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IEEE 1584 · Engineering

Arc Flash Analysis in Italy | Complete Safety Guide

Carelabs' arc flash studies for Italian facilities follow three steps: identifying incident energy levels at every working point using the IEEE 1584 method and ETAP modelling; determining the correct PPE category and arc flash boundary for each; and delivering equipment labelling and a CEI 64-8-aligned report package for compliance under D.Lgs. 81/2008 and CEI 11-27/78-25.

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What a PES needs before authorising the work

CEI 11-27 sets out who may carry out electrical work and under what conditions. The framework depends on the hazard being understood, and for an arc that means a number rather than a judgement.

What We Deliver

Incident energy per working position

Energy is calculated in cal/cm² to IEEE 1584-2018 from the electrode configuration, enclosure dimensions, gap and working distance recorded on site. Each of those materially changes the result, which is why a generic figure is not a substitute.

THE FRAMEWORK

Qualification assumes the hazard is known

D.Lgs 81/2008 requires the employer to assess risk and provide adequate protection. CEI 11-27 defines who may work and how. Neither can be applied properly to an arc hazard whose magnitude has never been established.

  • Assessment to IEEE 1584-2018, with the validity range stated and any extrapolation beyond it identified rather than quietly absorbed.
  • Fault current from a short circuit study to IEC 60909, using the fault level obtained from the distributor for the point of delivery.
  • Minimum source conditions assessed as well as maximum, since a lower fault current can fall below an instantaneous threshold and extend the arc duration substantially.
  • Clearing times read from installed devices rather than from the settings schedule, which diverges from reality across the life of a plant.
  • Installation findings referenced to CEI 64-8, so remediation is expressed in the terms your installer and maintenance contractor already work to.
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DELIVERABLES

What you receive

A signed engineering report aligned to CEI 64-8 and IEEE 1584, supporting the risk assessment required under D.Lgs 81/2008.

  1. 1Incident energy and arc flash boundary by equipment and working position
  2. 2Equipment labels ready to apply, with a placement schedule
  3. 3PPE specification per position, referenced to calculated energy rather than a generic class
  4. 4Mitigation options for positions above the practical PPE limit, each with the clearing-time change it requires
  5. 5The calibrated ETAP model, retained so the study is re-run rather than repeated
Reach Out

How the study runs

01

Identify work on or near live parts

We establish which equipment is genuinely accessed energised, since that defines the assessed scope. Exclusions are recorded so the boundary of the study is auditable.

02

Site survey

Enclosure geometry, electrode configuration, gap and working distance are captured with nameplate data, because the calculation is sensitive to all of them.

03

Supply and fault basis

Fault level at the point of delivery is requested from the distributor, and a short circuit study establishes bolted fault current at every busbar.

04

Protection review

Settings are read from the devices and clearing time is taken from the real characteristic at the calculated arcing current rather than the nominal curve.

05

Calculate and label

Energy, boundaries and PPE requirements are determined per position and labels are produced for application to the assessed equipment.

06

Brief the responsible people

Findings are ranked and the people responsible for authorising and supervising electrical work are briefed, so the results inform the work plan rather than sitting in a file.

Frequently asked questions

Not by name. The decree requires the employer to assess workplace risks and provide adequate protection, and CEI 11-27 governs how electrical work is carried out and by whom. For an arc hazard, completing that assessment credibly requires quantifying incident energy, since it is not observable and varies widely between boards on one site.
It supplies the specific numbers the plan needs. A work plan can state that protection is required and that a qualified person must supervise, but the boundary distance to mark and the PPE level to issue depend on calculated energy at that particular position. The study turns a general requirement into an instruction for one switchboard.
Yes. Arc-resistant construction is rated with doors closed and latched in the tested configuration, so it addresses a fault occurring while the panel is secure. It says nothing about the exposure once a panel is opened for testing or fault-finding, which is the condition the assessment exists to describe.
Any change to an input: a distributor network reinforcement, a transformer replacement, the addition of self-consumption generation, a switchboard extension, or a protection setting change. Where the model has been retained the re-run is short. Labels calculated against a superseded fault level are wrong while carrying the appearance of authority.

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