If I recall correctly, the mitigating PPE for expecting an arc flash is reflective, because so much of the energy imparted on a victim is straight-up electromagnetic radiation. You get lightbulbed to death.
Yeah an arc flash suit is rated in cal/cm². It gets to a limit where the potential energy from a high voltage piece of equipment is so great that they don’t make a suit for it because the pressure from the shockwave is enough to kill you. Pretty much any utility transformer has this much potential energy, but they design them to make it near impossible to cross phases.
If I recall correctly, the mitigating PPE for expecting an arc flash is reflective, because so much of the energy imparted on a victim is straight-up electromagnetic radiation. You get lightbulbed to death.