When an incident can cause injuries that can be life-changing or life-ending, it’s no surprise that Arc Flash training protects your workforce from these hazards. General health and safety training and a culture of recording and talking about near misses will all help develop a workforce that looks out for, and is more likely to avoid, hazards. But when an incident can be caused by something as simple as a dropped tool, specialist Arc Flash training will help protect your...

The first rule of workplace safety is understanding the risks, but when it comes to an Arc Flash, there are so many myths that crop up, making it hard to know what the real risks are and how to mitigate them. Occurring when an electrical discharge or short circuit moves through the air, an Arc Flash is caused by voltage spike, worn connections, cable strikes or gaps in insulation. The energy expelled by an Arc Flash can be deadly, with...

Electrical engineers working at high voltage are acutely aware of the risks – and implications – of incidents, but is the risk of an arc flash greater at high or low voltage? Is there complacency among those working only on low voltage systems and what are the implications? Low voltage, low Arc Flash incidence? It would be easy to assume that low voltage systems pose less of a risk of arc flash incidents, but that is just not the case....

Workplace incidents happen every day. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), estimates based on the Labour Force Survey indicate there were 0.6m non-fatal injuries to workers in the UK in 2017/18 and employers reported 71,062 non-fatal injuries as RIDDOR incidents in the same period. Here at ProGARM, we believe that there are a number of steps you can take to reduce the risk of workplace incidents and that protective safety clothing and other PPE items provide an essential...

As a lesser-known risk, there are a whole host of Arc Flash myths which are bandied about as truths. Anyone who has worked in environments with an Arc Flash risk knows that these flashes of intense energy are no joke. Presenting a real risk to health and even to life, it’s essential that electricians, electrical engineers and anyone else responsible for or working on electrical switchgear is able to separate fact from fiction. So, what’s the truth? ARC FLASH MYTH...

There are many variables that can influence the scale of an Arc Flash, including voltage. But the idea that such an extreme and intense explosion can only arise in high voltage environments is a myth. Though it’s broadly true that the greater the voltage the more significant the safety risk associated with an Arc Flash, there are many other variables which can influence the severity of an incident – even in low voltage environments. Arc Flash incidents happen when there’s...

With so much uncertainty still remaining about what will happen after 31 January 2020, how can you be sure your Arc Flash PPE will still protect you after Brexit? The simple answer is that ProGARM has committed to ensure that all of our garments and equipment provide the highest level of protection after Brexit so that you can be confident your workwear will continue to protect you and your team from the hazards you face. What Arc Flash PPE standards...

It should be no surprise that winter arrives each year, with its colder temperatures, less hospitable weather and, with it, a new set of health and safety risks. As with most health and safety topics, planning and preparing for prevention are the best tools to make sure that your workforce is safe. Here are some of the biggest health and safety risks in winter weather and what you can do about them. Slips and trips As the weather turns wetter...