Receptacle panels in common area. Should they be locked all of the time?

[vcrancher]

I am working as a consultant at a manufacturing plant in CA. The facility has 208V receptacle panels in hallways and areas accessible by anyone in the company (500 people).

The Maintenance Manager took a OSHA class years ago that stated the panels should be kept locked unless they are located in a room with controlled access - Mechanical or Electrical room for instance.

I agree with this practice, but have been asked for a code requirement to back it up. Others question the need for this and prefer to have them unlocked for convenience.

NFPA 70E section 130.6.M states that "After a circuit has been de-energized by the automatic operation of a circuit protective device, the circuit shall not be manually re-energized until it has been determined that the equipment and circuit can be safely energized".

I can interpret that to mean only Qualified Persons can make this determination and therefore all others should not be allowed access to the protective device.

There is a company Electrical Safety Program in place, but there is no mention of access to breakers.

There are also 480V Distribution Panels in common areas that are not lockable - the breakers are mounted on the front with no door to lock. If the 208V panels need to be locked, what about those?

I appreciate your feedback and expertise.

 

[kentirwin]

There is no actual regulatory requirement that circuit breaker panels be locked. In fact there are cb panels that don't even have doors. While I consider it a best practice to keep unqualified people from possibly resetting tripped breakers or anything else in a panel, there is no actual requirement to lock cb panels.