Arc flash study in Memphis, TN

Compass Automation performs arc flash studies for industrial plants and facilities in Memphis and throughout the Mid-South. Each study is PE-stamped, built from verified field data, and delivered with equipment labels and a report your safety team can use.

What is an arc flash study?

An arc flash is a release of energy from an electrical fault through the air, producing intense heat, pressure, and light. An arc flash study, also called an arc flash analysis, calculates how much energy could be released at each piece of equipment in your electrical system, such as switchgear, panelboards, motor control centers, and disconnects, and how far from that equipment a worker needs protection.

A complete study combines three analyses. A short circuit study determines how much fault current is available at each point in the system. A protective device coordination study checks whether breakers and fuses clear faults quickly and in the right order. The arc flash calculations then use both results to determine incident energy at each location.

Why your facility needs one

NFPA 70E, the standard for electrical safety in the workplace, requires employers to assess arc flash risk before employees work on or near energized equipment, and to label equipment with the hazard information. OSHA enforces workplace electrical safety and treats NFPA 70E as the recognized industry practice. NFPA 70E also calls for the arc flash risk assessment to be reviewed at least every five years, and when major changes are made to the electrical system.

Beyond compliance, a study often turns up problems worth fixing: protective devices that are not coordinated, equipment underrated for the available fault current, or settings that leave energy levels higher than they need to be.

Our process

What’s included

PE-stamped by licensed engineers

Our electrical engineers are licensed Professional Engineers in 11 states with more than 25 years of combined experience. Every study is sealed, which matters when insurers, auditors, or corporate safety teams ask who performed the analysis and on what basis.

More than a one-time report

An arc flash study is the starting point of our plant documentation program. The model and drawings created for the study become a living record of your electrical system. As equipment changes, we keep the model and labels current and use the same data to plan metering, spare capacity for future projects, and infrastructure upgrades.

We start with a free electrical investigation: we walk your plant at no cost and propose an arc flash study scoped to your facility. Learn more about our full electrical engineering services in Memphis.