Electrical room used as office!!!!

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chevyx92

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VA BCH, VA
Looking for codes to help justify to a state run facility why they can't use an electrical room(room has multiple transformers and panels)as an office and have an employee working in there on a daily basis. So far I have come up with these codes from the 2017 NEC.

110.26(A)(4) Limited Access
Table 110.26(A)(1) Working Space
110.26(B) Clear Spaces
110.26(E) Dedicated Equipment Space


Can you think of any others?
 
infinity

infinity

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Does anything within the room occupy the required working space or impede ones ability to have unobstructed egress?
 
kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
chevyx92 said:
Looking for codes to help justify to a state run facility why they can't use an electrical room(room has multiple transformers and panels)as an office and have an employee working in there on a daily basis. So far I have come up with these codes from the 2017 NEC.

110.26(A)(4) Limited Access
Table 110.26(A)(1) Working Space
110.26(B) Clear Spaces
110.26(E) Dedicated Equipment Space


Can you think of any others?
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I think it can be possible to meet all those requirements and still have an office in the "electrical room" and be compliant with NEC.

Did a search in 2014 E book version for "electrical room" and only came up with one hit in art 728.5. "Electrical room" isn't an NEC defined term.
 
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chevyx92

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VA BCH, VA
infinity said:
Does anything within the room occupy the required working space or impede ones ability to have unobstructed egress?
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Yes. The desk and chairs for one. And then all the boxes stacked up on and in front of transformers.

I would say based on 110.26(A)(4) alone that they are in violation because the space is required to have limited access. Employees walking in and out of that room on a daily basis is not a space with limited access in my opinion.
 
infinity

infinity

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chevyx92 said:
Yes. The desk and chairs for one. And then all the boxes stacked up on and in front of transformers.

I would say based on 110.26(A)(4) alone that they are in violation because the space is required to have limited access. Employees walking in and out of that room on a daily basis is not a space with limited access in my opinion.
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That section is new to the 2017 NEC. It's unclear to me if that actually limits who may enter the room.

110.26(A)(4) Limited Access. Where equipment operating at 1000 volts,nominal, or less to ground and likely to require examination,
adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized is
required by installation instructions or function to be located
in a space with limited access, all of the following shall apply:
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kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
chevyx92 said:
Yes. The desk and chairs for one. And then all the boxes stacked up on and in front of transformers.

I would say based on 110.26(A)(4) alone that they are in violation because the space is required to have limited access. Employees walking in and out of that room on a daily basis is not a space with limited access in my opinion.
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Don't have ready access to my 2017, is that new? 2014 doesn't have an (A)(4).

Don't see anything in the rest of 110.26 that would limit access to such spaces. If they did put in such wording one would about need a locked room even in a single family dwelling if there is electrical equipment in the room, which with very strict interpretation is any room with an electrical outlet.
 
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MAC702

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Location
Clark County, NV
110.16(A)(4) doesn't require it. It talks about what to do if it is otherwise required.

Might be, might not be, but that particular section doesn't answer that question.

But 110.26(A)(4) was mentioned first. My book isn't here. Which one are we talking about?
 
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chevyx92

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VA BCH, VA
kwired said:
Don't have ready access to my 2017, is that new? 2014 doesn't have an (A)(4).

Don't see anything in the rest of 110.26 that would limit access to such spaces. If they did put in such wording one would about need a locked room even in a single family dwelling if there is electrical equipment in the room, which with very strict interpretation is any room with an electrical outlet.
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Yes it's a new code in the 2017.
 
infinity

infinity

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MAC702 said:
110.16(A)(4) doesn't require it. It talks about what to do if it is otherwise required.

Might be, might not be, but that particular section doesn't answer that question.

But 110.26(A)(4) was mentioned first. My book isn't here. Which one are we talking about?
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Yes it .26 not .16. I fixed the error in my previous post.
 
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Carultch

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
kwired said:
It won't be NEC that he uses to reject the office in there. Well maybe if there isn't clearances required by 110.26, but no general NEC rule prohibiting office in an "electrical room"
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110.26 does not require that the entire room not be used for storage or other non-electrical applications, just that the work space and egress path cannot be used for storage.

But good luck getting anyone other than the electrical folks to understand. Nature abhores a vacuum. One sees a 48"x42" spot on the floor, spraypainted to designate it is for electrical workspace, and it looks like the perfect spot to put a pallet.
 
kwired

kwired

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Location
NE Nebraska
Carultch said:
110.26 does not require that the entire room not be used for storage or other non-electrical applications, just that the work space and egress path cannot be used for storage.

But good luck getting anyone other than the electrical folks to understand. Nature abhores a vacuum. One sees a 48"x42" spot on the floor, spraypainted to designate it is for electrical workspace, and it looks like the perfect spot to put a pallet.
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I agree.

Entire room idea is absurd, have had many shops/warehouse type buildings that are essentially a one room building, and if you put the panel inside that makes the entire building unusable if that were the rule.

110.26 is titled "spaces about electrical equipment", at least in 2014, and not "rooms containing electrical equipment".
 
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chevyx92

Senior Member
Location
VA BCH, VA
Possibly found another section. 110.26(F) Locked Electrical Equipment Rooms Or Enclosures.

Electrical equipment rooms or enclosures housing electrical apparatus that are controlled by a lock(s) shall be considered accessible to qualified persons.


Definition of a Quailifed Person:
One who has skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of the electrical equipment and installations and has received safety training to recognize and avoid the hazards involved.


So the electrical room in question is locked and has a placard designating it as an electrical room. Meaning it accessible to qualified persons.


The employee is not a qualified person so IMO should not be allowed in there on a daily basis using that room for an office.
 
tw1156

tw1156

Senior Member
Location
Texas
Depending on your locally adopted codes, one big item is energy code versus NEC regarding lighting of the space. IECC 2015 requires occupancy/vacancy sensors in areas designated as offices. In the NEC 2017, 110.26(D) specifically notes... "control by automatic means only shall not be permitted". I'm sure you could get an exception for this, but this is also a conflict, unless you are on older code cycles.
 
ActionDave

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chevyx92 said:
...So the electrical room in question is locked and has a placard designating it as an electrical room. Meaning it accessible to qualified persons.


The employee is not a qualified person so IMO should not be allowed in there on a daily basis using that room for an office.
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That's not what that section is saying at all. There is no rule or reason to force non electricians out of electrical rooms.
 
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