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NEW NEC 2023 Code Section 110.26(A)(6): Grade, Floor, or Working Platform Added

jar546

jar546

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I've encountered situations in the past where there was no violation, but under these changes, there certainly will be.

The 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) has introduced important changes, specifically in Section 110.26(A)(6), which outlines new requirements for maintaining working spaces around electrical equipment. These changes emphasize the importance of safety and accessibility, ensuring that working areas around electrical installations are clear, level, and hazard-free.

Code Breakdown: Section 110.26(A)(6)​

Code Text: "The grade, floor, or platform in the required working space shall be kept clear, and the floor, grade, or platform in the working space shall be as level and flat as practical for the entire required depth and width of the working space."

Key Requirements:
  1. Clear Working Space: The area designated as the working space around electrical equipment must be kept free from any obstructions. This means that no objects, tools, or equipment should encroach into this space.
  2. Level and Flat Surface: The floor, grade, or platform within the working space must be as level and flat as practical. This is essential for ensuring safety and ease of access to the electrical equipment.

TBCF Enhanced Content​

The enhanced content provides practical scenarios where the new code section might be violated and the potential safety hazards these violations could introduce.

Clear Working Space Violation:
  • Example: A sump pump encroaching into the required width of the working space.
    • Implication: Such an encroachment restricts the necessary clear space required for the safe operation and maintenance of electrical equipment. It could hinder access and create a tripping hazard, thereby increasing the risk of accidents.
Level and Flat Surface Violation:
  • Example: Equipment installed on an uneven grade.
    • Implication: If the ground where the equipment is installed is unlevel, servicing it can be unsafe and difficult. For instance, a generator transfer switch placed on a slope might be too high to reach safely without a ladder. Using a ladder on uneven ground further increases the risk of falls and injuries. This setup fails to provide a stable platform for maintenance activities, endangering the electrician.

Importance of Compliance​

Adhering to Section 110.26(A)(6) is crucial for several reasons:
  1. Safety: Clear, level and flat working spaces reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. Electricians need a stable and unobstructed area to perform their tasks efficiently and safely.
  2. Accessibility: Ensuring that the working space is free from obstructions and level allows for easier access to electrical equipment, facilitating regular maintenance and emergency interventions.
  3. Code Compliance: Failure to comply with the NEC can result in violations, potentially leading to fines, increased liability, and the need for costly rework to meet the code requirements.

Visual Aids​

To better understand these violations, the enhanced content mentions exhibits showing practical examples:
  1. Encroachment Violation: An exhibit displaying a sump pump intruding into the working space.
  2. Uneven Ground Violation: An exhibit showing electrical equipment installed on a sloped grade, highlighting the difficulty in safely servicing the equipment.
These visual aids are instrumental in illustrating the real-world implications of not maintaining clear and level working spaces, as required by the new code.

​

 
What happens with this setup? There is no definition provided for "grade" and there is no floor or platform. I will tell you that I didn't like this at all. I do not recall the exact job, but I most liklely asked them to move the disconnect.

IMG_4725.JPG
 
ICE said:
What happens with this setup?
Click to expand...
Since the 2023 NEC also clarified that A/C disconnects need the 110.26(A) clearance (a change to 440.14), seems like the platform is going to have to get bigger. In the photo shown, the A/C disconnect could be relocated to face the camera and be elevated above the platform, and the space in front of the unit expanded to 30" deep, with a level walkable surface provided.

Cheers, Wayne
 
wwhitney said:
Since the 2023 NEC also clarified that A/C disconnects need the 110.26(A) clearance (a change to 440.14)
Click to expand...
This was long overdue and a welcome clarification. Every code cycle, there were changes submitted to clarify this, and they were always rejected with the reasoning that it was obvious 110.26 applied. The CMP finally realized that if every single code cycle, multiple people kept asking to clarify the same thing, it was a problem.
 
This is going to be horrific for outdoor installs and merely bad for indoor stuff....Hope the electricians are getting their continuing ed.....I mean...it is for their safety....
 
jar546 said:
It is not a code change, just a clarification. I've always applied 110.26 to AC disconnects.
Click to expand...
I know you have....I'm just thing about "level" grade and what that interpretation looks like....The condenser pad sticking into this, the lineset, the sealtite, and all of these existing conditions that will make placement/ replacement a nightmare....And then pile GFCI on top of that...

And lets clarify this...You are strictly talking about the condenser, not the air handler correct?

440.1 Scope.

This article applies to electric motor-driven air-conditioning and refrigerating equipment and to the branch circuits and controllers for such equipment. It provides for the special considerations necessary for circuits supplying hermetic refrigerant motor-compressors and for any air-conditioning or refrigerating equipment that is supplied from a branch circuit that supplies a hermetic refrigerant motor-compressor.
 
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