Is there anyone here thats well versed in arc flash and electrical safety? I was asked if you need PPE to reset a circuit breaker. My initial answer was - No, not as long as all the covers are on the panel. Wanting to back that up with something I have been reading up on NFPA 70E and from my understanding if the covers are closed the Limited and Restricted approach do not apply as those deal with exposed live part, all which should be covered with the covers on.

Where it seems a little messy is with arc flash. I am not finding anything that explicitly states how many cal/cm we can expect a panelboard to safely contain assuming its in original factory condition, all the screws are properly installed, etc. I've never seen this as a specification on a new panel i've installed.

I was (incorrectly) under the assumption that all electrical enclosures were designed to withstand the maximum energy levels that they would be expected to encounter in an arc flash situation. Reading yesterday there are specific enclosures designed to better withstand a blast, with design and venting to direct energy away from the person operating the switch, but these are not standard.

I am looking for some sort of documented standard - under x cal/cm normal operating/equipment conditions = safe to operate with no arc flash PPE and over x cal/cm abnormal conditions = you would need to suit up in accordance with the energy potential of that device.