ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Commercial panelboard w/ VERY unsafe access

I saw this while out and about today and just had to share it... I don't currently have pictures, so I hope a description will suffice.

Picture this, a PB installed about 10ft up a wall in a public space... that in itself is not a problem, provided certain provisions are made... but... that's the only thing about the install that's OK. Directly below the board, there is a small, unprotected ledge, about 8ft wide and 18in deep... no railing or anything.

But wait, it gets worse! Below that ledge is a set of double doors which control access to an employees-only area of the store.

So, in summary:
-Panelboard with insufficient frontal clearance
-No fixed means of access
-Unsafe access in general

Thoughts? Have you seen worse?

Some areas on PA do not/did not have any permit, inspection, or licensing requirements, so, what you describe does not shock me.

Perhaps, once upon a time there was a mezzinine??

To be truthful, there WAS actually a second floor area and the PB was located just around the top of the stairs to the second floor, but the (de)construction that was just completed says that the current situation won't be remedied. The store (a farmer's market) was specifically designed as originally built and the modifications that have been done have left nowhere for the PB to be moved, without a LOT of expensive electrical rework and construction.

It just amuses me, though... it's not that they simply violated code, they violated sense and sensibility too. I am very aware of PA's extremely lax "electrical regulation"... I live right in the thick of it.

Unfortunatley, sense, common sense, and good old brains are not is any codes.

Some years ago someone posted a picture of a panelboard that was located in the shower of a bathroom. And another posted a picture of a panelboard that had no cover on it, because the gas pipe was in the way...

Hey, at least those are readily accessible... unless someone happened to be using the shower, of course.

An Oldie but Goodie....

Here she is...

Park a scissor lift in front of it and you have great access, and ain't nobody going to open those doors.

Would hate to have that siren go off though with your hands inside the panel.

Nick, which Farmer's market is this? I think I was there before...