Larry's bringing up an issue that would fit right in, if we had an 'industrial' forum. Follow this train of thought first:
1) Open a control panel or starter, there are lots of things that can shock you;
2) So, industry started making things with arc shields, dividers, etc.;
3)Then industry -in part with the arrival of IEC stuff here - went another step and started making thing 'finger safe.' So, for example, you could test or change a fuse without ever being able to actually touch anything live.
Completely independent of this:
1) The NFPA has been hawking their 'maintenance' and 'safety' standards for years (probably hoping to repeat the success they had with the NEC);
2) OSHA begins to rely on "70E" as defining the standard practices. Trouble is, 70E is completely ignorant as regards all the design and standards work already done (by parties other than the NFPA); and,
3) The NFPA doubles down on this power grab by adding a section to the NEC about control panels, and calls for their listing.
70E wants full moon suit and testing to ensure power is off. 70E does not recognize any design element that will allow a test probe yet exclude a finger. 70E wants arc-flash calcs and documented selective co-ordination at ever step, from the PoCo drop to the last outlet. 70E completely disregards the safety of control circuits, since the same cabinet has 'power circuits' in it as well.
End result? You are supposed to treat the latest, safest stuff the same way as you would treat stuff that was little more than spring clips and rusty nails, mounted in the open on a 2x4.
It's like the tax code: if they want to gig you, they will- and there's not a damn thing you can do about it.
