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Ximena P. Vergara, PhD, MPH Senior Project Scientist

Program 62: Occupational Health and Safety

Spring EEI Occupational Health & Safety Committee Conference Indianapolis, IN

April 23, 2013

Occupational Hygiene Aspects of SF6

Decomposition By-Products Workshop

2 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

About EPRI

• Founded in 1973 as an independent, nonprofit center for public interest energy and environmental research.

• Objective, tax-exempt, collaborative electricity research organization.

• Participating companies provide over 90% of North American electricity generated.

• Broad technology portfolio ranging from near-term solutions to long-term strategic research.


Together…Shaping the Future of Electricity

EPRI’s Mission

To conduct research,

development and

demonstration on key

issues facing the

electricity sector on

behalf of our members,

energy stakeholders,

and society


EPRI Membership Funding by Type

December 31, 2012

International

23%

Federal/State

5%

Municipal

7%

Cooperative

4%

Independent Power

Producer

1%

Investor-Owned

60%


Air Quality

Global Climate Change

Land and Groundwater

Occupational Health and Safety

(OH&S)

T&D Environmental Issues

Water and Ecosystems

Renewables

Sustainability

Environment

Transmission Lines and

Substations

Grid Operations and Planning

Distribution

Energy Utilization

Cross Cutting Technologies

Power Delivery & Utilization

Advanced Nuclear Technology

Chemistry, Low-Level Waste

and Radiation Management

Equipment Reliability

Fuel Reliability

Instrumentation and Control

Material Degradation/Aging

Nondestructive Evaluation and

Material Characterization

Risk and Safety Management

Used Fuel and High-Level

Waste Management

Nuclear Power

Advanced Coal Plants, Carbon

Capture and Storage

Combustion Turbines

Environmental Controls

Generation Planning

Major Component Reliability

Operations and Maintenance

Generation

Research Portfolio Spans the Entire Electricity

Sector


EPRI OH&S Program (P62)

Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational

Health and

Safety Database

Occupational

Exposure and

Health Studies

Ergonomics

Research

Mission

Provide knowledge & tools that enable participating companies to maintain a healthy workforce & safe work

environment

Employees are the most important asset to any company

Manager:

Dr. Sharan Campleman

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


SF6 and Electrical Utilities

•Used in:

–Circuit breakers

–GIS

–SF6 Transformers

•Excellent electrical

insulator

•Excellent arc interruption

medium


Background

• Issue raised by participating members

– Environmental aspects are actively addressed

– Unclear whether occupational hygiene aspects

actively addressed

• Need to anticipate hazards in the workplace and

communicate them to workers

– Anecdotal evidence of SF6 decomposition by-

products problem


OHS SF6 Decomposition By-Products Issue

Brief

• Provides background

• Describes processes and

resulting by-products, based on

past work

– Arc

– Spark discharge

– Corona/partial discharge

• Discusses field detection

instrumentation and use of PPE

December 2011

Product ID: 1023109


Occupational Hygiene Aspects of SF6

Decomposition By-Products Workshop

Background

• Issue raised by participating members

– Environmental aspects are actively addressed

– Unclear whether occupational hygiene aspects actively addressed

• Need to anticipate hazards in the workplace and communicate them to

workers

Workshop Design

• Understand perspectives occupational hygiene and engineering, both

research and practice

• Review state of science in SF6 decomposition by-products

Held on March 12, 2013 at EPRI in Charlotte, NC


Agenda

• Welcome and Introductory Comments - Sean Bushart, EPRI Environment OHS Program

• Introduction, Workshop Overview and Objectives - Ximena Vergara, EPRI OHS

• Overview of Exposure Assessment and Risk Modeling - Panel Discussion

– Fred Boelter, Environ

– Mike Jayjock, The Lifeline Group

– Charles Feigley, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health

• Overview of Use in Electric Power Industry and EPRI SF6 Related Research and Activities

– Richard Lordan, EPRI Power Delivery Utilization

• Overview of Decomposition By-Products Chemistry, Analysis and Exposure Levels

– Ian Wylie, PowerTech Laboratories

• Insights from Electric Power Industry – Worker Events

– Ximena Vergara, EPRI OHS

– Dee Ward, Southern Company

• Recent SF6 – Related Research and Activities

– Nobby Fujimoto, Kinectrics Inc.

– Rick Hamaker, Southern California Edison

• Discussion of Knowledge Gaps, Recap

• Research Priority Setting Exercise


Workshop Objectives

• Refine understanding of electric power industry workers

potentially exposed

• Identify research gaps

• Develop recommendations for current applicable guides

and future research

• Set priorities for recommendations


Results and Next Steps

• Accomplished specifying clear

research recommendations

• Publish workshop proceedings

with:

– Identified research gaps

– Recommendations and

priorities for current applicable

guides and future research

Participation

17 attendees with

expertise in industrial

hygiene, chemistry,

and engineering fields

Proceedings expected

to be published by end

of 2013


Thank you!

Questions?


Together…Shaping the Future of Electricity

occupational hygiene aspects of sf decomposition by ...esafetyline.com/eei/conference...

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