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?
30" sounds right but not sure on the official code. I think tape on the floor is a good idea.
Would painting that line be a better solution?
Yeah, I noticed a similar issue in Ceramics but forgot to mention it. A marked keep-out zone would probably be good.
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
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)
Can we make a stencil for diagonal stripes that can be used to clearly mark zones like this with yellow painted stripes maybe?
Sounds like a perfect job for some of that cheap Masonite we get and one of the laser cutters!
Code requires 3’ clear space in front of electrical panels and the same width as the panel (or 30"–whichever is wider).
Actually it depends on the Voltage: From NEC:
![2020_07_wagesfig4|666x500]
(upload://pRuVFxRrEKW2hI6vrmIJAkyS4jB.jpeg)
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.
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.
That is the correct interpretation of Sedgwick County Code
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!
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!
I have seen some places that had these areas marked with diagonal strips of yellow tape. They also make warning signs.
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.
that is correct.
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.