In the case of the 600 volt combination starter disconnect I am of the opinion that if any wire in there is live then it is live work according to the definition. The hazard is low if the incomming lines are not exposed and you are not punching a hole in the case above those terminals. Make it even safer and open the overcurrent device ahead of the starter and tag it.
Live testing is live work and requires a hot permit.
Cycling equipment is live work and damn dangerous if anything is done in the area of mechanical movement.
Any work done under these circumstances needs justification and safety procedures need to be considered and implemented. Changing a Fuse can be dangerous if not treated respectfully. I do know of one HV installation where the line was terminated on the load contacts. Fortuneately the electrician called to change the fuse balked at stiking his hands in this switch until he got a HV meter and was darn happy he did. Yes there was hell to pay on that one but no one got hurt this time. This might be one of those rare cases where an electricians uncertainty lead to the right decision.
