NFPA 70e Industrial Locations

[tshea]

Was at a seminar the other day. The instructor emphatically stated that any work--replace fuse, connect conductors, in a bus plug--required the bus duct to be shut down.
He also added that if we worked on a fusible disconnect switch, the power ahead of it had to be shut down so there was NO POWER at either the bus plug or disconnect switch.

He could not provide documentation but insisted he was correct.

I don't have a NFPA 70e 2012, but I do have the 2004. I don't see anything in that so I'm looking for some guidance.

I'll be purchasing the 2014 NFPA 70e as soon as it is available.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[jim dungar]

Was at a seminar the other day. The instructor emphatically stated that any work--replace fuse, connect conductors, in a bus plug--required the bus duct to be shut down.

NFPA70E does not define 'work'. Many companies do write their Electrical Safe Work Practices in a manner that does consider the tasks you listed as requiring the bus duct to be 'shut down'. Yes, this is a big change from previous practices.

Maufacturers of bus way have been advising people to not work (e.g. install switches) on live bus for many decades, however in my experience, many electricians ignore these instructions.

 

[tshea]

Manufacturers of bus way have been advising people to not work (e.g. install switches) on live bus for many decades, however in my experience, many electricians ignore these instructions.

Our shop requires de-energized bus duct to install/remove a bus plug. Several years ago an electrician installed a 200A 480 bus plug at Chrysler in Kenosha and was "blown off" a scissors lift. He died.

There was another incident in Racine at one of the bigger industrial plants. Electrician was burned, fortunately, not seriously as in loss or disfigurement of body parts!

Does 70e require the bus duct to be de-energized to perform a task inside a bus switch (bus plug)? I can side with safety with this practice, but there are no exposed energized parts in the Bus Plug until the switch is "ON"

 

[jim dungar]

Our shop requires de-energized bus duct to install/remove a bus plug. Several years ago an electrician installed a 200A 480 bus plug at Chrysler in Kenosha and was "blown off" a scissors lift. He died.

There was another incident in Racine at one of the bigger industrial plants. Electrician was burned, fortunately, not seriously as in loss or disfigurement of body parts!

Does 70e require the bus duct to be de-energized to perform a task inside a bus switch (bus plug)? I can side with safety with this practice, but there are no exposed energized parts in the Bus Plug until the switch is "ON"

Those incidents are partly why the Arc Flash Studies business has been big in Wisconsin for almost a decade, while other parts of the country have not embraced them as much.

NFPA70E is purposely written without the specifics you are looking for. Each company must create their own defendable practices.
Exposed parts has to do with Shock rated PPE, while 'interaction in a manner that would cause an arc' has to do with Arc Flash boundaries and PPE.

 

[zog]

Our shop requires de-energized bus duct to install/remove a bus plug. Several years ago an electrician installed a 200A 480 bus plug at Chrysler in Kenosha and was "blown off" a scissors lift. He died.

Used to do a lot of work there, was he a plant guy or a contractor? I was involved in the development of Chryslers ESWP's and I know installing bus plugs live was specifically not allowed per thier procedures.