SAFE Labs

What SAFE Labs does

SAFE Labs (legal entity SAFE Laboratories and Engineering Corp.) is a privately held forensic laboratory and investigative services firm founded in 2011 by John Cavaroc and headquartered in Sanford, North Carolina. The company provides professional forensic investigation, laboratory testing, and expert testimony services across four primary service lines: (1) Forensic Investigations covering fire, explosion, electrical, and mechanical incidents; (2) Testing and Analysis including lithium-ion battery testing, propane and gas analysis, material characterization, and safety standards testing (UL 9540A, UL 2596, ECE R100 Annex 9E); (3) Laboratory Services comprising analytical services, laboratory rental, and artifact storage; and (4) specialized testing for energy storage systems and electric vehicles.

The company's underlying technology platform is a substantial capital base of specialized analytical equipment, including a Hitachi SU3900 Scanning Electron Microscope with Oxford UltimMax 65 EDS, a Nikon XTH 225 ST CT Scanner, Agilent 8890 GC with 5977C MSD, Teledyne FLIR GF620 Optical Gas Imaging camera, Matterport Pro3 LiDAR cameras, a 49 cubic foot dual glove box, a 1,600 sqft outdoor burn facility, four distinct climate-controlled rental laboratories, and a 15,000 sqft climate-controlled artifact storage warehouse. SAFE Labs holds ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation, a globally recognized quality standard for testing and calibration laboratories, and operates nationally from its single Sanford facility with on-site deployment capability via box trucks, trailers, and a mobile command unit.

SAFE Labs generates revenue through three primary streams: project-based professional forensic investigation fees with expert testimony, laboratory testing fees on a quote-based per-project basis, and laboratory rental income (minimum four-hour rentals). The go-to-market model is sales-led and direct, with customers engaging via phone (+1-919-718-9150) or website contact form. Target customer segments include insurance carriers, federal/state/local law enforcement agencies, legal professionals requiring expert witnesses, and industrial/manufacturing clients in battery, energy storage, EV, and chemical processing sectors. The company employs 40+ personnel including Professional Engineers licensed in up to 24 states, Certified Fire and Explosion Investigators, and a Ph.D.-level Lead Chemist.

Name

SAFE Labs

Legal name

SAFE Laboratories and Engineering Corp.

Website

https://safe-labs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SAFE Labs is a Sanford, North Carolina-based ISO/IEC 17025-accredited forensic laboratory founded in 2011 that provides fire, explosion, electrical, and mechanical investigations, lithium-ion battery safety testing, analytical services, and expert testimony to insurance carriers, law enforcement, legal professionals, and industrial manufacturers nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forensic Investigation and Laboratory Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Forensic Science & Crime Laboratories (Justice System Support) (BPAIAFAI)

Keywords

• Forensic investigations
• Fire investigations
• Explosion investigations
• Lithium-ion battery testing
• Materials testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Sanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Forensic Investigation Services: Professional forensic investigation services for fire, explosion, electrical, and mechanical incidents. Revenue generated through investigative project fees, expert testimony, and on-site investigation services.
2. Laboratory Testing Services: Comprehensive lithium-ion battery testing, material characterization, safety standards testing (UL 9540A, UL 2596, ECE R100 Annex 9E), and gas/propane analysis services.
3. Laboratory Rental: Rental of four distinct climate-controlled, secured laboratories for businesses conducting evidence examinations. Minimum rental duration starts at four hours. Clients gain access to state-of-the-art equipment including SEM, CT scanner, digital microscopes, X-ray, and FTIR with trained technician operation included.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

SAFE Labs is a full-service forensic investigative team and ISO/IEC 17025:2017-accredited laboratory that performs fire, explosion, electrical, and mechanical origin-and-cause investigations; conducts lithium-ion battery, propane/gas, material characterization, and UL 9540A / UL 2596 / ECE R100 safety testing; provides expert testimony for litigation; and rents climate-controlled laboratories equipped with SEM, CT scanning, and metallurgical equipment.

Product overview

SAFE Labs is a forensic laboratory and investigative services company offering a portfolio of specialized services centered on fire, explosion, electrical, and mechanical investigations. The core offerings include Forensic Investigations (fire, explosion, electrical, mechanical), Testing & Analysis services (lithium-ion battery testing, propane & gas analysis, material characterization, safety standards testing), and Laboratory Services (artifact storage, analytical services, laboratory rental). The company operates multiple examination rooms (Main Exam Room Lab One at 1150 sq ft, Secondary Exam Room Lab Two at 2400 sq ft) and provides advanced analytical services including CT Scanning, SEM Analysis, SEM Microscopy, and Metallurgical Analysis. Supporting infrastructure includes artifact storage (15,000 sq ft climate-controlled warehouse) and an outdoor burn facility (1,600 sq ft). The company also offers specialized testing certifications including UL 9540A, UL 2596, and ECE R100 Annex 9E for energy storage systems and electric vehicles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forensic Fire Investigations Investigation services for determining the origin and cause of fires, covering residential, commercial, industrial, arc flash, vehicle, and heavy equipment fires. Targeted at insurance companies, legal professionals, and property owners needing defensible origin-and-cause findings.
• Forensic Explosion Investigations Investigation services for explosions including natural and propane gas, dust, chemical, and metals explosions, used for insurance, legal, and law enforcement matters requiring root-cause determination.
• Forensic Electrical Investigations Electrical forensics including accident investigations, electrocution investigations, electrical failure analysis, and arc flash investigations, used by insurers, legal professionals, and property owners to determine electrical causation.
• Mechanical & Fire Protection Investigations Investigation of mechanical system or component failures that cause or contribute to fires, explosions, or other catastrophic consequences, supporting insurers, legal professionals, and industrial clients.
• Lithium-Ion Battery Testing Comprehensive lithium-ion battery testing services for safety and performance evaluation, used by battery, EV, and energy storage system manufacturers and by insurers investigating battery failures.
• Propane & Gas Analysis Comprehensive evaluation of propane and gas samples through liquid propane sampling, mercaptan field stain tube testing, and vapor propane sampling, used for explosion investigations and industrial gas safety matters.
• Material Characterization Analysis of materials to assess thermal properties including thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and thermal expansion for product development and quality assurance.
• Safety Standards Testing Comprehensive testing services for safety, reliability, and compliance of various products and systems, including UL 9540A, UL 2596, and ECE R100 testing for manufacturers seeking regulatory certification.
• Fire and Safety Testing Rigorous fire testing for large-scale energy storage systems (ESS) including intricate large-scale fire simulations, conducted in the 1,600 sqft shielded outdoor burn facility.
• Artifact Storage Interior and exterior artifact storage with a 15,000 sqft climate-controlled warehouse, 24/7 camera and alarm monitoring, an outside storage lot for vehicles and larger items, and Conex storage options, used by legal, insurance, and industrial clients for chain-of-custody preservation.
• Analytical Services Advanced analytical services providing detailed insights into structure, composition, and integrity of samples, including microscopic scrutiny and metallurgical analysis for failure analysis and quality assurance.
• Laboratory Rental Rental of four distinct climate-controlled and secured laboratories for businesses conducting evidence examinations; minimum rental duration of four hours, with access to state-of-the-art equipment including SEM, CT scanner, digital microscopes, X-ray, and FTIR operated by trained technicians.
• CT Scanning and Analysis Computed Tomography scanning providing detailed three-dimensional models of samples without disassembly, using Nikon XTH 225 ST equipment, used for failure analysis and non-destructive forensic examination.
• SEM Analysis Scanning Electron Microscope analysis using Hitachi SU3900 SEM with Oxford UltimMax 65 EDS for high-resolution imaging and elemental analysis of samples at microscale.
• SEM Microscopy Service Scanning Electron Microscopy service for detailed microscopic examination of diverse samples including materials, composites, and biological specimens.
• Metallurgical Analysis Comprehensive metallurgical analysis for failure analysis and material characterization, including microstructural examination using Nikon Eclipse MA200 Metallograph.
• Main Exam Room (Lab One) 1,150 sqft examination room with Zoom capabilities for remote viewing, optimal lighting, multiple exam tables, and comprehensive hand tools, available for laboratory rental.
• Secondary Exam Room (Lab Two) 2,400 sqft examination room designed for meticulous examination of vehicles, large equipment, and numerous artifacts, available for laboratory rental.
• UL 9540A Testing Standardized evaluation for assessing safety and performance of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) and associated components, used by battery and ESS manufacturers for certification.
• UL 2596 Testing Assessment of battery enclosure materials for the automotive industry, including Torch and Grit testing for flame resistance and insulation integrity.
• ECE R100 Annex 9E Testing Safety evaluation of high-voltage automotive systems and battery systems for electric and hybrid electric vehicles, used by EV and automotive manufacturers for type approval.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Donan: Donan is a forensic engineering and fire investigation firm providing origin-and-cause, equipment failure, and litigation support services to insurance carriers and attorneys. Highly comparable to SAFE Labs in service mix and customer base, with broader geographic coverage.
• Rimkus Consulting Group: Rimkus is a forensic engineering and consulting firm offering fire investigation, failure analysis, and expert-witness services to insurance, legal, and corporate clients. Directly comparable in core forensic capabilities and customer segments, with much larger national/international footprint.
• EFI Global: EFI Global is a national forensic engineering, fire investigation, and environmental consulting firm serving insurance, legal, and industrial clients. Directly comparable to SAFE Labs in fire/explosion origin-and-cause investigations, failure analysis, and expert testimony, but at substantially larger national scale.
• S-E-A Limited: S-E-A is a forensic engineering and fire investigation firm specializing in accident reconstruction, fire origin/cause, and product failure analysis for legal and insurance clients. Closely mirrors SAFE Labs' forensic investigation, testing, and expert-testimony offering.
• Unified Investigations & Sciences: Unified Investigations & Sciences is a forensic investigations firm providing fire, explosion, and fraud investigations to insurance and legal clients. Directly comparable to SAFE Labs, and notably a prior employer of one of SAFE Labs' investigators (Craig Lewis).
• Origin and Cause / Claims Professionals: Origin and Cause is a forensic investigation firm focused on fire, explosion, and accident reconstruction for insurance and legal clients. Highly comparable to SAFE Labs in core fire investigation service offering and customer profile.
• Engineering Design & Testing Corp (ED&T): ED&T is a forensic engineering firm providing fire, electrical, mechanical, and structural failure analysis for insurance carriers and attorneys. Directly comparable to SAFE Labs in origin-and-cause investigations and expert testimony services.

Broad incumbents

• Intertek: Intertek is a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) incumbent that performs UL-standard battery, energy storage, and product safety testing at scale. Comparable to SAFE Labs' testing side (especially UL 9540A/UL 2596/ECE R100), but operates across all TIC categories with much broader geographic and lab footprint.
• Exponent: Exponent is a large engineering and scientific consulting firm with a dedicated electrical, fire, and materials practice serving litigation and product-safety clients. Overlaps with SAFE Labs on fire/electrical failure analysis and expert testimony, but serves as a much broader scientific consulting incumbent.
• Jensen Hughes: Jensen Hughes is a global leader in fire protection engineering, forensic investigation, and code consulting. Overlaps with SAFE Labs on fire/explosion investigations and materials testing, but operates at much greater scale and across a broader portfolio including design engineering and regulatory consulting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/safe-laboratories

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAFE Labs