Does NFPA 70E apply to office environment

[phankins]

We have been in the process of implementing NFPA 70E requirements (arc flash calcs, PPE, establishing qualifications) at all of our industrial settings within our plant. We are a Government contractor and per the contract we must abide by NFPA 70E. About 3 miles away, we have office buildings for administrative personnel. There are no electrically qualified people there. So, when a breaker trips in an office, who can reset it and do they have to wear the PPE required by the table for Category 0? Management says 70E does not apply, but the Safety committee says it does. I am caught in the middle and want to do what is right since they've put the ball in my court. How are other establishments handling this, and where is it in writing?

 

[petersonra]

This is why people go insane. resetting a tripped breaker on a common panel is something done thousands of times every day perfectly safely.

Are there any documented cases of people being injured doing this (I am talking basic 120V panel boards here)?

I suspect there is more risk involved in plugging something into an outlet then resetting a Cb under such circumstances.

If you are going to restrict who can reset the CB when someone plugs in too many heaters, are you going to require a work permit to plug in the heater in the first place?

 

[tom baker]

One of my coworkers reset a tripped CB and a big ball of fire came out. It had water in the CB, (200 ampere 120/240).
Keep in mind a CB is a protective device. They should not trip, however the common practice is to reset, but it did trip for a reason. Often in offices there are space heaters overloading the circuits.
I don't have an answer for you, sorry.

 

[bphgravity]

I've question this very issue in other commercial type occupancies. I know of several restaurants that utilize the circuit breakers to switch on and off loads at the beginning and end of the work day. Some of these panels are in real bad condition.

 

[dlhoule]

I have heard through the grape vine that one of the Panel Board Manufacturers is in process of designing one that will contain the arc flash on panels up to 200 A. I don't know if this is true or not, but if it is; it solves the problem. I know of no provision stating that PPE must be used to turn a breaker or disconnect on or off. It is not good practice to reset a breaker or replace a fuse without knowing the cause of fault or overload.

 

[MJJBEE]

Are there any documented cases of people being injured doing this (I am talking basic 120V panel boards here)?

The answer to this question is no. In fact when the IEEE did it's testing for the 1584 it said that below 100 KVA 120/240 V there is no arc flash hazard.

 

[ron]

This link may help.
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=24009&p_text_version=FALSE

 

[realolman]

Question 1: May unqualified personnel reset a circuit breaker or replace fuses without having a qualified person investigate why the breaker tripped or the fuse blew?

Note: When it can be determined from the design of the circuit and the over current devices involved that the automatic operation of a device was caused by an overload rather than a fault condition, no examination of the circuit or connected equipment is needed before the circuit is reenergized.

If they can determine that accurately, with out an examination of the circuit or connected equipment I'd say they were exceptionally qualified electricians.

 

[dlhoule]

If they can determine that accurately, with out an examination of the circuit or connected equipment I'd say they were exceptionally qualified electricians.

If they are that good, I want to hire them! :roll: