Entrance to Working Space

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lile001

lile001

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Midwest
Article 110.26 (C) (2) requires two entrances for large electrical equiopment. The intent here is quite clear, to give the poor electician two ways to run if there is a fire.

The exception (2) a, however, is not so clear. It allows only one entrance if there is a "continuous and unobstructed exit". Exactly what does that mean? Is a door an "obstruction"?

I have a situation where there is an electrical room that is 16 feet long and 7 feet wide. It contains a switchboard that is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide, and has a door near one end of the room. The required three foot dedicated space at the front and 24" dedicated space at either end of the switchboard is met.

The door opens into a wide egress hallway, not far from the egress door for the whole building. One could argue that this entrance is "continuous and unobstructed" because it opens into an egress hallway, not into some dark mechanical room with curbs and steps and more doors. I am trying to determine if this installation meets the intent of 110.26(C) or not. :confused:
 
Re: Entrance to Working Space

What you have would require 2 doors in all areas where we submit plans. We have used this exception only where there's a set of double doors directly opposite the board.
 
Re: Entrance to Working Space

If you have a path to the door, that is enough. The nature of the door (single versus double) is not relevant, so long as it opens outwards and has the right hardware. What is on the other side of the door is also not relevant. I don?t think that second statement is a good thing, and would not want to have someone try to escape into an adjoining room that has no exit to the outside world. But that is how I remember the code.

But as to ?unobstructed,? I think it means two things. First, you can?t have a floor-mounted transformer (or any other component) between the required working space and the room?s single door. If you would have to walk around a component, that would be an obstruction. Secondly, and this is just my opinion, the panel cover that you open (i.e., in order to work inside the panel) cannot open in the direction that would cause the cover to be between you and the room?s single door. In other words, if you are standing in front of the panel, and the escape path out of the room is a doorway to your left, and if the panel cover has hinges on its left side, so that when you open the cover it swings to you left and blocks your view of (and your path to) the outside door, then you have an obstruction.
 
Re: Entrance to Working Space

Unobstructed pertains to the available working space . Instead of 3' working space in front you had 6' the additional 3' of space is considered unobstructed by not being dedicated as work space only for eggress.
 
Re: Entrance to Working Space

Originally posted by soly:. . . space is considered unobstructed by not being dedicated as work space only for eggress.
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I didn?t quite understand this part of your post. Could you please say it again in different words?

Please bear in mind that there are two separate concepts in the exceptions. One has to do with doubling the working space in front of the equipment. The other has to do with having an unobstructed path to the door.
 
Re: Entrance to Working Space

Right the second allows twice the working distance as long as the door is not located in the required working distance area. but the first exception accepts a clear path with out a dead end, like if the equipment is surrounded by the required working distance front back and sides .I have a situation with the same problem
and it looks like two doors is the only alternative for us. :D
 
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