Control Panel away from skid

[FaradayFF]

Greetings,
Is it considered a safe industry practice to locate start/stop pushbutton station, switches and operating controls away from the equipment operated on? For example, controls for an air compressor skid being located not on the skid, but wall mount in close proximity to the skid. That way, operator would not be leaning/standing directly over/in front of the equipment, in case there was a fault or energy release during the equipment startup.
Thanks,
EE

 

[GeorgeB]

My employers built, and I designed, among other things, hydraulic power units. These ranged from fractional horsepower through well over 1000 horsepower. The customer decided whether the controls were on the "skid" or remote based on reasons of their own, but I don't think any control location considered safety. It's not that safety doesn't matter, rather that location was not considered to have any impact on safety.

If a location was either in-and-of-itself unsafe, or if a "skid" failure would be unsafe to the operator, we/they would certainly either modify the design, modify the location, or control remotely.

 

[BillyMac59]

The location of the machine's control devises can be negotiable as to their location. The location of any safety devises/actuators will be determined by a risk assessment. This should start at the design stage.