There was lumber leaning on front of the electrical panel tonight. It is my understanding that an area 36" in front with a width of 30" should be kept free of obstructions. However I might be mistaken. Can somebody confirm this? Should we tape off the necessary area around each electrical panel as a reminder?
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30" sounds right but not sure on the official code. I think tape on the floor is a good idea.
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Would painting that line be a better solution?
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Yeah, I noticed a similar issue in Ceramics but forgot to mention it. A marked keep-out zone would probably be good.
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I figure tape is easier to apply so maybe more likely to get done. If somebody wants to paint the area I see no problem with that either
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There’s also signs like these Yellow Electrical Panel 36" Clearance Sign - 6 Sizes (or if someone feels ambitious, could probably vinyl cut something similar)
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Can we make a stencil for diagonal stripes that can be used to clearly mark zones like this with yellow painted stripes maybe?
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Sounds like a perfect job for some of that cheap Masonite we get and one of the laser cutters!
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Code requires 3’ clear space in front of electrical panels and the same width as the panel (or 30"–whichever is wider).
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Actually it depends on the Voltage: From NEC:
![2020_07_wagesfig4|666x500]
(upload://pRuVFxRrEKW2hI6vrmIJAkyS4jB.jpeg)
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Nice graphics. That helps a lot. Do we have anything more than 120v to ground in the building? Even if the panel is 208 to 240 volts, that’s still 120 V to ground. Some commercial buildings have 480 volts power also. I just don’t know what the new building has available.
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The boiler / seed starting room appears to have “no storage permitted” painted on the floor in front of its panels and a line for an exclusion area. So whatever gets decided for the wood shop might be good to do elsewhere.
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That is the correct interpretation of Sedgwick County Code
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I don’t know what happened to Steven Colbert’s glasses or where he got that snazzy jumpsuit, but keep him away from those electrical panels!
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This has been an issue again lately. Tonight I moved benches and a trash can from in front of the panel in the wood shop. Don’t put stuff here!
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I have seen some places that had these areas marked with diagonal strips of yellow tape. They also make warning signs.
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My understanding is that facilities is going to paint big red or yellow or other bright color squares on the floor but it hasn’t happened yet.
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that is correct.
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Thanks! That’s great. If facilities has purchased paint for this (I keep hearing they are going to) I would like to go ahead and take care of the area in the woodshop at my next “roundtable around the rectangle table”. Otherwise, maybe I just need to ask the board for funds to buy the paint and do it.
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