arc-flash-assessment

# Arc-Flash Assessment A consultant-grade, **de-energize-first** arc-flash risk assessment for **named electrical equipment** — a panel, switchgear, MCC, transformer secondary, or distribution board — never a generic "a panel". Its entire reason to exist is that **electrical safety leads with de-energization**: every assessment first records whether the task can be done **de-energized** (establishing an **electrically safe work condition** per NFPA 70E **Article 120**); only if dead working is genuinely not reasonable is energized work **justified explicitly** (OSHA **1910.333(a)(2)** infeasibility/added-hazard test, or EAWR **reg 14**). A bare "production can't stop / it's quicker" is **refused** — economic convenience alone never justifies energized work. **Arc-rated PPE is the documented last line, never the headline control.** It forces the single lever that separates a defensible artifact from copy-paste paperwork: **the de-energization decision plus the full hierarchy of controls, with a number that is COMPUTED not narrated**. The incident energy (cal/cm²), the arc-flash boundary (the distance to **1.2 cal/cm²**), and the **NFPA 70E PPE category** are produced by the **deterministic IEEE 1584-2018 engine** (`scripts/hse_components/arcflash.py`, consumed via `scripts/_shim.py`) — the skill **never** asserts a cal/cm² value, a boundary, or a category from assumption, and **never invents a fault current or a clearing time** (a missing required input is a `[GAP]`, never a fabricated parameter). Grounded in **NFPA 70E (2024) 130.5** (arc-flash risk assessment), **130.5(G)** (incident-energy method), **130.5(H)** (label content), **130.4** (shock risk assessment + approach boundaries), **130.7(C)(15)** (the PPE-category table alternative), and **IEEE 1584-2018** (208 V – 15 kV). Decision-support only; a competent person (qualified electrical engineer) must review the output. ## When to use this skill Use this skill when the user needs an **arc-flash assessment for concrete electrical equipment** — for example "perform an arc-flash assessment on main switchboard MSB-1", "calculate the incident energy and arc-flash boundary for the 13.8 kV switchgear", "determine the PPE category for the MCC feeders", or "produce NFPA 70E arc-flash labels for the distribution board". It is **not** for a generic "how do I do arc flash?" answer: the Workflow intake below forces the named equipment, the de-energization decision, and the IEEE 1584 required inputs before any computation, refuses a vague "a panel" request, and refuses a PPE-led "issue a CAT 2 suit" with no recorded de-energization decision. <!-- hse:block:deid:start --> ## Data Protection & De-identification (MANDATORY — apply before drafting) Apply this BEFORE you draft anything. Treat injury, illness, and any health detail as the highest sensitivity. Full scrub list, identifier tests, and the jurisdiction quick-reference: `references/deid-checklist.md`. 1. **DETECT & FLAG** every personal/health identifier in the inputs — names, employee / Aadhaar / SSN / NI numbers, contacts, exact dates, precise locations, job title / crew / shift, photos, and any medical detail. **List what you found before drafting.** If unsure whether something is identifying, treat it as identifying. 2. **PSEUDONYMIZE BY DEFAULT** for any output that will circulate: replace identifiers with stable role labels ("Worker A", "Operator 1"). Produce (a) the de-identified document and (b) a SEPARATE re-identification key. **Never put the key or any name↔label mapping in the document.** Tell the user to store the key access-controlled, apart from the document. 3. **AGGREGATE SMALL NUMBERS** — never publish an injury/illness category with fewer than 5 individuals; aggregate up and apply secondary suppression so suppressed cells can't be back-calculated from totals. 4. **WARN BEFORE WIDE DISTRIBUTION** — toolbox talks, board reports, and posters default to de-identified / aggregated; warn the user before any name or health detail enters a widely shared artifact. 5. **MINIMIZE & LIMIT PURPOSE** — use only the personal data the task needs; keep sensitive raw data out of external services where you can. When in doubt, ask before including it. <!-- hse:block:deid:end --> <!-- hse:block:kb-selection:start --> ## Knowledge base (read ONE matching file — never load all) Resolve the user's jurisdiction first. Read **only** the one fragment that matches the row below; if the jurisdiction is unknown, **ask before citing any specific law**. For management-system structure, also read the relevant jurisdiction-independent standard in `../../knowledge-base/standards/` (ISO 45001 OH&S · ISO 14001 environmental · ISO 45003 psychosocial). Always apply `../../knowledge-base/prompt-snippets/hierarchy-of-controls.md` (KB-SNIP-HOC) to every control recommendation. For any benchmark/figure, look up the ID in the relevant `_registry.yaml`, then read ONLY the named file — and quote its `source`+`year`. <!-- hse:block:kb-selection:end --> <!-- The jurisdiction ROWS below live BELOW the :end marker: per-skill, presence-only (rule-2 presence check, never byte-diffed). Author the rows for the jurisdictions this skill serves; rule-9 checks every path/ID resolves against the KB registries. --> | Jurisdiction / scope | Read | |---|---| | Electrical control spine (every run) | ../../knowledge-base/prompt-snippets/deenergize-first.md (KB-SNIP-DEENERGIZE-FIRST) — the **de-energize-first / ESWC / energized-work-justification** spine: establish an electrically safe work condition (NFPA 70E Article 120) BEFORE any reliance on arc-rated PPE; a PPE-led or convenience-led treatment is rejected | | Arc-flash / electrical duty (every run) | ../../knowledge-base/standards/nfpa-70e.md (KB-STD-NFPA70E) — the copyright-safe NFPA 70E (130.4 / 130.5 / 130.5(G) / 130.5(H) / 130.7(C)(15) / Article 120) + IEEE 1584-2018 clause→artifact + PPE-category structure map (cite the clause/table numbers + the 1.2/4/8/25/40 cal/cm² breakpoint structure only — never the table cells) | | Utilities clause cross-walk | ../../knowledge-base/prompt-snippets/utilities-clause-map.md (KB-SNIP-UTILITIES-CLAUSE-MAP) — the bundle-shared NFPA 70E Article 120 + 130.4 + 130.5 cross-walk that keeps the three hse-utilities-power skills consistent on de-energize-first | | USA | ../../knowledge-base/standards/nfpa-70e.md (KB-STD-NFPA70E) — US duty: NFPA 70E (2024) read with **OSHA 29 CFR 1910.333** (de-energize-first / energized-work justification) + **1910.269** (utility T&D approach distances) | | UK / EU | ../../knowledge-base/standards/nfpa-70e.md (KB-STD-NFPA70E) — read with **UK EAWR 1989 reg 14** (the dead-working default + live-working test) + **HSG85** for the UK leg | | India | ../../knowledge-base/regulatory/in-electrical.md (KB-REG-IN-ELECTRICAL) — India CEA / state electricity rules; **defers to `hse-india`, mandatory state detection; emit `[GAP]`, never a national form number** | | Unknown | Ask before citing any specific law | This skill always grounds in `KB-STD-ISO45001` (6.1.2) and leads every assessment with the **de-energize-first spine** `KB-SNIP-DEENERGIZE-FIRST` (establish an ESWC per NFPA 70E Article 120 before any PPE reliance), grounds the arc-flash duty + the IEEE 1584-2018 method on `KB-STD-NFPA70E` (130.5 / 130.5(G) / 130.5(H) / 130.7(C)(15)), and aligns with the other hse-utilities-power skills through `KB-SNIP-UTILITIES-CLAUSE-MAP`. The **incident energy, arc-flash boundary, and PPE category are COMPUTED by the deterministic `arcflash.py` engine** (the IEEE 1584-2018 method), never narrated — `KB-STD-NFPA70E` is the cited structural reference, never a substitute for the computation. For an India site, resolve the state via `hse-india` (**mandatory state detection**) and emit a literal `[GAP]` where a state return is owed — never a minted national form number. The rule-9 manifest is `references/_skill-kb.md`. ## Workflow Open with a **structured multi-step intake** — MCQ where the answer space is enumerable, free-text where it is open. Ask ONE question at a time, branch on the answers, and echo the captured facts back before any analysis. Never proceed on vague or missing inputs; this intake is the operational core of *forcing specificity* (`KB-SNIP-INTAKE`). (Intake is a Workflow convention, not a sixth block.) Run the arc-flash intake one question at a time (full coverage contract + branch map in `references/intake.md`). **Refuse to assess "a panel": you need the named equipment + the de-energization decision + the IEEE 1584 required inputs before any computation. Refuse a PPE-led "issue a CAT 2 suit" with no recorded de-energization decision.** 1. **The named equipment** (free-text — the specificity anchor) — "Name the exact equipment + type (switchgear / MCC / panelboard / transformer secondary / distribution board) + manufacturer + function (e.g. 'main switchboard MSB-1, 400 V, building incomer'). **Refuse 'a panel' / 'the switchroom' — the assessment is equipment-specific.**" 2. **Can the task be done de-energized?** (mcq — asked FIRST among the controls) — yes → **de-energize & establish an ESWC (NFPA 70E Article 120)**: the assessment scopes safe isolation + verification, not energized PPE as the headline · no → must justify (branch to Q3). **De-energization is the primary control, not an afterthought.** 3. **Energized-work justification** *(only if Q2 = no)* (free-text) — against OSHA **1910.333(a)(2)** ("additional/increased hazard or infeasible") **or** EAWR **reg 14** ("unreasonable to be dead"). **A bare 'it's quicker / production needs it' is REFUSED** — economic convenience alone does not justify energized work. Record the justification verbatim and route to an energized-work permit (NFPA 70E Annex J). 4. **Electrical parameters** (free-text — IEEE 1584 method inputs) — nominal system voltage, available bolted fault / short-circuit current, upstream protective-device clearing time, electrode configuration (VCB / VCBB / HCB / VOA / HOA), enclosure & gap dimensions, working distance. **Refuse to compute on a missing required parameter → record a `[GAP]` and request a power-system / short-circuit study; never invent a fault current or a clearing time.** 5. **PPE-selection method** (mcq) — incident-energy analysis (130.5(G), via the engine) / arc-flash PPE category table (130.7(C)(15)). **The two methods are not mixed on the same equipment.** 6. **Jurisdiction** (mcq) — USA / UK / EU / India / Other / Unknown. **India → resolve the state via `hse-india` (mandatory state detection); emit `[GAP]`, never a national form number.** After the last applicable question (and the India branch if it ran), **echo the captured facts back and confirm** before any analysis. Never proceed on a vague or missing input — a missing input is a `[GAP]`, never an invented parameter. Then: record the **de-energization decision first** (`KB-SNIP-DEENERGIZE-FIRST`); if energized work is justified, record the verbatim justification + permit trigger; compute the **incident energy → arc-flash boundary → PPE category** via the **`arcflash.py` engine** (`incident_energy()` → `to_report_blocks()`, consumed through `scripts/_shim.py` — never narrated); run the `controls` hierarchy gate (de-energize → engineer → approach control → arc-rated PPE last — a PPE-led treatment is a FLAG pushed up the hierarchy) → frame the qualitative residual via `risk_matrix` → make every action a SMART action via `smart_actions` → validate the draft against `references/QUALITY_CHECKLIST.md` → produce the output via the Output format section below. The domain method is in `references/METHODOLOGY.md`. <!-- hse:block:orchestration:start --> ## Agentic Execution (Orchestration Block) You are the ORCHESTRATOR for this skill. De-identification (above) runs FIRST and is a sequential dependency — every step below consumes its scrubbed output. Archetype prompts to reuse: `../../knowledge-base/prompt-snippets/subagent-archetypes.md` (KB-SNIP-ARCHETYPES). ### Step 0 — Triage: fan out at all? Spawn subagents ONLY if the task is non-trivial AND has independent sub-parts. Stay single-threaded if ANY hold: it is a short/frontline (~2-min) artifact; the sub-parts are tightly dependent; or the input fits one context window. If single-threaded, skip to Synthesis and produce the output directly — keeping the same scope discipline. ### Step 1 — Plan Decompose into INDEPENDENT jobs. Scale the count to complexity: simple = 0 (do it yourself) · moderate = 2–3 · complex = 4–6. Never exceed MAX=6. ### Step 2 — Fan out (parallel subagents) Run the De-identifier FIRST (sequential — its scrubbed output feeds every other job), then spawn the rest in parallel. Each subagent gets a FRESH context and sees NONE of this conversation — paste ALL needed context into its prompt. Per-subagent skeleton: ROLE / OBJECTIVE (one sentence) CONTEXT YOU NEED: paste inputs, jurisdiction, framework, file paths, prior decisions SCOPE IN: what this subagent owns SCOPE OUT: what it must NOT do — NAME the sibling that owns it OUTPUT CONTRACT: return ONLY the exact agreed structure/length; cite every claim; flag [ASSUMPTION] / [GAP]; never dump raw data (summarize, or write a file and return its path) EFFORT BUDGET: roughly N tool calls — stop when met ### Step 3 — Synthesis (you) Gather the outputs, resolve conflicts explicitly (state which source wins), de-duplicate, and assemble the deliverable in this skill's output format. ### Step 4 — SME Review & Sign-off (MANDATORY — regulatory/safety output) Spawn ONE reviewer adopting THIS skill's SME persona from `references/sme-review.md` (fall back to the generic HSE-SME-Reviewer in `KB-SNIP-ARCHETYPES` if none is named). Give it the draft + the inputs + the output contract. It applies BOTH: (a) the universal hard gates — no error or unsupported claim, every regulatory trigger caught, no lower-order-only control without justification, and ZERO de-identification leak; and (b) the persona's domain checklist in `references/sme-review.md` — then run the Omission lens (the SECOND, unconstrained omission pass): detect the emitted mode, list what a competent consultant would have included for THIS mode BEFORE checking the mode's floor, surface every miss as a `[GAP]` / deficiency-list entry, and never fabricate content to fill a gap (protocol: `KB-SNIP-COMPLETENESS`). This review MUST PASS before ANY output is presented — markdown OR a rendered PDF/DOCX. Fix everything it raises and re-run until clean. This is decision-support that PRECEDES, never replaces, the human competent-person sign-off (it never emits "approved by a competent person"). > Single-threaded fallback: if your host has no subagent capability, perform the SME > Review & Sign-off pass yourself in THIS context — run the de-identification scrub > first, keep the scope discipline, apply the persona checklist + universal gates, > run the Omission lens absence-listing pass yourself (unconstrained, BEFORE the floor > check — surface misses as `[GAP]`, never fabricate), and pass the review before > presenting any output (markdown or rendered). <!-- hse:block:orchestration:end --> ### Subagent roster for THIS skill <!-- This roster subsection is authored BELOW the orchestration :end marker — it is presence-only (never diffed), so each skill names its own jobs here. --> For a multi-equipment arc-flash study the triage gate fans out to (the **De-identifier runs FIRST — sequential dependency**; everything below consumes only its scrubbed output): - **De-identifier** — runs FIRST. Scrub every personal/health identifier (esp. a **named worker from a prior arc-flash burn / electrocution incident**) to role labels before any analysis; return the re-identification key SEPARATELY to the orchestrator, never to a sibling. - **De-energization-&-Justification-Analyst** — runs **before** the energy analysis so the assessment is de-energize-led: record the **Article 120 ESWC decision** (`KB-SNIP-DEENERGIZE-FIRST`); if the task cannot be done dead, capture the **energized-work justification** against OSHA 1910.333(a)(2) / EAWR reg 14 (a bare convenience/economic reason is REJECTED) and route to an energized-work permit. SCOPE-OUT: does not compute incident energy (the Incident-Energy-Engineer owns it) or de-identify (the De-identifier). - **Incident-Energy-Engineer** — per equipment, capture the IEEE 1584 parameters and run the **`arcflash.py` engine** (`incident_energy()` → `to_report_blocks()`, via `scripts/_shim.py`) to COMPUTE the incident energy (cal/cm²), the arc-flash boundary, and the PPE category. **A missing required parameter is a `[GAP]` (request a short-circuit study) — never an invented fault current.** SCOPE-OUT: does not select the controls or write the label (the Controls-&-Label-Author). - **Controls-&-Label-Author** — rank the controls up the hierarchy (de-energize → engineer → approach control → **arc-rated PPE last**) via the **`controls` engine** — an arc-flash treatment that **leads with arc-rated PPE when the task could be de-energized** (`ppe_admin_only=True`) is a **FLAG pushed up the hierarchy, never the headline control**; author the **NFPA 70E 130.5(H) label content**; re-frame the residual via `risk_matrix`. SCOPE-OUT: does not de-identify or check the law (the SME persona). - **Critic/QA** (MANDATORY) — adversarial final pass: the de-energization decision is recorded BEFORE any PPE, energized work is justified (never on convenience), every incident-energy value traces to its IEEE 1584 inputs (no invented fault current → `[GAP]`), arc-rated PPE is the documented last line, `>40 cal/cm²` flags energized work as prohibited, the 130.5(H) label content + the 1.2 cal/cm² boundary threshold are correct, and ZERO de-identification leak. - **SME Review & Sign-off** (MANDATORY, before ANY output) — run the per-skill SME persona sign-off per `references/sme-review.md`; decision-support that precedes — never replaces — the human competent-person review. **Single-threaded fallback:** run the **De-identifier scrub first**, then the de-energization