Breaker lockouts in an industrial plant

[Wgriffin]

My supertentint wants to put a hasp on the MDP panel door to use as a lockout for all breakers in the panel for workers to lockout equipment. I say that each breaker should have its own lockout, due to the fact some emergency may arise with the panel door locked and there would be no access to a breaker to shut it off.
Please email me with your comments or replies and where I can find it in the NEC or OSHA standards.
Thanks

 

[kwired]

That may be acceptable if you are locking off the entire panel. It may be preferred to put the lock on main breaker or feeder breaker however.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

The code rules that require breaker lockouts require that you be able to lock the breaker itself. Locking the door to the panel does not lock out the power source...it only locks the door. Most of the code rule for lockable disconnects have wording similar to that found in the Exception to 430.102(B)(2).

Exception to (1) and (2): The disconnecting means for the motor shall not be required under either condition (a) or condition (b), provided the controller disconnecting means required in accordance with 430.102(A) is individually capable of being locked in the open position. The provision for locking or adding a lock to the controller disconnecting means shall be installed on or at the switch or circuit breaker used as the disconnecting means and shall remain in place with or without the lock installed.​

I don't believe that OSHA would accept the lock on the panel door either, but don't have time now to look that up.​

 

[kwired]

NEC requires locking capability for certain individual branch circuits or disconnecting means within sight of equipment. NEC does not even require a disconnect within sight to be lockable.

LOTO procedures typically do not care what NEC says they just want sources of energy removed before working on equipment, and a way to ensure that is is not inadvertently turned on.

If you were to do a complete rennovation to an area and turning off the feeder to a panel happens to kill power to everything that needs turned off then why wouldn't a lock on the feeder switch or breaker be sufficient, instead of a lock on every breaker in the panel?

 

[pfalcon]

My supertentint wants to put a hasp on the MDP panel door to use as a lockout for all breakers in the panel for workers to lockout equipment. I say that each breaker should have its own lockout, due to the fact some emergency may arise with the panel door locked and there would be no access to a breaker to shut it off.
Please email me with your comments or replies and where I can find it in the NEC or OSHA standards.
Thanks

A quick comment: OSHA (29-CFR) and the NEC (NFPA70) are considered by OSHA to be insufficient for dealing with Industrial Machinery.

Industrial machinery is typically motorized therefore:
430.87 Each machine has its own controller set at the machine serviced by
430.102(A) a disconnecting means that must be "in sight of" the machine
which is typically mounted on the main electrical panel.

By generally acceptable practice (NFPA79:2007:9.2.5.3.1) each machine has an uncontrolled stop mechanism: Usually the disconnect on the main electrical panel which is usually used for LOTO.

Although there is no restriction that keeps you from doing LOTO further upstream at a breaker panel
NFPA70E:2009:120.2(D)(3)(b) requires a fully written up procedure for executing your LOTO. A breaker panel that creates a LOTO point for multiple machines would be deemed to be a "complex" procedure. It also requires that there be a specific person in charge who is held responsible for its safe execution according to the written procedure.