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I do factory maintenance and sometimes we draw a real crowd of Looky-Lous. ANy ideas on cutting down the distractions??

My personal thought involve pyrothechincs.

Unfortunately, any pyrotechnics may just draw even more of them around. You might be better off talking about "your father in-law's hemorrhoid operation that you were a spectator for".

mvp,
That's a rather interesting point you bring up.
Having distractions of any sort while doing work in a Hot panel or the like, isn't good at all.
Especially when you get some idiot, that comes up behind you and for a joke, claps thier hands together.
If I'm doing any "serious" sort of work in a panel, I use cones and bordering tape to make the area a "No-Go" zone.
This also gives you a fair degree of working space around behind you.
Failing that, I just politely tell people that I've got work to do and can't afford to be distracted.

I think that the idea of "site control" falls appropriately on the shoulders of the qualified worker performing the task. OSHA speaks to barricades and the possibility of attendants if necessary. Safe approach distances are a required part of safe electrical work practices training. You'll be hard pressed to eliminate the on-lookers, however if they are far enough away from you, let them look?

The next question is how far away is safe?

I would think that the limited approach distance or the flash protection boundary (which ever is farther) would be a good place to start. Further consideration would have to be given to the type of work going on around you. This could easily extend your boundary.

Dan,
That's a rather good question.
Personally, if I'm doing any Live work, I set the area around the Switch-board panel out like this:

• Left and Right-Hand side clearance, from the centre of the panel is 3 metres (9ft) each side.
  This includes room for tools, wire and other such things.
• Rear-ward clearance, this is very important, you don't want people bumping you or getting in your way while you are working in a potentially dangerous situation.
  I use at least a metre (3ft) behind me.

One other thing is, don't let others distract you.
You are there to do a job, lets get it done.
There are some people around that you wouldn't want in the same Zip Code as you while you are doing Panel work.
It is up to the person doing the work to ensure thier own safety.
Running to the Boss because you didn't make things safe and copped it as a result, isn't a legal defence in my opinion.
Look after yourself, because no-one else will.
Just my $0.02 worth.

Just an addendum to my last post.
I did a job on a Live 33kV Pad-mount Transformer last weekend, to connect in new 400V Distribution Mains.(Under the Sidewalk)
An elderly fella came out from the house next to the transformer and told me to get the Hell out of the place!.
I told him I worked for the local PoCo and produced my ID card (Considering I was wearing PoCo overalls and jerkin)
He used to be the old Lines Supervisor at the PoCo!.
We were talking about different things and I said to him to stop talking while I changed the Auto-Tap Changer.
He said to me that all this Live stuff these days is a joke.
I can't dis-agree with a guy that had 45 years experience with everything from 230V to 33kV and all things in between.
They worked dead in them days, he made sure of it!.
Being a Liney that uses Live Glove and Barrier techniques, where did we go wrong?.
Or are we just puppets, nowdays?.