4000 Amp 480V Switch-Gear

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craiggajewski

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I am a Site Electrician for a Facility In Massachusetts. We are in the process of finishing up construction of another building on campus. The Switch-Gear to support this building is a 4000Amp 480Volt. The gear is located in a large room against an exterior wall with 3 exit/entrance to the room. There is also a Crane System that runs off of a permanent I-Beam. I was just informed that our Shipping Dept will be working out of this room. There will be a desk as well as 3-4 work benches Pallet Jacks etc.... There also will be 4-5 Shipping employees working in there as well. My question is by code does the Switch-Gear need to be in a separate locked room with two egresses out? You can email me any information

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charlie b

charlie b

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Location
Lockport, IL
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
There is no requirement for the gear to be in a room by itself. You can set up an office, a kitchen, a High-Def TV, a large couch, and a ping-pong table in the room, if you like. The only requirement is that you maintain the clearances provided in 110.26. This includes, since you are dealing with "large equipment," two entrances to the working space. As long as the shipping department does not block the two entrances, there is no rule against their being in the room.

That said, however, once a group of people start setting up an office in a room, any room, it starts to get hard to keep them from moving "stuff" into areas that are not allowed to have "stuff" stored in them. In my view, if a desk is placed within the working clearance of a panel or gear, then that is a both a code violation and a safety concern, despite the fact that the desk could be easily moved, when an electrician needs to work on the equipment. So be firm as to the rules. Paint stripes and blocked-out areas on the floor, and let nobody set so much as a fed-ex package in those areas.
 
W

wireguru

Senior Member
just show them a video of an arc flash explosion coming out of some similar switchgear, and maybe you will get your electrical room back........

sidenote, i understand a room with a few panelboards and a transformer being used for other purposes, but 4000a 480v switchgear? what ever happened to 'electrical room authorized personnel only' ?
 
480sparky

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
charlie b said:

I knew I had read that "ping pong" thing somewhere before. :roll: :D
Click to expand...

But Ping Pong? Geez, charlie, that's so...... 70's!

Get something a little more modern: :D


Power_Toosball2.jpg
 
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