Many companies are eager to provide services if your facility needs an Arc Flash Study. But before you move ahead, it’s important to know that there are major differences in quality between companies that provide arc flash study services. What seems like a bargain can hurt you in the long run. Understanding true cost benefits will help you make the best choice.
While many companies offer arc-flash-related services, few are dedicated arc flash study specialists.
Some electrical engineering firms or product suppliers might use discount arc flash services to get their foot in the door to sell other goods or services. Others might be small contractors hired to perform arc flash services, among other general electrical work. Arc Flash study specialists like EPSCO perform comprehensive studies that analyze the entirety of your electrical infrastructure, while general services companies only look at electrical fixtures on a point-per-point basis.
Arc flash study specialists can complete a full system study in about eight weeks, compared to six months or more for contractors who are not regularly taking on arc flash jobs to complete the same work. A comprehensive, compliant arc flash study collects data to produce incident energy calculations. Those calculations are used to create equipment labels that direct your team to the proper PPE for the equipment they’ll be working on. Companies who don’t perform incident energy calculations cannot issue equipment labels, leaving critical, time-consuming PPE decisions to the workers on your team.
Remember: that every time a piece of equipment is moved or upgraded, your arc flash study needs to be updated to retain compliance with government safety regulators.
Suppose a specialist has completed a thorough assessment of your system and generated a full schematic. In that case, it’s much easier to make the changes than a contractor who has only analyzed individual points and will have to redo all the work to account for the new gear.
Schematics and a system-wide arc flash study will also make it easier to renew compliance on the five-year cycle required by the NFPA 70E.
When choosing a company to perform your arc flash study, please pay close attention to the company’s services and approach. A generic value derived from the tables method might look more affordable in the short term, but down the road, a system-wide assessment saves money and puts your team’s safety as a top priority.
Like here at EPSCO, we only have one motive- Electrical safety. Our team of safety pros can help you get the most out of an arc flash study. We know the rules and regulations and will guide you to make the best electrical safety decisions for your team. EPSCO arc flash study specialists produce results that are thorough and efficient. We’ll keep your facility up to code sustainably and cost-effectively.
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