Arc flash safety

7 things to look for in an arc flash study

The threat of arc flash is real, and the consequences of an event can be devastating. The initial step in addressing this risk is to have an arc flash study performed, but beware — not all studies are equal, and an inferior study unnecessarily endangers your employees and your business.

To gauge the quality of a study, first, verify that the study will be performed by experienced engineers. Inquire about their education, licenses and experience.

Then ask about their ability to offer a turnkey solution after the study, including offering training, PPE identification, maintenance program guidance as well as products and solutions to help reduce high incident energy.

And finally, ask to see a sample of the final report and compare against the information below.

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7 things to look for in an arc flash study

1.	Executive summary	A synopsis of the key findings and recommendations to improve the safety and operation of the power system
2.	One-line diagram	A model of the entire electrical system which forms the basis for the study
3.	Short circuit analysis	Calculates available fault current for each piece of electrical distribution equipment in your facility
4.	Protective device coordination study	Modeling each protective device and its recommended set points
5.	Settings table	A list of recommended settings for circuit breakers and relays
6.	Arc flash incident energy analysis	Used to generate arc flash warning labels showing nominal system voltage and arc flash boundaries, as well as available incident energy and/or PPE category
7.	Input data used in the analysis	A reference to the data upon which the study was based