when wearing a suit were of no small importance, – said Zhanar Shekeeva, Chief Specialist of the Department of Industrial Safety and Labor Protection.

Suits made of Nomex heat-resistant anti-electrostatic aramid fabric are recognized as the best option that meets the requirements.

The advantages of aramid fabrics, from which arc-resistant suits are created, are that they initially do not support gorenje and do not melt. In the event of an electric arc, the aramid tissue reflects part of the thermal energy, and directs part of it to change its molecular structure. The material is compacted, a dense carbon layer is formed, preventing the penetration of thermal energy into the underlying space. This process is called carbonation, which minimizes the possibility of burns.

– To date, only aramid fiber fabrics, in addition to fire resistance, also have heat resistance, that is, the ability not to collapse at a temperature of more than 380 degrees Celsius and maintain physical, mechanical and operational properties, – continued Azamat Chakarov, Chief Specialist of the Department of Industrial Safety and Labor Protection. – In addition, the fire-resistant and heat-resistant qualities of aramid fabrics are permanent, that is, they do not decrease during use and after washing, and this gives significant savings during operation. Aramid fabric in suits protects by itself and does not require any impregnation, which can be washed.

Heat-resistant underwear is also issued to the suits for additional protection of the employee, which provides additional protection of the employee from the damaging factors of the electric arc.

A batch of such suits to check their quality and ease of use in work was purchased for employees of the electric shop of the A.Zhakutov CHP-2. Positive feedback was received from the station's employees when using the suits: they do not restrict movement, do not cause allergies or skin irritation. It is noted that the suits are light, comfortable and pleasant to the touch. Therefore, starting in 2019, all employees of JSC "AlES" engaged in the maintenance and repair of electrical equipment began to be issued suits for protection from electric arc.

– Of course, the use of such suits required an increase in the company's financial costs compared to the costs of purchasing ordinary special clothing, – said Rasul Onalbayev, Acting Managing Director for Labor Protection and Environmental Protection. – But considering that electric arc protection suits are an effective and necessary means of protecting personnel, these costs are fully justified.

Suits for protection against electric arc prevent or reduce the severity of injuries in case of electric shock, because they do not ignite and do not melt when in contact with an electric arc, JSC "AlES" has implemented successful experience in the introduction of this special clothing, which can be applied in other companies.