Arc Flash Studies
Protecting Your Workers and Facility from Electrical Hazards
PE-licensed engineers
Capable of being licensed in all 50 states
NETA-certified technicians
ANSI/NETA ATS and MTS testing
IEEE, NFPA, and InterNATIONAL ETA members
Active in the standards your AHJ cites
Critical Safety Statistics
Arc flash incidents send over 2,000 workers to burn centers annually, with temperatures reaching 35,000°F—four times hotter than the sun's surface.
An arc flash study is not just a regulatory checkbox; it's a critical safety assessment that can save lives and prevent catastrophic facility damage.
What is an Arc Flash Study?
An arc flash study analyzes your electrical system to calculate the incident energy levels at various points throughout your facility. This engineering analysis determines:
Arc Flash Boundaries
Safe approach distances for workers
Incident Energy Levels
Thermal hazard in calories/cm²
PPE Requirements
Required protective equipment levels
Equipment Labels
NFPA 70E compliant warning labels
The study follows IEEE 1584 calculation methods and NFPA 70E requirements to provide accurate, site-specific hazard assessments accepted by OSHA and insurance carriers.
Why This Service is Critical
Safety Compliance
OSHA 1910.335 and NFPA 70E require employers to assess arc flash hazards before employees work on energized equipment. Non-compliance can result in:
- OSHA citations and fines exceeding $150,000 per violation
- Increased liability in worker injury incidents
- Stop-work orders from safety inspectors
- Insurance policy compliance requirements
Worker Protection
Without an arc flash study, your electrical workers are operating blind. They don't know what PPE to wear or whether the task is even safe to perform energized.
Real Example:
Hospital maintenance electrician was resetting a tripped breaker in a 480V switchboard. No arc flash study existed. Incident energy was 42 cal/cm². He wore cotton clothing (zero protection). A fault occurred during reset, resulting in severe burns over 40% of his body. Hospital faced $2.8M in settlements and OSHA fines.
Legal Liability
In the event of an arc flash incident, failure to conduct proper hazard assessment can expose your organization to significant legal liability. Many insurance carriers now require arc flash studies as a condition of coverage for facilities with electrical systems above 240V.
Common Problems This Service Solves
1. Unknown Hazard Levels
Without incident energy calculations, workers may be under-protected or performing tasks that should require de-energization. We regularly find workers wearing Level 2 PPE (8 cal/cm²) on equipment with 40+ cal/cm² incident energy.
2. Outdated or Missing Labels
Equipment without proper arc flash labels leaves workers guessing about required PPE and safe approach distances. Labels must be updated every 5 years or after system changes.
3. System Changes Invalidate Previous Studies
Any modifications—new equipment, utility transformer upgrades, or circuit changes—invalidate previous studies, creating hidden hazards.
4. Inadequate Protective Device Settings
Studies reveal where better coordination or different device settings could reduce incident energy levels by 50% or more, making tasks safer and less expensive to perform.
5. OSHA Compliance Gaps
Many facilities discover they're not meeting NFPA 70E requirements until an incident occurs or OSHA inspects. Proactive studies demonstrate due diligence.
Request an arc flash study scope
Send your one-line, last short-circuit study, or a list of buses to be labeled. ClarkTE returns an IEEE 1584-2018 study scope, fixed fee, and turnaround estimate within one business day. Includes equipment labels and an NFPA 70E training plan.
When Should You Schedule This Service?
Immediate Need Indicators
- • New facility construction or major renovations
- • Utility company transformer upgrades
- • Added generators or UPS systems
- • Equipment labels missing, faded, or outdated
- • OSHA inspection or insurance audit pending
- • Recent electrical incident or near-miss
- • Merger/acquisition due diligence
Required Frequency
- • Every 5 years minimum, even without changes
- • Whenever electrical system modifications occur
- • After protective device settings changes
- • Following equipment additions or replacements
Best Practice: Schedule during planned outages to verify protective device settings and gather accurate equipment data.
What to Expect During the Service
Phase 1: Data Collection (1-2 weeks)
- • Single-line diagram verification
- • Equipment nameplate data gathering
- • Utility coordination information
- • Protective device settings documentation
Phase 2: Analysis (2-3 weeks)
- • Computer modeling using SKM or ETAP software
- • IEEE 1584 incident energy calculations
- • Arc flash boundary determinations
- • Recommendations for hazard reduction
Phase 3: Deliverables
- • Comprehensive PE-stamped report with all calculations
- • Custom arc flash labels for each equipment location
- • NFPA 70E compliant PPE matrix
- • Recommendations for hazard mitigation
- • Updated single-line diagrams
Total Timeline: 4-6 weeks depending on facility size. Expedited service available for urgent compliance needs.
ROI & Business Value
Direct Savings
$750K-$1.5M
Average arc flash incident costs (medical, legal, downtime)
$5K-$25K
Study cost depending on facility size
30-300x
ROI preventing ONE incident
Operational Benefits
- • Reduced insurance premiums (5-15% typical)
- • Faster incident response with proper procedures
- • Reduced equipment damage from coordinated devices
- • Worker confidence and safety culture improvement
- • OSHA penalty avoidance ($15K-$150K per violation)
Looking for the full picture? See the ClarkTE Arc Flash Hub — a single page covering what arc flash is, how IEEE 1584 incident energy is calculated, NFPA 70E PPE category selection, the five proven mitigation strategies, and where each ClarkTE service fits in your overall arc flash program.
Industry Standards & Compliance
NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
Requires arc flash hazard assessment and establishes PPE requirements based on incident energy levels.
IEEE 1584: Guide for Performing Arc Flash Hazard Calculations
Industry-standard methodology for calculating incident energy and arc flash boundaries (2018 edition current).
OSHA 1910 Subpart S: Electrical
Mandates assessment of electrical hazards and use of appropriate protective equipment.
NEC Article 110.16: Flash Protection
Requires flash protection warning labels on equipment likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized.
Professional Engineer Stamp: Studies must be signed and sealed by a licensed PE for legal compliance and insurance acceptance.
Protect Your Team from Arc Flash Hazards
Don't wait for an incident to expose electrical hazards in your facility.
Related ClarkTE services
Foundation data for IEEE 1584 — done in the same engineering deliverable.
Tighter coordination drops incident energy at every downstream device.
Free screening tool to estimate incident energy and the cost of a real study.
Match the right PPE to the labels your study generates.
Workforce training keyed to the labels installed during the study.
Modern relays clear faults faster — biggest single lever to reduce arc flash energy.