Arc Flash Study and Assessment
An arc flash is an electrical explosion — an arcing fault releases energy as heat, light, pressure and molten metal, and the severity of exposure is what an arc flash study exists to quantify. The study calculates the incident energy released by an arcing fault at each point in an electrical installation, defines the boundary within which that hazard exists, and specifies the arc-rated PPE required to work there. Without one, PPE selection for arc flash exposure is guesswork.
Incident energy is the thermal energy that would reach a worker standing at normal working distance from an arcing fault, expressed in cal/cm². Without a study, the common outcome is that sites either over-specify — issuing heavy arc-rated suits for tasks that don’t need them, which workers then avoid wearing — or under-specify, issuing PPE with an arc rating below the actual exposure, which is worse than no protection because it creates false confidence.
What Is an Arc Flash Study?
An arc flash study in Africa is an engineering assessment carried out to the IEEE 1584 method — the internationally recognised standard for calculating arc flash incident energy. It models the electrical distribution system from the utility supply down to the equipment your team actually works on, calculates the fault current available at each point, and converts that into a cal/cm² incident energy figure, an arc flash boundary distance, and a required PPE category.
The output is a set of durable labels on the switchgear itself, so the information is in front of the electrician at the point of work, not filed away in a report.
Arc Flash Assessment: What the Study Includes
1. Data collection and system modelling
- Utility fault level obtained from the supply authority
- Transformer ratings, impedances and connection arrangements
- Cable types, sizes and lengths across the distribution network
- Protection device makes, models, ratings and as-found settings — recorded on site, not taken from a drawing
- Motor contribution and standby generation captured where they affect fault current
2. Short circuit and protection coordination study
- Prospective fault current calculated at every bus
- Equipment interrupting capacity verified against the calculated fault level
- Time-current curves plotted and discrimination assessed through the network
- Settings recommendations where coordination is absent or clearing time excessive
3. Incident energy calculation (IEEE 1584)
- Incident energy in cal/cm² at each assessed bus, at defined working distance
- Arc flash boundary distance calculated for each item of equipment
- Arc-rated PPE category assigned per equipment and per task
- Sensitivity analysis showing how incident energy responds to protection setting changes
4. Labelling, procedures and arc flash training
- Durable arc flash warning labels produced for every assessed item of switchgear
- PPE matrix mapped to the tasks your team actually performs
- Energised work permit and approach boundary procedures
- Arc flash training for electrical staff and their supervisors
Arc Flash Training: Why the Study Alone Isn't Enough
A label on a switchboard only works if the person standing in front of it understands what it means. Arc flash training in Africa covers how to read the incident energy and boundary information on the label, the correct PPE category for the task at hand, approach boundary rules, and when a job requires an energised work permit rather than proceeding as routine maintenance. We deliver this training to electrical staff and their supervisors as part of the study, using your own labelled switchgear and PPE matrix rather than generic material — so the training maps directly to the equipment your team works on every day.
Reducing Incident Energy, Not Just Measuring It
A study that reports high incident energy and stops there has done half a job. Incident energy is a product of available fault current and how long the arc persists — and clearing time is the variable an engineer can influence. Our reports always include the mitigation options:
- Protection setting optimisation — faster instantaneous settings where discrimination allows, frequently the single largest reduction available
- Maintenance-mode switching — a temporary reduced-clearing-time setting engaged only while work is in progress
- Arc-resistant switchgear or arc-flash-relay retrofit where the equipment supports it
- Remote racking and remote operation to remove the worker from the boundary entirely — the only mitigation that eliminates rather than reduces exposure
- Work practice change — establishing an electrically safe working condition so the task is no longer energised work at all
Is an Arc Flash Study Required?
African occupational safety law generally does not name an arc flash study directly in legislation. What it does require, consistently across jurisdictions, is that the employer identifies electrical hazards, assesses the risk they present, and provides suitable PPE for the work. An IEEE 1584 incident energy calculation is the accepted engineering method of meeting that duty for arc flash risk specifically.
General-purpose flame-retardant workwear cannot be shown to match a specific incident energy exposure, because without the study no one has calculated what that exposure is. So in practical terms: not by name, in most African regulatory frameworks — but the underlying duty to assess the hazard and provide correctly rated PPE effectively requires the study as the only credible way to discharge it, and it’s the document insurers and regulators expect to see produced after an incident.
Why Arc Flash Study Is Required in Africa
Beyond the strict legal position, there are three practical reasons sites commission an arc flash study:
- Evidence after an incident. If an arc flash event occurs, the study is the document that demonstrates the hazard was assessed and the PPE issued was correctly rated for the exposure — the difference between a defensible safety record and an unassessed risk.
- Correct PPE, not guessed PPE. Electricians working without a study are either over-protected on routine tasks or under-protected on high-energy ones — both outcomes come from PPE selected without a calculation behind it.
- A route to lower risk, not just labelled risk. The study identifies where protection settings, switchgear upgrades or work practice changes can bring incident energy down, rather than simply documenting a hazard that stays the same size indefinitely.
This is why an arc flash study is required in Africa well before any regulator asks for one by name — the exposure exists on site whether or not it has been calculated.
Arc Flash Study for Oil and Gas HSE
Oil and gas operations sit at the top of the risk profile for arc flash exposure: energised work cannot always be avoided on process-critical switchgear, and international operator HSE standards typically mandate a documented incident energy assessment as a condition of site access for contractors and maintenance personnel. An arc flash study aligned to oil and gas HSE requirements needs to produce documentation an operator’s HSE team will recognise and accept without a second review — labelled switchgear, a PPE matrix referenced to task, and a mitigation plan showing incident energy is being actively managed, not just recorded.
Where a site operates under a specific operator’s HSE management system, we scope the arc flash study deliverables to match that system’s documentation requirements directly, so the study clears site-access review the first time it’s submitted.
What You Receive
| Deliverable | Detail |
|---|---|
| Incident energy report | cal/cm² and arc flash boundary per bus, with modelling assumptions stated |
| Short circuit study | Fault levels at every bus, with equipment adequacy assessment |
| Coordination study | Time-current curves, discrimination assessment, recommended settings |
| Arc flash labels | Printed, durable, ready to apply to each item of switchgear |
| PPE matrix | Required arc rating by equipment and by task |
| Mitigation plan | Costed options ranked by incident energy reduction achieved |
| Single-line diagram | Updated and verified against the as-installed system |
Where an Arc Flash Study Is Essential
- Oil and gas — where energised work cannot always be avoided and international operator HSE standards apply
- Mining — MV switching is routine and fault levels are high
- Heavy manufacturing with large connected motor load
- Data centres and hospitals, where equipment cannot simply be de-energised for maintenance
- Any site with generators or embedded generation altering the fault contribution
- Any site where an arc flash incident has occurred, or narrowly not occurred
Sequence matters. An arc flash study is only as accurate as the protection data it’s built on. Where drawings are out of date or settings have never been verified, run the electrical safety audit first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an arc flash study?
An engineering assessment, carried out to the IEEE 1584 method, that calculates the incident energy an arcing fault would release at each point in an electrical installation, defines the arc flash boundary, and specifies the arc-rated PPE required to work there safely.
Is an arc flash study a legal requirement?
Most African occupational safety frameworks require hazard identification, risk assessment and suitable PPE without naming the study directly — an IEEE 1584 study is the accepted engineering method of meeting that duty for arc flash risk, and the document that demonstrates it was met if an incident occurs.
What standards are used for the calculation?
Incident energy is calculated to IEEE 1584. PPE category and work practice guidance commonly reference NFPA 70E alongside the local electrical and OHS regulatory framework.
What do we receive at the end of the study?
An incident energy report, short circuit and coordination studies, printed arc flash labels for each assessed item of switchgear, a PPE matrix by equipment and task, a cost mitigation plan, and an updated single-line diagram verified against the as-installed system.
Can an arc flash study reduce our PPE requirement?
Often, yes. Protection setting optimization and other mitigation measures reduce the calculated incident energy at a bus, which can lower the required PPE category for tasks performed there — this is usually the fastest and lowest-cost improvement the study identifies.
How much does an arc flash study cost?
Cost depends on the number of buses to be modelled, how much protection data already exists and needs field verification, and whether mitigation design and training are included. Send your single-line diagram and transformer schedule and we will tell you what data is missing and quote the study.
Send Us Your Single-Line Diagram
…and transformer schedule. We’ll tell you what data is missing and quote the study.
Quote an arc flash study
Send your single-line diagram and transformer schedule. We will tell you what data is missing and quote the study.
