Arc Flash Study & NFPA 70E Risk Assessment

Fee is driven by how many protective devices get modeled, how many services and voltage levels feed them, how many sites are in scope, and how hard the gear is to access. We count devices during a no-cost scoping review, then issue a written fixed fee. No hourly billing.

NFPA 70E 130.5 requires the arc flash risk assessment to be reviewed at least every five years. It also has to be reviewed sooner if a change to the electrical system could affect the results — a new service, a replaced transformer, or a utility upgrade that raises available fault current.

In practice, a qualified engineer working from field-verified data, with the analysis reviewed and sealed by a licensed Professional Engineer. NFPA 70E does not name a credential, but owners, insurers and AHJs generally expect a PE seal, and engineering licensure laws often govern work of this kind.

OSHA cites the PPE and safety-related work practice rules, 1910.132 and 1910.333, and treats NFPA 70E as the recognized industry practice for meeting them. Serious violations carry five-figure penalties per violation, citations can be written per exposed employee, and willful findings run substantially higher.

Incident energy is a calculated value in cal/cm² at a stated working distance. PPE category is a table lookup NFPA 70E permits when incident energy has not been calculated. The two methods are not mixed on the same equipment. A study gives you the calculated number and the minimum arc rating your PPE must meet.

Field data collection runs one to three days for most facilities under about 150 devices. The sealed report follows in two to three weeks. If a shutdown window or an inspection date is driving the schedule, tell us at scoping — field access is usually the constraint, not the modeling.

Yes. We validate it in the field, correct what has changed, and rerun the analysis — typically 20–30% less than a study built from scratch. Very old models, or models missing device settings, sometimes need enough rework that the savings shrink. We tell you which before quoting.

We report the number and hand you options instead of a Danger label: relay setting changes, an arc-energy-reduction or maintenance-mode setting, current-limiting fuses, remote racking, or de-energized-only work rules for that equipment. Sometimes the fix is a setting change that costs nothing. The study should point at the fix.

Yes, if employees or contractors work on the equipment energized. NFPA 70E’s risk-assessment requirement does not have a size threshold. Small facilities are also the fastest and least expensive to study, because the fee scales with protective device count.