Arc Flash Studies & NFPA 70E Compliance in Louisville, KY
Hadley Energy Solutions performs arc flash hazard analyses for commercial and industrial facilities throughout Louisville, KY and Southern Indiana. Our studies meet NFPA 70E and IEEE 1584 requirements and result in incident-energy labels, PPE category determinations, and engineering recommendations that reduce shock and arc-flash risk for your electrical workers. Licensed CE64623 | ME64500 | HM06538. Call (502) 921-3777.
Who Needs an Arc Flash Study?
Manufacturing plants, water treatment facilities, hospitals, data centers, warehouses, and any facility with energized electrical equipment that workers interact with. OSHA 1910.333 requires employers to identify electrical hazards, and NFPA 70E identifies an arc-flash hazard analysis as the recognized way to do so. If you have not had a study in the last five years, have added or replaced major equipment, or your facility has unlabeled gear, you need an arc flash study.
What's Included in Our Arc Flash Studies
- Field data collection on every piece of gear (panels, MCCs, switchgear, transformers, generators)
- System modeling in SKM Power Tools or EasyPower
- Short circuit analysis per IEEE 1584
- Protective device coordination study
- Incident energy calculations at every working location
- Arc flash boundary determination
- PPE category recommendations per NFPA 70E Table 130.5(C)
- ANSI Z535-compliant equipment labels per NFPA 70E 130.5(H)
- Engineering report with single-line diagrams and recommendations
- Recommendations to reduce incident energy where it exceeds Category 4
- 5-year recommended re-study cadence reminder
Our Arc Flash Study Process
Scoping & Quote
We walk your facility, count your gear, and provide a fixed-fee proposal. No hourly surprises.
Field Data Collection
Our engineers collect nameplate data, conductor sizes, and protective device settings — typically 2-5 days on site for a medium plant.
Modeling & Analysis
We build a complete SKM or EasyPower model of your system, run short circuit and coordination studies, and calculate incident energy at every bus.
Labels & Report
We deliver printed arc-flash labels for every piece of gear, plus a sealed engineering report you can hand to OSHA, your insurance carrier, or a Joint Commission surveyor.
Arc Flash Study Cost Factors
Arc flash study pricing is driven primarily by the count of equipment buses to be analyzed and the quality of existing one-line drawings. Typical investment ranges:
- Small facility (single service, 5-15 buses): $3,500 - $8,000
- Medium plant (multiple MCCs, 20-60 buses): $8,000 - $25,000
- Large facility (multi-building, 60+ buses, paralleled gear): $25,000+
- Re-study after equipment changes (5-year cadence): typically 40-60% of original study fee
- Cost adders: missing one-lines, energized data collection, after-hours field work
Arc Flash Studies & NFPA 70E Compliance FAQs
How often does NFPA 70E require an arc flash re-study?
NFPA 70E 130.5 requires the arc-flash risk assessment to be reviewed at intervals not exceeding 5 years, OR sooner if a major modification or renovation takes place. Adding a transformer, replacing an MCC, or changing utility service all trigger a re-study.
Do we need an arc flash study if all our equipment is under 240V?
Possibly. NFPA 70E exempts equipment supplied at less than 240V from a single transformer rated less than 125 kVA only when the engineering analysis shows the incident energy is below 1.2 cal/cm². For most commercial 208V/480V services fed from larger transformers, a study is still required to demonstrate the exemption — or to label the gear correctly if it doesn't qualify.
What's actually included in the deliverable?
You receive: an engineering-sealed report, complete single-line diagrams, short-circuit and coordination study results, an incident-energy table for every working location, PPE category recommendations, and printed ANSI Z535-compliant labels installed on each piece of gear.
How does an arc flash study reduce OSHA citation risk?
OSHA 1910.333(a) and 1910.335 require employers to identify electrical hazards and provide appropriate PPE. An NFPA 70E-compliant arc flash study is the documented engineering analysis that demonstrates compliance. During an OSHA inspection or post-incident investigation, presenting a current sealed study and labeled equipment is the single best evidence of due diligence.
Do you handle both the study and the equipment labeling?
Yes. Our team performs the study, prints the labels in-house, and physically installs them on your gear before we leave. You don't have to coordinate a separate labeling vendor.
Can you recommend ways to lower our incident energy numbers?
Yes. Where incident energy exceeds Category 4 (>40 cal/cm²) or simply makes routine work impractical, we recommend specific mitigation: faster protective device settings, arc-resistant gear, current-limiting fuses, maintenance switches, or remote racking. Each recommendation includes a re-calculation showing the new incident energy.
Why Choose Hadley Energy Solutions?
Arc flash studies are only as good as the engineer behind them. Our team uses SKM Power Tools and EasyPower — the two industry-standard platforms — and signs every study under a Kentucky Professional Engineer. We've delivered studies for manufacturing plants, hospitals, water treatment facilities, and warehouses across Louisville, Hardin County, and Southern Indiana. Combined with our in-house electrical contracting capability, we can also implement the recommendations from the study (gear upgrades, relay setting changes, labeling) under one contract. Licensed CE64623 | ME64500 | HM06538.
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We provide arc flash studies & nfpa 70e compliance throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
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