May 29, 2026
The Best of Arc Week: The Five Episodes Every Electrical Worker Should See
August 12, 2026
This year, we’re revisiting the best of Arc Week with five fan-favorite, must-watch arc flash safety episodes that remain critical following the latest OSHA arc flash guidance—and have only grown more important with time due to today’s rapidly-increasing demand for electricians.
The best safety advice doesn't have an expiration date.
When OSHA released updated arc flash safety guidance in late 2024, it wasn't introducing new requirements—it was reinforcing the practices that have always prevented injuries and saved lives. The guidance shines a spotlight on dangerous beliefs and practices that regularly cause preventable injuries and fatalities.
Those same topics have been recurring themes throughout our first six seasons of Arc Week. In this Best Of collection, we’re spotlighting five of our viewers’ favorite arc flash safety videos whose safety insights have stood the test of time—and remain as critical today as ever.
These episodes offer engaging education and practical guidance aligned with OSHA's latest recommendations and today's electrical safety best practices—all underscored by the testimony of two survivors who almost lost their lives to the “jaws” of the hazard.
The Best of Arc Week: Watch 5 Must-See Episodes
Revisit these five episodes—and the full Arc Week video library featuring many of our best arc flash safety training videos—to strengthen your electrical safety knowledge, sharpen your OSHA and NFPA 70E compliance, and stay safe in arc-infested work zones. Dive in:
"Fireball" Smith – The Brandon Smith Story
SEASON 4, EPISODE 1
Viewer discretion advised
In this powerful survivor story—one of our most popular ever, electrician Brandon "Fireball" Smith recounts the arc flash incident that left him with burns over 41% of his body, more than 20 surgeries, and a lifelong commitment to electrical safety. His experience underscores how seemingly small decisions—working a rush job at the end of the day, lacking proper experience, training, and project knowledge, wanting the please the boss, and wearing 100% cotton instead of the right arc-rated PPE—can create a chain of events with life-altering consequences and significant physical and financial costs.
Explore the type of incident the new guidance seeks to prevent.
"Safety Has to Be a Priority" – The Brandon Schroeder Story
SEASON 4, EPISODE 2
Viewer discretion advised
Arc flash survivor Brandon Schroeder shares how complacency, familiarity with the task, end-of-day timing, and the absence of required arc-rated PPE due to shared task-based PPE being unavailable turned a routine job into a life-changing accident. His story is a powerful reminder that safety must always take priority over convenience and production pressure, and shines a light on common causes of injury and fatality targeted in OSHA’s arc flash safety guidance.
See the real cost of working energized without AR PPE.
Why Arc-Rated Clothing Matters–Don't Wear Fuel
SEASON 5, EPISODE 1
Through compelling demonstrations and real-world examples, this episode illustrates why the greatest danger in an arc flash is often not the arc itself, but the ignition of flammable everyday clothing. Exploring survival expectations based on age and burn percentage, and explaining first-, second-, and third-degree burns, it highlights how properly selected arc-rated clothing can dramatically reduce burn severity and aligns with OSHA's most critical safety messages: don’t work energized, don’t wear fuel, obtain a hot work permit, and match PPE to your hazard.
Dive deeper into the science behind arc flash injuries.
Belief: "Who Needs Arc-Rated PPE If the Arc Blast Kills You?"
SEASON 6, EPISODE 2
This episode debunks the common myth—and convenient excuse for not wearing PPE—that arc blasts are a significant risk. Through real-world arc testing and footage of actual arc events, it demonstrates that in most workplace arc flash incidents, the primary hazard is burns from intense thermal energy and clothing ignition—not a blast wave. In fact, there have been few arc blast injuries ever reported. See the proof—even at higher incident energy levels (bigger arcs don’t necessarily mean bigger arc blasts).
Don’t let an excuse become an injury.
Belief: "We Don't Work Energized"
SEASON 6, EPISODE 3
Think you don’t need PPE because you "don't work energized"? Think again. OSHA couldn't disagree more, identifying this very mindset in its latest arc flash safety guidance as THE leading cause of arc flash injuries and fatalities. Through practical insights on CAT ratings, the NFPA 70E table method, and the live-dead-live test, and with expert insights from former OSHA Director David Wallis, this episode reminds electricians and employers that you're working energized—and appropriate PPE is required—until you've completed all 8 steps to establishing and verifying an electrically safe work condition.
The most dangerous mindset, proven wrong.
Did you catch our past seasons?
Do you have a flash fire—rather than an arc flash—hazard?
The dangers might look different, but the formula for survival is the same. Tune in, and ride out danger with the right FR gear.
What Connects Every Episode On This List?
These popular Arc Week episodes highlight the issues that inspired OSHA to issue new arc flash safety guidance, target top causes of arc flash injury and fatality, and reinforce key principles highlighted in the new guidance:
- Don’t work energized if you don’t have to.
- De-energized is NOT the same as OSHA’s LOTO / NFPA 70E’s ESWC.
- Low voltage is NOT low danger.
- Non-AR clothing fuels arc flash injuries. Don’t wear fuel!
With OSHA arc flash guidance explained and other important themes around arc flash risk assessment, hierarchy of controls, arc-rated PPE requirements, and more, our best arc flash safety videos make ideal electrical safety training tools.
OSHA's Guidance Changed, But the Pattern Hasn’t.
Since the guidance was released, you may have noticed an occasional trickle of arc flash incidents in the news, but our investigation revealed a flood.
We aggregated news stories of arc flash injuries and fatalities in the news since November 2024, and the numbers were grave: in less than two years’ time, 18 incidents were reported in the news, amounting to 43 injuries and one loss of life—far too many, and all preventable with the proper AR PPE. These numbers are especially staggering given that only 1-5%of incidents make the news.
Unfortunately, these startling statistics are likely to rise as the industry continues to add new head count to support today’s demand for electrical infrastructure—including electrical vehicle charging and data centers—and the elevation of electrical maintenance standard NFPA 70B from a recommended practice to a proscriptive standard.
Not only do the principles featured in these Arc Week episodes never go out of style—they’ve only become more important with the growing demand for electricians.
Calling All Arc Flash Survivors
Use your story to save others! Planning for Arc Week season 7 is already underway, and we want to feature YOU. Whether you were wearing proper AR PPE and avoided injury or were not wearing AR PPE and were badly injured, please contact us at MarketingInfo@TyndaleUSA.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
1What is "Best of Arc Week?"
“Best of Arc Week” pulls the five most-watched episodes from Arc Week's six seasons into one focused series. Instead of working through every episode across every season, viewers get the moments that resonated most, distilled into the safety lessons that matter most as preventable arc flash injuries and fatalities persist.
2Why are these Arc Week episodes still relevant?
Featuring powerful stories and engaging science, these viewer favorite Arc Week episodes tackle the dangerous myths and excuses behind preventable arc flash injuries and fatalities—longstanding safety challenges given new urgency by OSHA’s latest arc flash guidance and the rapidly-increasing demand for electricians.
3What does OSHA's new arc flash guidance emphasize?
OSHA's updated arc flash safety guidance reinforces the practices that prevent injuries and save lives, spotlighting dangerous beliefs and practices that regularly cause preventable arc flash injuries and fatalities. It reinforces foundational principles: identifying arc flash hazards, performing risk assessments, applying the hierarchy of controls, providing appropriate arc-rated PPE, and training workers to recognize and mitigate electrical hazards. One of its most urgent messages is also the simplest: non-AR clothing fuels arc flash injuries. Don’t wear fuel!
4What's the difference between arc-rated (AR) and flame-resistant (FR) clothing?
All AR clothing is FR, but not all FR clothing has been arc-rated. FR clothing resists ignition and self-extinguishes, and is generally used for flash fire hazards. AR clothing is tested and rated for the specific thermal energy of an arc flash. If a garment doesn't have an arc rating (measured in cal/cm²), it hasn't been proven to protect against arc flash. Always ensure the garments you wear are rated against the specific hazards you face.
5What are the top causes of arc flash injury?
The leading causes are choosing to work energized without AR clothing and other PPE, improper wear of the PPE on hand including failure to don task-based PPE, and flammable clothing igniting and fueling both extent and severity of injury. Almost all arc flash injuries are preventable with the right hierarchy of controls and consistent PPE use.
6What is the most important takeaway from Arc Week?
With unique and memorable videos, Arc Week shows it’s possible to do something that seems inherently dangerous safely, if you have the right hierarchy of controls in place: behavioral safety, situational awareness, and PPE. Too many electricians are hurt or killed each year in arc flash incidents, all preventable with proper PPE and attention to the issues Arc Week spotlights.
7Where can I watch the complete Arc Week series?
Visit Tyndale's Arc Week video library to explore all six seasons of arc flash safety training videos, featuring electrical safety experts on arc flash hazards, PPE, NFPA 70E, and real-world best practices, all aligned with the latest OSHA guidance, and grounded in real arc flash survivor accounts.
