Approval. Doors or covers giving access to uninsulated parts of indoor signs or outline lighting exceeding 600 volts and accessible to other than qualified persons shall either be provided with interlock switches to disconnect the primary circuit or shall be so fastened that the use of other than ordinary tools will be necessary to open them. Remote crane or hoist controls that may introduce hazardous electrical conditions into the cell line working zone shall employ one or more of the following systems: Pendant pushbutton with nonconductive supporting means and with nonconductive surfaces or ungrounded exposed conductive surfaces; or. Application for variances under Paragraph 1910.11 must include a statement showing how the conditions, practices, means, methods, operations, or processes used or proposed to be used would provide employment and places of employment to employees which are as safe and healthful as those required under the standard from which a variance is sought. Horizontal clearance between the conductor and Building. Conditions A, B, and C are as follows: Condition A - Exposed live parts on one side and no live or grounded parts on the other side of the working space, or exposed live parts on both sides effectively guarded by suitable wood or other insulating material. Any openings in such partitions or screens shall be so sized and located that persons are not likely to come into accidental contact with the live parts or to bring conducting objects into contact with them. This is necessary because it is not practical to run dozens, or even hundreds, of different electrical lines directly into the main circuit. Other factors which contribute to the practical safeguarding of employees using or likely to come in contact with the equipment. The points of control shall be located so that persons are prevented from contacting any live part or moving part of the equipment while turning on the lights. Suitability of equipment for an identified purpose may be evidenced by listing, labeling, or certification for that identified purpose. Concrete, brick, and tile walls are considered as grounded surfaces. This letter constitutes OSHA's interpretation of the requirements discussed. Note that our enforcement guidance may be affected by changes to OSHA rules. A disconnecting means shall be provided for each motor and controller. The following hazards are the most frequent causes of electrical injuries: contact with power lines, lack of ground-fault protection, path to ground missing or discontinuous, equipment not used in manner prescribed, and improper use of extension and flexible cords. Carnivals, circuses, fairs, and similar events. By elevation of 8 feet (2.44 m) or more above the floor or other working surface and so installed as to exclude unqualified persons. 3. Eight (8) to ten (10) hours of start-up time could be required to re-load processing bins, fluidizing lines and processing transitions. Examination. Question: What would OSHA consider to be a safe distance for setting extra stock or empty containers from any electrical equipment such as ladder cable trays? This means you cannot stack inventory in this area, you cannot park high-lows or other vehicles in the area, and you cannot even put temporary items in the area. Hot glue machines would be shutdown and the glue would set. By location on a balcony, gallery, or platform so elevated and arranged as to exclude unqualified persons. The tape can be placed down in the proper spots to make sure you get immediate results. Unless identified for use in the operating environment, no conductors or equipment shall be located in damp or wet locations; where exposed to gases, fumes, vapors, liquids, or other agents that have a deteriorating effect on the conductors or equipment; or where exposed to excessive temperatures. To keep apprised of such developments, you can consult OSHA's website at http://www.osha.gov. 1910.306 - Specific purpose equipment and installations. Signs and outline lighting systems located within fountains shall have the disconnect located at least 1.52 m (5.0 ft) from the inside walls of the fountain. The safety-related work practices under paragraphs 1910.331 through 1910.335 are predicated on compliance with the aforementioned electrical installation requirements. Electrically driven or controlled irrigation machines -. One of the most common questions people have when setting standards in a facility for electrical panel clearance requirements is what OSHA says. If switches, cutouts, or other equipment operating at 600 volts, nominal, or less, are installed in a room or enclosure where there are exposed live parts or exposed wiring operating at over 600 volts, nominal, the high-voltage equipment shall be effectively separated from the space occupied by the low-voltage equipment by a suitable partition, fence, or screen. A box or fitting shall be installed at each connection point, outlet, switch point, or junction point. In addition to the dimensions shown in Table K-1, workspace shall not be less than 30 inches (762 mm) wide in front of the electric equipment. This means once you understand the NEC panel clearance requirements, you will also know those that OSHA puts forth. Electrical Safety Orders. Employers may only use portable distribution and termination boxes that meet the following requirements: Occupational Safety & Health Administration. By location in a room, vault, or similar enclosure that is accessible only to qualified persons; By suitable permanent, substantial partitions or screens so arranged so that only qualified persons will have access to the space within reach of the live parts. Insulated wire or insulated busbars operating at not over 300 volts are not considered live parts. Receptacles that are located within 4.57 m (15 ft), or 6.08 m (20 ft) if the installation was built after August 13, 2007, of the inside walls of the pool shall be protected by ground-fault circuit interrupters. This fault shall be assumed to be either between two or more of the circuit conductors, or between any circuit conductor and the grounding conductor or enclosing metal raceway. The workspace shall be adequate to permit at least a 90-degree opening of doors or hinged panels. Electrical equipment which depends upon the natural circulation of air and convection principles for cooling of exposed surfaces shall be installed so that room air flow over such surfaces is not prevented by walls or by adjacent installed equipment. If anything is found in a spot that is too close to the panel, the items can be moved right away. Where rear access is required to work on deenergized parts on the back of enclosed equipment, a minimum working space of 762 mm (30 in.) Electric equipment and wiring methods in or on rides, concessions, or other units shall be provided with mechanical protection where such equipment or wiring methods are subject to physical damage. Voltage testing should follow lock out/tag out. Integrated electrical systems covered by 1910.308(g) need not have the disconnecting means required by paragraph (e)(1) of this section. It is also easy to verify. The area must not only remain completely clear of items at all times, but it also needs to be accessible. Where the driving machine or the motor-generator set is located in a remote machinery space, a single means for disconnecting all ungrounded main power supply conductors shall be provided and be capable of being locked in the open position. The portion of an overhead crane or hoist that contacts an energized electrolytic cell or energized attachments shall be insulated from ground. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a part of the U.S. Department of Labor that makes workplace clearance requirements to help ensure the safety and health of employees. Soldered splices shall first be so spliced or joined as to be mechanically and electrically secure without solder and then soldered. Insulated wire or insulated busbars operating at not over 300 volts are not considered live parts. The disconnecting means shall be a switch or circuit breaker, and its rating may not be less than that necessary to accommodate overcurrent protection. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Outreach Training Program (10- and 30-hour Cards), OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, Severe Storm and Flood Recovery Assistance. 61, which is incorporated by reference as specified in Sec. On a regular basis, they should go out and inspect the areas around them to make sure nothing has been placed where it should not go. This could be literally hundreds of machines. Services shall be installed in accordance with applicable requirements of this subpart, and, in addition, shall comply with the following: Service equipment may not be installed in a location that is accessible to unqualified persons, unless the equipment is lockable; and. Although there were no documented injuries to warrant this change, it's obvious that this requirement should enhance safety. No provision may be made to open or close this disconnecting means from any other part of the premises. The 480 volt load circuits are deenergized, but the 110 volt control circuits must remain energized for the following reasons: Working space for equipment likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized shall comply with the following dimensions, except as required or permitted elsewhere in this subpart: The depth of the working space in the direction of access to live parts may not be less than indicated in Table S-1. On wheelchair lifts and stairway chair lifts, the disconnecting means shall be located within sight of the motor controller. Mr. John C. (Jack) Schuldt, Sr. Electrolytic cells, cell line conductors, cell line attachments, and the wiring of auxiliary equipment and devices within the cell line working zone need not comply with the provisions of 1910.303 or 1910.304(b) and (c). Receptacles and their mating plugs for ungrounded equipment may not have provision for a grounding conductor and shall be of a configuration that prevents their use for equipment required to be grounded. OSHA's electrical standards are designed to protect employees exposed to dangers such as electric shock, electrocution, fires, and explosions. Additional lighting fixtures are not required where the working space is illuminated by an adjacent light source. Terms You Should Know: Working space: The front clearance, side clearance, and height clearance requirements for electrical equipment that provide a safe area for maintenance, inspections, and other work. A good start is to make sure that you have a written policy that everyone in the facility is aware of that makes it clear that inventory and other items may not be placed around any electrical panel. Where bare energized parts at any voltage or insulated energized parts above 600 volts are located adjacent to such entrance, they shall be guarded. They are respected around the world and many countries follow their recommendations when creating their own rules and regulations. Terminals for more than one conductor and terminals used to connect aluminum shall be so identified. Another safety focused agency is the National Fire Protection Association, or NFPA. Electrical installations in a vault, room, closet or in an area surrounded by a wall, screen, or fence, access to which is controlled by lock and key or other equivalent means, are considered to be accessible to qualified persons only. 508 Carpenter Road Pan This is in response to your April 30, 1995 letter requesting interpretation of the electrical standard, 29 CFR Subpart S. Your letter, which was addressed to Mr. Joseph Pipkin, who is Director of the Office of Electrical, Electronics and Mechanical Engineering Safety Standards in the Directorate of Safety Standards Programs of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was forwarded to the Directorate of Compliance Programs for response. A simple way to meet electrical panel clearance requirements is to use floor markings. A disconnecting means shall be provided between the runway contact conductors and the power supply. Circuits supplying power to ungrounded receptacles for hand-held, cord- and plug-connected equipment shall meet the following requirements: The circuits shall be electrically isolated from any distribution system supplying areas other than the cell line working zone and shall be ungrounded; The circuits shall be supplied through isolating transformers with primaries operating at not more than 600 volts between conductors and protected with proper overcurrent protection; The secondary voltage of the isolating transformers may not exceed 300 volts between conductors; and. This would permit the motor disconnect to be located above 6'7" Chris Dennis Alwon Moderator Staff member Location Chapel Hill, NC Occupation Retired Electrical Contractor Flexible cords used with the following equipment may not exceed 0.9 m (3 ft) in length and shall have a copper equipment grounding conductor with a grounding-type attachment plug: Fountains. This is why OSHA has put a requirement that all electrical panels have a minimum of three feet (36 inches) of room from the front of the panel to the nearest obstacle . Control. The depth shall be as required in Table K-2. Where circuit breakers or fuses are applied in compliance with the series combination ratings marked on the equipment by the manufacturer, the equipment enclosures shall be legibly marked in the field to indicate that the equipment has been applied with a series combination rating. Group 1. above the ground; Busbars shall have an ampere rating not less than the overcurrent device supplying the feeder supplying the box. Entrances to rooms and other guarded locations containing exposed live parts shall be marked with conspicuous warning signs forbidding unqualified persons to enter. The minimum elevation may be 2.4 m (8.0 ft) for installations built before April 16, 1981, if the nominal voltage between phases is in the range of 601-6600 volts. The working width around the panel must be at least 30 inches. Sources that provide helpful information about electrical in the workplace. For example, a switchboard is located next to a disconnect (safety) switch. OSHA 1910.145(f)(4)(ii): "Signal word must be readable from a distance of 5 feet (1.52m)." OSHA 1910.303(e): "Electrical equipment may not be used unless the following markings have been placed on the equipment. The control for these disconnecting means shall be grouped and identified and shall be readily accessible at the principal exit doors. Grouping. All splices and joints and the free ends of conductors shall be covered with an insulation equivalent to that of the conductors or with an insulating device designed for the purpose. If sprinklers are installed in hoistways, machine rooms, or machinery spaces, the disconnecting means may automatically open the power supply to the affected elevators prior to the application of water. If there is anything that would prevent this or make it more dangerous, the chances are that you are in violation of the regulations and could get cited for it during an inspection. A wall, screen, or fence less than 8 feet (2.44 m) in height is not considered adequate to prevent access unless it has other features that provide a degree of isolation equivalent to an 8-foot (2.44-m) fence. The markings required by paragraphs (f)(1) and (f)(2) of this section shall be of sufficient durability to withstand the environment involved. However, working space is not required in back of equipment such as deadfront switchboards or control assemblies where there are no renewable or adjustable parts (such as fuses or switches) on the back and where all connections are accessible from locations other than the back. Standard Number: 1910.179 OSHA requirements are set by statute, standards and regulations. Except as required or permitted elsewhere in this subpart, live parts of electric equipment operating at 50 volts or more shall be guarded against accidental contact by cabinets or other forms of enclosures, or by any of the following means: By location in a room, vault, or similar enclosure that is accessible only to qualified persons. This means that you cannot leave an area around the electrical panel that is clear, but have access to the area blocked off by stacks of boxes or other items. When it is necessary to perform work on energized equipment, OSHA 1910.333 (a) (2) requires safety-related work practices to be used and NFPA 70E Article 110.8 (B) (1) requires an Electrical Hazard Analysis before work is performed on live equipment operating at 50 volts and higher. Radiographic and fluoroscopic-type equipment shall be effectively enclosed or shall have interlocks that deenergize the equipment automatically to prevent ready access to live current-carrying parts. Motor controllers may be located outside the spaces otherwise required by paragraph (c) of this section, provided they are in enclosures with doors or removable panels capable of being locked closed and the disconnecting means is located adjacent to or is an integral part of the motor controller. Enclosure, Occupational Safety & Health Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Outreach Training Program (10- and 30-hour Cards), OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, Severe Storm and Flood Recovery Assistance. Electric equipment that depends on the natural circulation of air and convection principles for cooling of exposed surfaces shall be installed so that room airflow over such surfaces is not prevented by walls or by adjacent installed equipment. When installing or updating an electrical panel, it is important to make sure that there is plenty of room around the panel for the electrician to safely work. Detachable panels not normally used for access to such parts shall be fastened in a manner that will make them difficult to remove (for example, by requiring the use of tools). 1. On escalators and moving walks, the disconnecting means shall be installed in the space where the controller is located. All electric equipment, including power supply cords, operating at more than 15 volts and used with fountains shall be protected by ground-fault circuit interrupters. Outdoor electric equipment shall be installed in suitable enclosures and shall be protected from accidental contact by unauthorized personnel, or by vehicular traffic, or by accidental spillage or leakage from piping systems. Wooden plugs driven into holes in masonry, concrete, plaster, or similar materials shall not be used. Note that our enforcement guidance may be affected by changes to OSHA rules. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Outreach Training Program (10- and 30-hour Cards), OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, Severe Storm and Flood Recovery Assistance. Examination. Flexible cords and cables run on the ground, where accessible to the public, shall be covered with approved nonconductive mats. If we can be of further assistance, please contact the Office of General Industry [at (202) 693-1850]. July 26, 2004 Fire exit routes cannot be obstructed [29 CFR 1910.37 (a) (3)] and they cannot become more narrow at any point. No marks or blemishes on wheel faces. All splices and joints and the free ends of conductors shall be covered with an insulation equivalent to that of the conductors or with an insulating device identified for the purpose. Where rear access is required to work on de-energized parts on the back of enclosed equipment, a minimum working space of 30 inches (762 mm) horizontally shall be provided. 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osha electrical disconnect clearance requirements