Working Spaces around Panels

[muhandas]

Consider two electrical panels mounted catty-corner (that is, at 90 degrees in a corner) in an electrical room such that the 3-foot required clearance space of one is at right angles with and crosses the 3-foot clearance space of the other.
Since I am only looking at plans I can't tell in which direction the two doors open, so please consider two conditions. 1) When one of the panel doors is open it blocks the other one from being opened, or 2) when both panel doors are open the clearance spaces of both panels intersect.
Do either one of these conditions conflict with 110.26?
Look forward to your opinions,
Heinz R.

 

[iwire]

If I understand your description correctly my answer is both ways are code compliant.

 

[buck33k]

Just my opinion, I would say no conflict considering a door to a room opening in front of a panel is not a problem.

 

[charlie b]

I agree with the others, in that I believe Item 1 is not a violation.

Item 2 makes no sense to me. The space that must be reserved for working clearance does not depend on whether or not the door is open. It also does not depend on which way the door opens. Working clearance is all about having nothing but air between energized metal parts and your own body (including whatever PPE you might happen to be wearing). That tells me that the panel cover, including the door, is now lying on the floor somewhere else in the room.

One other issue I might mention is that each of the two panels has to be far enough from the corner that the space in front of any one panel is not blocked by the presence of the other panel. For example, if each panel sticks out 6 inches from the wall, then each panel must be at least 6 inches from the corner.

 

[muhandas]

Tx. for all your help.
Charles, the panels are indeed spaced sufficiently away from the corner so as not to interfere with one another.
Tx. again.
Heinz R.

 

[allenwayne]

As long as both panel doors can open 90 deg. and nothing encroaches in the working clearance from either side to 30 ins. extending sideways to the opposing side nothing is in violation.

Many people have the misconception that the 30 in space must be mauntained on both sides of a panel.It can be left to right,right to left or centered on the panel.

 

[charlie b]

When people see the 110.26 phrase ?likely to require,? in relation to working around live parts, it can stir up a variety of interpretations. One might be, ?Well I am never going to work on live equipment, so I would say live work is not likely.? I suspect that most AHJs would reject that reasoning. So the AHJ is going to want to see clear space in front of any 120 volt panel that you install.

But I think most AHJs would accept the notion that it is unlikely that two or more adjacent panels will be worked live at the same time. That is why I have no qualms about designing an electric room with the working clearance of one panel overlapping that of another panel.

I may be wrong about this, but I think the notion of ?Condition 3,? that of having live parts on both sides of the working space, does not presume that two people will be working at the same time, with one person working each of the two opposing panels. Rather, the concept is to give one person, working on one panel, a little more room, so as to prevent coming into accidental contact with the live parts located to the rear.

 

[allenwayne]

I`ve installed countless #`s of side by side flush and surface mounted panels over the years,one inspector questioned the install when panel A was against a wall and panel B was to the right.He opened the door of panel B and tried to say that panel A didn`t have working clearance.I reached over and closed panel B`s door and said now it does. Same as a panel behind a door swing it`s permitted.