Pad lock on disconnecting switch

[electric-ed]

2-200 and 2-202 address the protection of persons from accidental contact with live parts.

If a padlock is used to guard against such contact, it should be installed by whoever is responsible for the maintenance of the equipment controlled by the switches, to ensure that it doesn't interfere with the legitimate operation of the switches for the purpose for which they were installed.

I think the problem here is the location of the switches.

Ed

[vithu]

A. Westinghouse manual disconnecting switch with cartridge fuses inside, 3 phase locating side by side with another push button on/off switch box installed outdoor on a wall of a condominium roof top stairway.

B.This roof top exit door has an illuminated EXIT sign and had to be left unlock as this door will lead to a fire escape stairway at the extreme end of the south end of this building.
Explanation: this side of south end roof top is two floors lower than that of the north end roof top where there are Penthouses located on the north end upper floors. Therefore, the south end roof top exit door must be left open for direct footpath to the the south end (roof top) stairway door going to the ground level.

C.This flat roof top of a 150 residential units condo has two large trees and three large pot of tomato possibly grown by a cleaner/caretaker who has to water the plants every week. Children can also go to the roof top area via the EXIT door (which must be left unlocked) and possibly play with this Westinghouse control panel on the roof.

Question: What Cdn electrical code group and number that indicate the manual disconnecting switch to be pad locked to prevent an unauthorized person to open the cover and exposing the cartridge fuses inside? Is a pad lock required since it is considered to be located in a PUBLIC gathering place or assembly?

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 08, 2004 04:25 PM: Message edited by: vk ]</font>

[vithu]

A place called PUBLIC gathering or assembly, class A could be, for example, an area in the vicinity of a sidewalk where an aboveground distribution transformer for power distribution for residential houses on some streets in a subdivision is located. Its cover for the distribution transformer installed in front of some new homes has pad lock installed to prevent unauthorized person (children, for example) to open it.

By the same token, I would like to know if a pad lock is required for the question in the sample I have early raised. That is if the Westinghouse panel board is required to have pad lock on the cover of the disconnecting switch on this condominium rooftop where residents can go out on the flat room for whatever reason as stated in my question with the sample of dual use on the rooftop given.

The Fire Code wouldn?t allow the roof top exit door to be opened and to use it for fire escape route (by the residents going on the rooftop and waiting to be rescued by the firefighters. However,it is with the exception as stated in my question as it is also the only exit leading to another stairway going directly to the ground level.

The Westinghouse disconnecting switch box has provision for a pad lock has been designed for electrician who has to work on an electrical equipment and he or she can manually disconnect electrical supply to the equipment and pad lock the cover so that no one can accidentally switch back on the power without using the key being kept by the electrician himself or herself to open the cover first while the equipment is being worked on.

Therefore, the Westinghouse disconnection switch box is also has dual purposes that the disconnecting switch can be switched on or off even while there is a pad lock on it. The other function is to prevent unauthorized person/s (e.g. residential teenagers) to open the Westinghouse cover and expose themselves to the live wires inside. There must be a CEC regulation or rule that specifically stated that a pad lock has to be used in a PUBLIC gathering place with the exception that if the panel board is located in an electrical room which can be locked from the outside (of the room like in an underground parking garage electrical room which is unattended).

<font color="#a62a2a"><font size="1">[ August 09, 2004 08:55 AM: Message edited by: vk ]</font></font>

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 09, 2004 08:58 AM: Message edited by: vk ]</font>

[twh]

Try the National Building Code. It used to be in there.