It is a widely held belief that an arc flash incident is rare. Not so. Check out these statistics compiled from various sources and pertaining to arc flash incidents in the U.S.:
• 30,000 arc flash incidents occur every year
• 7,000 burn injuries relating to arc flashes occur annually
• 2,000 hospitalizations of workers severely burned by arc flashes occur annually
• 400 fatalities are recorded every year
• 80% of electrical worker fatalities are due to burns, not shock
Source: www.arcflash.com.au