Work Space

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lowryder88h

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Massachusetts
NEC 2005, 110.33 entrance and access to work space. (A) Where the entrance has a personnel door(s), the door(s) shall open in the direction of egress and be equipped w/ panic bars.........etc. Which to me sounds very clear, my problem is w/ (A)(1) (a)(b). is this clouding 110.33(A), or am I missing something. Scenario 4000a 277/480V 3Ph 4W, service in a new high school, electric room has one double door w/ no panic hardware at one end which leads out to the corridor. The second door which is a single door w/ panic hardware egresses to the emergency electric room which has o door at the other end w/out panic hardware which leads to the outside. My question is do they need to supply panic hardware to th double doors in electric room and also at thr single door that egresses from the emergency electric room.:-? :-?
 
IMHO, the doors in the room with the 4000 amp gear require panic hdwe. As to the "other'' door from the em elec room, it sounds like a NO based on the NEC. It's kind of gray.....I would debate this issue with the Arch/Eng depending on the egress path thru the em elec room, and the amperage of the em panel/gear. That part would probably go to the Fire or Bldg AHJ.
John
 
I am not familiar with the term emergency electric room, but I will jump in.

Exits in the electrical room have to have panic hardware and open in the direction of egress. The double doors need to have panic hardware and if the "emergency electrical room" has equipment then my opinion it would need to have panic hardware.
 
You only need those two things (i.e., two exits opening outwards, and panic hardware), when the room has "large equipment" (i.e., 1200 amp rating and overcurrent devices).

But this question has even more room for debate. The rule says that it is the working space, not the room as a whole, that needs two exits. Some may interpret that as meaning that if you draw the required working clearance space on the floor, and if you can step out of that box in two directions, you have met the requirement, even if the room has only one door and it opens inwards. Naturally, I never let the Architects know about this possible interpretation, since I want them to give me two doors. :wink:
 
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