Arc flash labels are essential for every workplace using electrified electrical equipment’s electrical safety infrastructure. These provide critical information about potential hazards and the personal protective equipment that workers must wear. Businesses may help safeguard their employees from the dangers of arc flash and other electrical hazards by following NFPA 70E labeling guidelines and keeping an up-to-date arc-flash study. Both of these processes are critical in maintaining worker safety.

Arc flash and shock danger is a severe electrical safety issue that puts individuals who work on or near electrified electrical equipment at risk. Employees who operate on or near electrified electrical equipment are particularly vulnerable to this hazard. Arc flash labels identify potential hazards and highlight the personal protective equipment required to help prevent injuries and deaths (PPE).

Arc flash warning labels are commonly used on electrical equipment to warn of potential hazards and indicate the necessity for personal protective equipment (PPE) and tools. The labels must be placed in such a way that they are visible and intelligible from a fair distance away. Arc-flash personal protective equipment (PPE) rules may be easier to meet if the format and location of the labels are consistent. NFPA 70E-2021 Article 130.5 (H) specifies the minimum standards for arc-flash labeling as well as the information that must be provided on the label.

The label must identify the nominal system voltage, the arc-flash restricted approach boundary, and the hazard-appropriate personal protective equipment required. Also, at least one of the following must be included: available incident energy and the related working distance or arc-flash PPE category for the equipment in NFPA 70E Table 130.7(C)(15)(a) or Table 130.7(C)(15)(b), but not both. The NFPA 70E standard contains these tables. In addition, the minimum arc rating of the clothing that must be worn and the site-specific level of PPE must be specified.

Despite the fact that NFPA 70E does not offer particular information on label size, location, or the number of arc flash labels, or their use, it is critical to ensure that the labels are easily readable and clearly visible. Furthermore, while it is suggested that the information on the shock risk assessment be placed on the label, as illustrated in Figure 4.5, it is not required by NFPA 70E-2021. There are several label templates to choose from, each of which allows the information on the label to be fully altered.

Other types of documentation may be used in place of labels at monitored industrial sites, according to a clause in 130.5(H) that allows for this exemption. For example, if a maintenance mode setting is utilized to reduce incident energy and hence the need for personal protective equipment, the labeling must explicitly state this. Instead, the label should state the maximum arc-flash energy, with the maintenance mode decrease covered by the Energized Work Permit.

One of the most critical jobs during an arc flash study is ensuring that the right arc flash label is placed to each individual piece of electrical equipment. To decrease the number of errors, the naming of the equipment on the one-line diagram should be compatible with the genuine names that are displayed on the equipment itself.

Ensuring that arc-flash research is maintained up to date is also critical. The NFPA 70E requires that the findings of the arc flash study be validated for the correctness and then continuously evaluated whenever modifications are made to the power system, as well as at least once every five years. However, it is not necessary to update arc flash labels just because the labeling requirements in the standard have changed, as long as the system has not been updated. Instead, the single-line diagram should be updated whenever the system is changed, and the results of any arc flash tests should be recalculated. This should be done whenever equipment is changed or upgraded.