I was given a job last year to wire up an exhaust motor in a makeshift storage area. They stored 55 gallon drums of "trike" and other flammable liquids that I can't remember off hand. The motor was not explosion proof as was nothing in this room. They wanted me to tap into the lighting circuit and run a circuit to the motor(all wiring inside the room). When I told my boss that it the room had to be rerwired to meet code, he said that industrial companies do not have to meet code standards.
So, I told him to have safety clear it and of course our safety department(a joke) said everything was ok.
When I asked one simple question, I knew I was right, I asked:
"Why do we need an exhuast fan?"
they answered:
"Because of the fumes"
My company has a long practice of this kind of work practices. The problem is you can only deny to do your job to a point before you jeopardize your job or relations with your company.

What grounds and backing do I have to stand on?

EVERYONE HAS TO FOLLOW NEC CODE. What ground do you have to stand on? Pick up a copy of the NEC code and present it to your supervisors.

Dugmaze,
I hate to be the bearor of bad news, but your state code council (such as in VA it would be the Department of Commerce), Fire Marshal, or for a step up OSHA. I don't know what 'trike' is but would like to see an MSDS which would give the hazard index of the material. Unfortunately, they usually require a witness which means you have to reveal yourself. Usually you can do an equal amount of good by educating yourself to hazards and making a nuisance of yourself to incur change within the organization, otherwise, you're just the guy we fired and the policies go on, and sometimes worse. You can make yourself valuable one way, or a martyr the other. Norma Jean or Erinn Brockovich change ONE thing, and then move on. Keep your head.

But do call those people and ask their advice.

[This message has been edited by George Corron (edited 02-17-2002).]

DUGMAZE..
some documentation as to your actions ( I.E. put yer A** on the line Boss) would somewhat shield you here...

Similarly, as a contractor i've lost jobs when backed into a corner by asking for the customers written approval of a cut & dry NEC violation
a polite & politically correct 4U...

[This message has been edited by beach (edited 03-01-2002).]

"Trike" probably refers to trichloroethylene (or trichloroethane). This is a general purpose degreaser (flux remover, dry cleaning solution, you-name-it) that I think has been pretty much phased out where possible. Works good though, and with a fraction of the quantity required to do the job with an "envrionmentally friendly" solution (hidden environmental cost I guess).

yeah ...'Trike'....electech.
Used in machine shops as a degreaser. Sometimes in vats that have a refrigerant coil on the high side to help keep the fumes from traveling....

Do you know they had us cleaning breakers with trichloroethane and when it started burning my legs I asked for a MSDS. When I found out that it causes cancer, they said that everybody knows it causes cancer. Well I didn't!

TCE is a toxic chemical, and a carcinogen. But as far as the need for explosion-proof wiring goes, the stuff isn't flammable.

Dugmaze
You are in a bad situation. Its especially bad when the company wont listen to you and insist that you do the job regardless of right and wrong or at whose expense it might be. If you call the authorities ie Osha your job is in jeapardy, if you dont and there is an explosion guess who they will blame ? It already sounds like a hazardous location, and they probably want you to wire it with romex.
This is sorta like that football commercial you make the call, and thats what this comes down to, and I think you already know the answer.

Trichlor is nasty, but doesn't need a rating for any "explosion proof" equipment.
(about 30 yrs. ago, I stuck my head into a vapor degreaser cleaning circuit boards to retrieve somebody's wedding ring. Wow!!Dizzzzy)

I didn't know it wasn't flammable but there were several other chemicals in this basement.

I worked construction and maintainence in the power plant industry for 23 years. We uste to use trichlor to clean electrical insulators, buss etc. We were NOT required to follow the NEC, but some of us that were familiar with it would do so anyway. I believe that the use of trichlor was halted because it was a cancer causing solution. We went to using denatured alchol for cleaning.