Extension Cords

[jmd445]

In a lab area at work there is equipment, robotics and control cabinets, not fastened in place that are powered via extension cords. This area failed an internal audit due to the extension cords. It was stated that the extension cords were not allowed in excess of 90 days and this OSHA standard was cited 1910.305(a)(2)(i)(B).

Are extension cords classified as temporary wiring?

Jim

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Are extension cords classified as temporary wiring?

Jim

Extension cords were never intended to be in place of permanent wiring.

Art. 400.8 of the nec

400.8 Uses Not Permitted.
Unless specifically permitted in 400.7, flexible cords and cables shall not be used for the following:
(1) As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure
(2) Where run through holes in walls, structural ceilings, suspended ceilings, dropped ceilings, or floors
(3) Where run through doorways, windows, or similar openings
(4) Where attached to building surfaces
Exception to (4): Flexible cord and cable shall be permitted to be attached to building surfaces in accordance with the provisions of 368.56(B)
(5) Where concealed by walls, floors, or ceilings or located above suspended or dropped ceilings
(6) Where installed in raceways, except as otherwise permitted in this Code
(7) Where subject to physical damage

 

[M. D.]

I agree with Dennis yet again

As an example ,..sheesh,... you think they would know better

The state of Ohio has issued seven citations to Cleveland State University (CSU) for unsafe electrical conditions in the lab where associate professor Tarun Mal died last August after plugging in a defective fluorescent light through a two-prong adapter plug that left the lamp ungrounded. Experts say that the conditions that led to Mal?s death were indeed unsafe, and some believe those problems are not uncommon at other American universities, suggesting other lab workers may also be at risk.......

....Peter Bochnak of MIT, for instance, said ?using extension cords in lieu of permanent wiring? is the most common problem he sees. Labs are often home to broken off ground plugs, experts noted, and these common safety lapses can put lab workers at significant risk.

http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23216/