Electrical Rooms

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tobacmon

Member
Location
Norfolk, VA.
O K here it goes--I am new to a facility and upon checking my electrical rooms they are being used for storage.

Can anyone give me the section of code this covers?

As well one is being used for carpenter shop. On the original prints they show this area to be a Carpenters Shop. My interpretation of the code is that any transformers over 112 KVA needs to be in an area not being used for this purpose. A clean room if you will. I have a 150 KVA transformer that is getting quite a bit of saw dust in it and have made many suggestions as to not be using this space as a shop.

On another note I have checked some track lighting areas and noticed one run of track (60 feet) is on one circuit.

If anyone could help me with some reference codes to look over it would be greatly appreciate--Thanks:grin:
 
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KentAT

Senior Member
Location
Northeastern PA
OSHA also has standards regarding work space. For 600V or less, see 1910.303(g)(1) at http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9880

For over 600v, read further in that link.

Being devil's advocate, I can forsee your boss or coworkers as saying that they can use the "rooms" for storage, as long as they maintain the required "access and work space" as specified in the NEC and OSHA. I then picture your rooms as becoming a room with electrical equipment on one side, and storage on the other all the way up to the closeness mentioned in the regs. I'm not sure how I would respond to that scenario.

OSHA 1910.303(g)(1)(ii)

1910.303(g)(1)(ii)
Working space required by this standard may not be used for storage. When normally enclosed live parts are exposed for inspection or servicing, the working space, if in a passageway or general open space, shall be suitably guarded.

OSHA also has a "Standard Interpretation" of this working space standard, and can be found here

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=22744

Although it doesn't exactly spell out the whole room, it does use the terms "access and working space". This too makes me wonder about defending the whole electrical room from use as storage.:cool:
 
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