racked out?

[don_resqcapt19]

What does the term "racked out" mean when applied to breakers? I thought that I knew until I read the electrical forensics article in the October EC&M magazine. The article tells me that a locked out, racked out breaker closed and energized the bus causing serious injury to a worker. I thought that "racked out" meant that the breaker was disconnected from the line and load bus.
Don

 

[jim dungar]

In Wisconsin "racked out" means disconnected from the bus.

 

[zog]

Don,

I read that article and had the same thoughts. You are right, they are wrong. Draw out circuit breakers are required to be locked out in the "disconnect(ed)" position. When properly locked out, this would never have happened, if the motor had control power it was either in the connected or test position, because it energized the load side, safe bet is it was in the connect position.

This guy calls himself a "Forensic expert", he may be that but he obviously is not a MVCB expert. He says the "switch" was "many years old", cant be more than 40 years old with a motor charged, sping operated mech. My bet is that this is an ITE HK breaker from the description.

He later says that "Ground chains" should have been installed, obviously he is not familiar with OSHA/NFPA 70E personel protective grounding requirements either.

I was thinkning about writing a letter to EC&M about this article, IMHO this should have never been published.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Zog,

I was thinkning about writing a letter to EC&M about this article, IMHO this should have never been published.

I sent an e-mail to the author and John DeDad (EC&M editor), but have not gotten a response. Maybe if a few more of us would write them, they could print a retraction.
There have been a number of serious errors in that section of the EC&M magazine lately.
Don