Compliance
Arc Flash Study: A Necessity, Not a Luxury
Why every US facility with energized equipment needs a current arc flash study.
Read MoreARC FLASH · UNITED STATES
IEEE 1584 Arc Flash Studies for US Facilities
The NEC is not federal law. Your facility is assessed against whichever edition your state, county or city has adopted, and neighbouring jurisdictions can sit three cycles apart: 2017, 2020 and 2023 are all in force somewhere today. A study that cites the wrong edition, or ignores a local amendment, fails review however sound the calculations are.
Free ConsultationNFPA 70EIEEE 1584OSHA CompliantNEC Standards
What a US Arc Flash Study Has to Resolve
Incident energy is the calculation. Jurisdiction, code edition and equipment ownership determine whether the resulting labels survive inspection.
What We Deliver
Incident energy to IEEE 1584-2018
The 2018 revision replaced the earlier empirical model, changing results for electrode configuration, enclosure size and voltages below 1 kV. A study still running the pre-2018 model produces PPE categories that no longer defend a decision.
WHAT GOES WRONG
Where US Arc Flash Studies Fail Review
Most rejected studies are not wrong about physics. They are wrong about jurisdiction, or they rest on data nobody confirmed. These are the failures we see most often on US sites.
- Labels issued against a NEC edition the local AHJ does not enforce.
- Incident energy calculated on the pre-2018 IEEE 1584 model without stating the basis.
- Utility available fault current assumed rather than obtained in writing from the serving utility.
- Protective device settings modelled as designed rather than as found in the field.
- Customer-side and utility-side equipment assessed under one standard where NESC governs part of the system.
- Labels not reissued after a service change altered available fault current.
THE OUTCOMES
Arc Flash Reports
Every report states the code edition it was prepared against, the utility fault current used and where it came from, and the protective device settings as found. Those three facts are what let the study be defended to an AHJ or an OSHA inspector later.
- 1Single Line Diagram of the system
- 2Data Collection details
- 3Incident Energy Analysis
- 4Short Circuit Analysis
- 5Arc Flash Boundary Calculation
- 6Arc Flash PPE Recommendations
- 7Protective Device Coordination
- 8Arc Flash Equipment Labeling Recommendations
- 9Compliance evaluation
- 10Mitigation Strategies
- 11Recommendations
How We Run a US Arc Flash Study
01
Establish jurisdiction
Identify the AHJ for each site, the NEC edition enforced, and any state or municipal amendments that apply. For a multi-site portfolio this is done per site, not once.
02
Obtain utility fault data
Request available fault current and clearing data in writing from the serving utility. Assumed values are the most common reason a study cannot be defended later.
03
Field data collection
Single-line verification, equipment nameplates, conductor lengths and sizes, and protective device settings recorded as found rather than as designed.
04
Model and calculate
Short-circuit study, protective device coordination, then incident energy to IEEE 1584-2018, including arc flash boundary and working distance at each location.
05
Label and report
NFPA 70E-conformant labels carrying incident energy, boundary, PPE requirement, study date and edition basis, issued with the report and the model assumptions.
Industries We Empower
Oil & Gas
Upstream, midstream, and downstream facilities
Healthcare
Hospitals, clinics, and medical campuses
Data Centers
Tier I through Tier IV facilities
Manufacturing
Production lines and industrial plants
Utilities
Generation, transmission, and distribution
Commercial Real Estate
Office buildings and retail complexes
Education
Universities, schools, and research labs
Government
Federal, state, and municipal facilities
Frequently Asked Questions
Whichever edition your state, county or city has adopted. The NEC is not federal law, so adoption is local and jurisdictions sit on different cycles. The 2017, 2020 and 2023 editions are all currently enforced somewhere in the US. Some states amend clauses further, as California does through Title 24 Part 3. We confirm the governing edition per site before issuing labels.
NFPA 70E calls for review at intervals not exceeding five years, and whenever a change could affect the result. In practice the trigger is usually physical: a service upgrade, a transformer replacement, new protective devices, or a utility reconductoring that alters available fault current. Any of these invalidates the existing labels until the model is revisited.
NESC, published as IEEE C2, governs utility-side transmission, distribution and generation. The NEC governs customer-side installations. A facility that owns a substation or runs cogeneration sits across both boundaries, and the two standards use different approach and clearance concepts. The study has to identify where the boundary falls and apply the correct one.
OSHA does not require the study by name, and it does not incorporate NFPA 70E into its regulations. It requires hazard assessment and appropriate PPE under 29 CFR 1910.132 and 1910.335, and treats NFPA 70E as the recognised consensus standard for meeting that duty. In practice the study and its labels are the evidence an inspector examines.
Confirm Your Labels Match the Code You Are Inspected Against
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