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NEC 110.26 Violation?

jar546

jar546

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The box on the upper left is for the kitchen hood system and includes the ANSUL bottle and the controls for the electrical. It is directly across from the hood and there is about 24" between the face of the controller box and the hood itself. The system is 120vac, which includes both fan motors.
Would this be a violation of NEC 110.26 a currently shown & described?

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There is a 110.26 violation. It is made worse by the fact that a workman will be on a ladder.
 
A4 may give them an out...Which is a BS section in my opinion, but whatever...Almost every electrical device "requires service or examination while energized"....Just a matter of time before we stop letting receptacles be above counters and cabinets...
 
steveray said:
Almost every electrical device "requires service or examination while energized"
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The breadth of that phrase is entirely a judgement call on the part of the AHJ, and I expect there is significant variation across jurisdictions in how it is interpreted.

Cheers, Wayne
 
wwhitney said:
The breadth of that phrase is entirely a judgement call on the part of the AHJ, and I expect there is significant variation across jurisdictions in how it is interpreted.

Cheers, Wayne
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Wayne, I appreciate your perspective, but I see it a bit differently. When you really delve into the NFPA code-making process, including a careful review of the transcripts and all the comments for and against code changes during panel hearings, you gain a much clearer understanding of the code's meaning and intended purpose. This deeper dive into the process reveals insights into the code that you might miss if you only consider it at face value.
 
110.26 Spaces About Electrical Equipment. Access and working space shall be provided and maintained about all electrical equipment to permit ready and safe operation and maintenance of such equipment.

(A) WorkingSpace. Working space for equipment operating at 1000 volts, nominal, or less to ground and likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized shall comply with the dimensions of 110.26(A)(1), (A) (2), (A)(3), and (A)(4) or as required or permitted elsewhere in this Code.

Informational Note: NFPA 70E-2018, Standard for Electrical Safely in the Workplace, provides guidance, such as determining severity of potential exposure, planning safe work practices including establishing an electrically safe work condition, arc flash labeling, and selecting personal protective equipment.

It is disingenuous to deny a judgement component of 110.26. Likely is a word akin to the word very and should be banned from use in any code. However the inclusion of the word likely opens the door for a judgement to be made. A decision is required to identify that equipment which falls in the category of requiring the application of working space. Now clarify further and decide if the equipment needs to be energized while being examined, adjusted, serviced or maintained.

The informational note suggests that there is a severity of a potential exposure. Obviously there is a chance of an exposure that might be so mild as to not warrant intervention. Determining is making a judgement.

There’s judgement aplenty with 110.26

What I have said so far is one side of the issue. Now the other side.

Name any equipment and wait for a decision. There isn’t a list so it has to be adjudicated one at a time. Look at the NEC definition of equipment:
Equipment. A general term, including fittings, devices, appliances, luminaires, apparatus, machinery, and the like used as a part of, or in connection with, an electrical installation.

That leaves the door open wide And if your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. It is less work to use the hammer.
 
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jar546 said:
When you really delve into the NFPA code-making process, including a careful review of the transcripts and all the comments for and against code changes during panel hearings, you gain a much clearer understanding of the code's meaning and intended purpose. This deeper dive into the process reveals insights into the code that you might miss if you only consider it at face value.
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Perhaps that is true. But as a document to be used by a varied audience, the writers of the NEC should endeavor to say what they mean, and use clear and unambiguous terminology to convey the intent. The user shouldn't need to do a deep dive in order to understand the code language.

Cheers, Wayne
 
"Not exactly relavent.....There is always an upstream disco....."

An upstream disco can be out of sight several rooms away. Without special lockout procedures you couldn't be sure that it's not energized. An external disconnect next to the equipment will assure the electrician that it isn't energized.
 
Paul Sweet said:
"Not exactly relavent.....There is always an upstream disco....."

An upstream disco can be out of sight several rooms away. Without special lockout procedures you couldn't be sure that it's not energized. An external disconnect next to the equipment will assure the electrician that it isn't energized.
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Yes, but when you are troubleshooting and checking voltages, you need a bigger safety margine.
 
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