Arc Flash Analysis - Arc Flash Risk Assessments

An Arc Flash Presents Dangers To Your Personnel and Facility

An arc flash occurs either when an electric current pass through air between conductors or from a conductor to ground instead of its intended path; temperatures can reach as high as 35,000° Fahrenheit! These dangerous arc flash conditions can occur when work is being conducted on energized equipment, or during an electrical equipment failure.

The light, heat, and blast from an arc flash can cause extreme bodily injury, and even death when employees are exposed without the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and electrical safety protocols. Current regulations make arc flash risk assessments mandatory if an employee is working on or around energized equipment rated above 50V, or if the facility has service equipment rated at 1200A or more for states that have adopted the latest version of the NEC. An arc flash risk assessment is part of a complete electrical arc flash analysis required by OSHA, NFPA 70E and NFPA 70. The assessment determines the incident energy in which a worker may be exposed to and how to protect the worker from an arc flash accident and other electrical hazards.

The overall goals of an arc flash risk assessment are to:

Determine over-dutied electrical devices within a site
Identify miscoordination of overcurrent protection devices
Identify the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) required for employee safety
Ensure full compliance with arc flash codes and regulations
Ensure and maintain safe work conditions

Phases For Completing an Arc Flash Analysis Include:

1. Phase 1 – Field Survey

Gather data on the facility’s electrical distribution system

2. Phase 2 – Electrical One-line

Create electrical one-line diagrams in AutoCAD using the information gathered during a site visit

3. Phase 3 – Data Entry/Analysis

Build a model of the electrical distribution in an electrical analysis program using the electrical one-line created in AutoCAD
Perform short-circuit analysis on the electrical equipment
Perform protective device coordination analysis on circuit breaker, fuses and relays
Perform arc flash risk analysis on the electrical equipment

4. Phase 4 – Draft/Final Reports

Issue a draft report to the client for review and comments
Identify in a tabular format electrical equipment that failed the short-circuit analysis
Issue a final report

5. Phase 5 – Arc Flash Label Installation

Print arc flash labels on self-adhesive sticky back label paper and project closeout

how we Can Help Your Company Stay Safe

TÜV SÜD Global Risk Consultants (GRC) performs short-circuit, protective device coordination and arc flash risk analysis to ensure compliance and safety in your facility. In addition, we offer services like training for your employees to help them to operate safely in the work environment, as well as Infrared Thermographic Surveys.

The Arc Flash service team is licensed throughout the United States to deliver a consistent, high quality service regardless of geographic location. Our team of highly-skilled electrical engineers will identify code or electrical safety violations during the survey. In addition to providing short circuit analysis, protective device coordination study and one-line electrical diagram, we will also work with your team to develop a training program to prepare your employees to operate safely in this environment.

how we differentiate ourselves from competitors:

Prior to starting a project we educate our clients on the project stages and update the client contact once each phase is complete
Arc flash risk assessments are uniform across all client locations and facilities
Per NFPA 70E, an arc flash risk assessment is required to be re-done every 5 years. We take a proactive approach, where we contact the facility within 3 years to discuss any updates
One-line diagrams, Short-Circuit and Coordination studies are always performed
All observations of code issues are listed and made available to the client and immediate electrical hazards are included in our survey
Arc flash labels are explained and installed at your locations by our staff
We are always on hand to answer your questions and concerns
We also offer comprehensive electrical safety and arc flash training programs

Have a question or need immediate assistance? Get in touch!

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