Article 110.16 of the 2011 National Electrical Code states “Electrical equipment, such as switchboards, panelboards, industrial control panels, meter socket enclosures, and motor control centers, that are in other than dwelling units, and are likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized shall be field marked to warn qualified persons of potential electrical arc flash hazards”.

In addition to the National Electrical Code, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) enforces arc flash safety regulations in the United States. Its authority to do so stems from Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety act, which states that employers “shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees”. OSHA requires the use of protective equipment when working where potential electrical hazards exist, and the NFPA 70E (Electrical Safety in the Workplace) identifies the hazards and describes the measures that can be taken to prevent electrical injuries. In 2002, the first arc flash labels were required and many industries implemented the basic standards. However, over time, NFPA 70E evolved, and the requirements were updated in 2004, 2009, and 2012. The 2012 standard is now very specific in the labeling making many of the older labels obsolete.

In other words, if you are a municipal, industrial, or commercial facility, you must have arc flash labels. All ESAD’s arc flash labels conform to ANSI Z535 standards and include all information required by NFPA 70E Article 130.5‐C including the arc flash boundary, the nominal system voltage, the required level of PPE, the available incident energy, and the minimum arc rating of the clothing.