The electrician in this video was racking a circuit breaker into a live bus in a 480 volt switchboard enclosure. According to the commentary below the screen he died of his injuries.
Click on the link below to watch the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX9ktjqcMvM
It is hard to imagine anyone surviving such an explosion. The heat from an arc flash can be more than 35,000 degrees F. The explosion from an arc blast like this vaporizes the equipment and directs it right at the poor guy standing in the path of the blast.
Without any kind of protective clothing the electrician is doomed. There is no way to live through something like this.
While it's possible for the skin to grow back from a 2nd degree burn, 3rd degree burns require a skin graft. A 2nd degree burn occurs when the skin is exposed to temperatures from 180 degrees F to 210 degrees F. Anything hotter than 210 degrees F causes 3rd degree burns. The human skin cannot heal itself from 3rd degree burns. The average temperature of an arc flash explosion is 35,000 degrees F.
The only protection the man in the video has on is a hardhat, and ear protection. No face protection, no body protection. No gloves. His work clothes are most likely not flame resistant. And his sleeves are rolled up exposing his skin.
With an explosion this powerful the only thing that could have saved him would have been if he was wearing a full arc blast suit, like the one pictured below.
The new 2009 edition of NFPA 70E describes the types of personal protective equipment which are necessary for electricians working on energized circuits. As the voltage levels of equipment go up, the level of personal protection required increases. The arc blast suit is the highest level of protection required.
Rubber insulating gloves and insulated hand tools are required for most jobs on energized equipment, including voltage testing. Safety glasses and face shields with a balaclava (sock hood) or an arc flash suit hood are required for most work on energized equipment above 240 volts.
We all have the right to go home from work every day in the same shape we came into work in - with all our fingers and toes and no disfiguring or life threatening burns. Protect yourself from arc flash and arc blast! Wear the right gear to keep yourself safe!
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