IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 16, NO.

3, JULY 2001

429

Estimating the Ignition Hazard of 100% Cotton

Clothing Worn by Transmission and Distribution
Line Workers
Task Force 15.07.04.02 ESMOL SUBCOMMITTEE

TABLE I [3]
IGNITION THRESHOLD FOR COTTON FABRICS

AbstractThis paper describes a method of estimating the fault

current magnitude necessary to ignite 100% cotton clothing worn
by transmission and distribution line workers.

I. OVERVIEW
A. Scope

HIS paper provides technical evaluation criteria for estimating the magnitude of the electric arc current required
to ignite 100% cotton fabric worn by transmission and distribution line workers inadvertently exposed to the thermal hazards
of an electric arc.
This paper is intended to suggest methods for initial evaluation of the ignition hazard assessment of clothing normally worn
by transmission and distribution line workers when working
on overhead lines operating at 4160 volts, phase to phase, and
above. Once the hazard has been identified a further risk analysis is required.
The paper does not consider the effects of three-phase arcs, or
arcs involving reflected energy, as can be found inside enclosed
spaces or equipment. These effects are being studied and may
be included when they are quantified. In any event, these types
of arcs are not commonly found in overhead work.
The paper does not address effects other than electric arcs.
An employers hazard assessment must take other factors into
consideration when determining whether or not 100% cotton
clothing is acceptable.
ASTM standards provided methods used to test fabrics for
ignition and the thermal performance of material.
B. Objective
The objective of this paper is to present sufficient details for
the performance of a technical evaluation of clothing that will
not ignite during transmission and distribution overhead line
work.

NOTE: Fleece worn as outside clothing is

extremely flammable.

To be considered reasonable, an employers estimate of the

maximum heat energy to which an employee would be exposed
must be based on the assumption that;
The electric energy consumed by the arc would generate the maximum available power and, that for hot stick
work that places the employee to the side or above the exposed energized parts, the employer may determine that
the arc will occur at a distance greater from the employee.
However for any work method, the employer must consider
the different types of mechanical failures and human errors
in determining the distance (which in any case will be less
than the actual approach distance).
Appendix C further states that If the maximum heat energy
estimated by the employer does not exceed the value in Table I
for a particular weight and color of a cotton material, then an
outer layer of that material would not be expected to ignite and
would be permitted under paragraph 1910.269(l)(6)(iii).
II. DEFINITIONS

C. Regulatory Requirements

A. Arc Energy

OSHA 1910.269(l)(6)(iii) [1] contains requirements that

The employer shall assure that each employee who is exposed
to the hazard of flames or an electric arcs, could increase the
injury that would be sustained by the employee."
OSHA enforcement criteria [2] regarding the use of 100%
cotton fabrics given in OSHA draft Appendix C indicates that

The total energy liberated to the surrounding space by an electric arc.

Manuscript received September 24, 1999.

Publisher Item Identifier S 0885-8977(01)04679-9.

B. Arc Gap
The distance between the electrodes.
C. Arc Voltage
The rms. value of the voltage drop across the arc column
caused by the arc resistance and the electrode drops.

08858977/01$10.00 2001 IEEE

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 16, NO. 3, JULY 2001

D. Arc Current
The rms. value of the current in the arc.

TABLE II
INSULATED RUBBER GLOVES

E. Duration
The time span of the arc from initiation to extinction in cycles
of the 60 Hz current.
F. Hazard Zone
The line length where the heat energy exceeds the ignition
threshold of the fabric for the assumed parameters.
G. Heat Flux
The thermal intensity indicated by the amount of energy
transmitted per unit area and time. (cal/cm /s or W/cm ).
H. Ignition
The property of a material involving the ignition of combustion accompanied by heat and light, and either continued
burning for at least 2 seconds or consumption of at least 25%
by area of the cotton fabric.
I. Ignition Threshold
The minimum value of heat energy at which the material will
reach ignition temperature and start to burn. In this guide that
value is taken as the 10% probability of ignition with a 95%
confidence level.
J. Incident Heat
The value of energy that is impinged on the receiving surface.
K. OPSY (Ounce per Square Yard)
Fabric weight in ounce per square yard of the material.
L. Separation Distance
The distance from the center line of the arc to the receiving
surface at the worker.
M. Trigger Current
The value of arc current required to reach the ignition
threshold heat flux for the parameters of that utility. Arc current
magnitude above this value will trigger a risk analysis.
N. Minimum Approach Distance (MAD)
The distance required to withstand the voltage stress plus
an adder for inadvertent movement. The MAD is specified in
regulations.
III. CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING IGNITION THRESHOLDS
A procedure to establish the system arc current magnitude
that will NOT ignite 100% natural cotton fabrics normally worn
by electric utility line workers is given.
Step 1: Determine the minimum weight and color of cotton
clothing normally worn by the line workers.
The normal clothing worn will probably be different for
winter and summer wear. It will be different in different regions

of the country. The selection for this initial evaluation should

be the minimum weight and darkest color clothing worn by line
workers who may be exposed to the thermal hazard of an electric
arc.
As indicated in Table I, fabric color may have a significant
affect on the ignition threshold. Fabric weave and weight also
affect ignition. The worker normal color and weight combination should be selected and used in the analysis.
Clothing tests have indicated that a cotton fabric has a 50%
probability of ignition in the range of 0.8 to 1.2 cal/cm /oz with
the average about 1. If the characteristics of the fabric is not
known, a conservative estimate of the ignition threshold can be
made by taking the 50% ignition level as 0.8 cal/cm /oz for the
fabric and multiplying by 0.8 to estimate nonignition.
Step 2: Establish the ignition threshold heat flux for the
normal weight and color clothing selected in Step 1.
Step 3: Determine the fault current magnitude that represents
the ignition threshold for the clothing worn by the worker.
Calculate the fault current magnitude that will result in the
ignition threshold level for the weight and color of the clothing
worn by the worker.
Computer programs [4], [5] are used to determine the fault
current magnitude that will produce the threshold energy that
will reach the workers clothing. The programs will not produce
identical results but can be used to establish threshold current
levels for additional calculations. The incident energy levels calculated in this guide were calculated using Arc Pro [4].
The following input is required for the programs.
a) Operating Voltage: The maximum system operating
voltage should be used.
For distribution and transmission voltages, the operating
voltage generally will not be a limiting parameter. The arc
drop voltage will be in the order of 50 volts per inch so the
system voltage will support arcing distances much longer than
anticipated. However the maximum operating voltage is used
at each of the system voltage levels.
b) Arc Duration: Arc duration depends upon the utility
protection schemes and can vary quite widely between utilities. Each utility therefore must establish representative fault
clearing times for the fault magnitudes anticipated.
For high current magnitude faults on most transmission and
distribution systems, the primary clearing time of 0.1 second
(6 cycles) is reasonable. At EHV voltages 3 cycles can be used.
For low magnitude faults, clearing times depend upon protective
device coordination and will vary widely between utilities. Each
utility must establish the normal clearing times for the system
fault involved and calculate the incident heat flux resulting from
those fault magnitudes and clearing times.

TASK FORCE 15.07.04.02: ESTIMATING THE IGNITION HAZARD OF 100% COTTON CLOTHING

431

TABLE III
GLOVING METHOD

TABLE IV
HOT STICK METHOD

Maximum Fault Current not to exceed 4.6 cal/ cm2 incident energy

c) Arc Gap Distance: It is assumed that, as a worker is

performing a task, the initial arc is struck when the worker takes
a conductive article within the 60 Hz breakdown distance in air.
The dielectric strength of air is taken at 10 kVrms/inch.
d) Separation Distance: At distribution voltages, where
gloving work is used, the length of the glove and, if used,
the length of the sleeve represents the separation distance to
clothing. For hot stick and barehand work methods, NESC
1997 [6] Table IV41-1 minimum approach distance, minus
twice the sparkover distance in air for that operating voltage,
represents a reasonable allowance for mechanical failure or a
violation of the ergonomic distance.
With these parameters, the maximum arc current that will
generate the allowable incident heat flux, determined in Step 2
can be calculated.
Step 4: Compare the station line-to-ground fault capability
to the ignition threshold trigger current.
System fault calculations normally do not include any arc or
ground resistance and are therefore conservative for estimating

the number of stations that could have faults that might exceed
the ignition threshold.
Step 5: Determine the zone of hazard for utility line workers
by adding the line impedance, which will limit the arc current
to the trigger magnitude.
Step 6: Review the parameters used in the evaluation, work
practices and procedures and evaluate the options available to
reduce the risk of ignition for these locations and tasks.
1. Review the Fault Current Magnitudes.
The calculations are somewhat conservative, as they do not
include the arc and earth resistance. For stations with high magnitude fault currents there may be ways to sectionalize and reduce fault current during the time that work is in progress. Since
the current is directly proportional to the heat, reducing the current level will reduce the heat energy.
2. Review the Clearing Times.
For high magnitude fault current stations, faster clearing
times than used in the evaluation may be available. Note that
the fault duration is directly proportional to the incident energy.

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Cutting the clearing time in half will result in 1/2 the incident
energy.
3. Increase the Separation Distance.
Since the incident energy is a function of the separation distance to the 2.2 power, an increase in that distance by a change
in work practice will reduce the incident energy.
4. Change the Weight of Clothing Worn by the Worker.
IV. WORK METHODS
A. Gloving
At distribution voltages, live line work is done using dielectric
gloves. Table II gives the maximum use voltage and the length
of the glove from the crotch of the thumb to the cuff for the minimum length glove in that class. The minimum separation distance is determined by using the glove length, stated in ASTM
D120, minus 4 inches for the distance from the fingertip to the
thumb crotch and minus twice the 60 Hz sparkover distance.
B. Hot Sticks
For hot stick work methods, the MAD, less 2 times the 60 Hz
sparkover distance is used.
C. Barehand
When barehand work methods are used, the separation distance is determined by the work practice. However the worker
will be wearing a conductive suit made from FR fabrics and not
from 100% cotton.

D. ExampleWork Methods by Voltage

Tables III and IV are examples of the maximum current magnitudes calculated by this method for gloving from 4.16 through
36 kV and from 46 to 800 kV based on a 5.2 OPSY blue twill
natural cotton fabric.
REFERENCES
This guide should be used in conjunction with the following publications.
[1] Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution,, 29 CFR
Part 1910.269.
[2] OSHA Draft Appendix C, Clothing, to CPL 2-1.18A Guidelines for the
Enforcement of 29 CFR 1910.269,.
[3] N. Doughty and D. Bingham, Testing update on protective clothing and
equipment for electric arc exposure,, Paper PCIC 97-35.
[4] Arc ProComputer Program, Ontario Hydro Technologies.
[5] A. Privette, Heat Flux Calculator: Duke Power.
[6] National Electric Safety Code 1997, ANSI C2-1997.
[7] Standard Specifications for Rubber Insulating Gloves, ASTM D-120-87.
[8] Standard Performance Specification for Textile Materials for Wearing
Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Electric
Arc and Related Thermal Hazards, ASTM F 1506-94.
[9] Standard Test Method for Determining the Ignitability of Clothing by the
Electric Arc Exposure Method Using a Mannequin, ASTM PS 57-97.
[10] Standard Test Method for Determining the Arc Thermal Performance
(Value) of Textile Materials for Clothing by the Electric Arc Exposure
Method Using Instrumental Sensor Panels, ASTM PS 58-97.
[11] Standard Specification for Arc and Flame Resistance Rainwear, ASTM
F 18.40 D9.
[12] Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces
1995 Edition, NFPA 70E.
[13] Protective Clothing for Structural Fire Fighting SF 1971-91, NFPA
1991.
[14] Guide for Care and Maintenance of Flame Retardant and Thermal Protective Clothing, ASTM F 1449-92.