Shutting off the power

[bob nowinski]

Question,

When the electricians are changing out ballasts in my industrial facility, they do not shut off the power, thus causing them to be subject to shock or worse.

Is there any written guide line that shows a "written proceedure" for the correct maintenance of lamps and ballasts.

410.135 410-130 for two pin is all I found in the NEC.

MOst of these fixtures were installed under previous codes.

tx bob

 

[iwire]

A direct violation of OSHA standards in most cases.

1910.333(a)(1)

"Deenergized parts." Live parts to which an employee may be exposed shall be deenergized before the employee works on or near them, unless the employer can demonstrate that deenergizing introduces additional or increased hazards or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations. Live parts that operate at less than 50 volts to ground need not be deenergized if there will be no increased exposure to electrical burns or to explosion due to electric arcs.

Note 1: Examples of increased or additional hazards include interruption of life support equipment, deactivation of emergency alarm systems, shutdown of hazardous location ventilation equipment, or removal of illumination for an area.

Note 2: Examples of work that may be performed on or near energized circuit parts because of infeasibility due to equipment design or operational limitations include testing of electric circuits that can only be performed with the circuit energized and work on circuits that form an integral part of a continuous industrial process in a chemical plant that would otherwise need to be completely shut down in order to permit work on one circuit or piece of equipment.

Note 3: Work on or near deenergized parts is covered by paragraph (b) of this section.

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9910

 

[zog]

NFPA 70E Article 130.1 Justification for work. Live parts to which an employee might be exposed shall be put into an electrically safe work condition before an employee works on or near them, unless the employer can demonstrate that deenergizing introduces additional or increased hazards or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations.

 

[mcclary's electrical]

While both of the above are good points. This is the exact reason for the code change requiring quick disconnects on all flourescent fixtures. Schedule downtime and install quick disconnects in all your lights and eliminate this problem

 

[RETRAINDAILY]

Question,

When the electricians are changing out ballasts in my industrial facility, they do not shut off the power, thus causing them to be subject to shock or worse.

Is there any written guide line that shows a "written proceedure" for the correct maintenance of lamps and ballasts.

410.135 410-130 for two pin is all I found in the NEC.

MOst of these fixtures were installed under previous codes.

tx bob

IMO YOU as a FACILITY should have a written procedure.
Give it to them and make them sign it.

 

[cschmid]

this is interesting topic as I change out lights and repair them continually and never turn off the circuit..as all the lights have disconnects on them normally..lets see if I can find a picture.. of the hanger and the quick disconnect.

 

[cschmid]

we use connector such as this but am having a brain fart now but here is one type

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/3EU50

anyway having some brain drain tonight but there are many types of luminary disconnects on the market that have been used for over 20 years now which make it so you do not have to take down the whole circuit to change a ballast, bulb or what ever is necessary to repair the fixture. In most industrial facilities you will create a hazard buy shutting off the lighting circuit and in order to do so will require a plant shutdown. that is why the luminaire disconnects where installed and I have never work in a facility that did not have them but there is a first for everything. so I would check out the whole thing before jumping on the working on live circuit issue.

edited to add: I was working on florescent fixtures with disconnects on them many years before it was code..

 

[dutchparson]

Interesting... are they not afraid of shock...