September 27, 2018 — There’s no denying electrical safety in the workplace is critically important—not just for electrical contractors themselves, but also for the operators of electrical equipment and for business productivity.
Properly maintaining electrical equipment plays a key role in creating a safe workplace. Yet a number of Canadian companies don’t have an electrical equipment maintenance program or understand its importance.
In fact, it was only in 2013, when CSA Z463, Guideline on Maintenance of Electrical Systems, was introduced, that Canada finally had a document on electrical maintenance, explains Kerry Heid, chair of the Z463 Technical Committee.
And even then, Z463 was only introduced as a guideline, which is more of a “recommended practice,” Heid says. This will now change with the release of CSA Z463, Standard on Maintenance of Electrical Systems, in September.
What is Z463? Put simply, it is a standard that requires companies to create an electrical equipment maintenance program, explains Terry Becker, a member of the Z463 Technical Committee.
The standard recommends a number of such strategies, he adds, including predictive, preventive, run-to-fail, reliability-centred and risk-based.
As a standard on electrical maintenance, Z463’s scope is very broad, covering equipment for power generation, transmission and distribution, transformers, cables, switchgear and much more.
Annex M of Z463, explains Becker, provides a set of tables that identify these types of electrical equipment, provide guidance for recommended electrical tests and, based on the level of importance of service, the frequency at which these tests should be performed on the equipment.
However, Heid points out, it does not cover overhead lines or residential electrical equipment.
Z463’s ultimate priority, Becker argues, is safety. Following this standard will ensure reliability of service and manage damage through protective devices, he explains.
If electrical equipment is not maintained properly, on the other hand, then there is the risk of failure.
“When qualified electrical professionals have to work on it, we want to minimize their exposure to arc flash and shock hazards,” he says.
Predictive maintenance is one possible strategy for reducing these types of exposure.
In fact, Heid points out, Z463 lists 10 different online maintenance diagnostic tests, including visual inspections, corona imaging, acoustics, ultrasound and vibration analysis.
But not all of these tests are mandatory.
Given this focus, there is clearly a strong relationship between Z463 and CSA Z462, Standard on Workplace Electrical Safety.
Z462 also defines normal operating conditions of energized electrical equipment, Becker adds.
When an arcing fault is accidentally created, then “the power circuit breaker with protected relay functions as predicted, so we limit the incident energy, i.e. the heat released from an arc flash,” Becker explains.
With the release of Z463 as a standard, Becker says there is now a “safety trifecta” in Canada.
“The Canadian Electrical (CE) Code Part 1 covers safe installations, CSA Z462 covers safe workplaces and then Z463 helps bring those two together,” he explains.
This is an important change, he says, because the CE Code mandates the safe installation of electrical equipment, but does not include maintenance requirements, while Z462 recognizes the need for safe workplace practices when working on and operating energized electrical equipment.
As a result, you’ll have better reliability and more uptime.
Company managers may be wondering about additional impacts of Z463 on their business, such as costs and training. Fred Tanguay, a consultant for Canada Training Group, is answering this call by teaching them how to integrate and implement Z463 into their maintenance programs. In his opinion, the standard will help drive the requirement for proper maintenance home.
He acknowledges many companies might be averse to Z463 because of the cost.
Consequently, he says it’s “absolutely paramount” for companies to maintain their electrical systems properly. If the equipment malfunctions or breaks, “the repair cost is usually 50 times the replacement cost,” since companies have to pay for overtime, temporary power supplies, and account for production loss.
It’s not just the employees who operate and maintain the equipment that need to understand Z463, Tanguay explains. But he often sees only these workers attending his classes.
In applying this standard, Becker says, companies will turn to electrical contractors. Indeed, contractors who market electrical equipment maintenance to their clients can use Z463 to help them develop maintenance strategies, tests and test frequencies.
Heid agrees Z463 will be extremely beneficial in helping electrical contractors convince their clients of the importance of well-maintained systems and equipment.
Despite the benefits and value of Z463, Becker points out, it has not been widely adopted.
CSA will promote Z463 as a standard on its website, through its social media channels and at conferences. The Technical Committee will promote it, as well.
This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Electrical Business.