NFPA 70E is a good place to go for guidance with questions like this. There are two methods outlined in NFPA 70E. The first one is called the incident energy analysis
method. This is used when the equipment is properly labeled, and the incident energy is known. The other is known as the Arc Flash PPE Category Method. This method is used
when the equipment is not labeled, and the incident energy must be estimated.
The first step in helping the end user with this question is to find out if the equipment is labeled. If it is, then it is simply a matter of matching up the corresponding incident energy level with the appropriate suit. As an example, if the customer says the 480V panel is labeled with an ATPV of 26 cal/cm2 then you should recommend a suit that has an ATPV at or greater then 26 cal/cm2. In this case any of the Oberon 40 cal suits would suffice.
If the equipment is not labeled, then it is important to push the customer to use the arc flash PPE Category Method outlined in NFPA 70E. By using the Tables in section 130.7 the
customer can answer a series of questions which will then help them select the appropriate PPE. It is important to push this back on the end user for selection as there is a big liability
for SureWerx if we tell someone what PPE to wear and then they get hurt. If you get pushback from the customer on this response, please engage with the Technical Services Team.
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