Working Space About Electrical Equipment

Three feet of depth, thirty inches of width, six-and-a-half feet of headroom, and two ways out on the big gear. That clearance is not for your convenience, it is your escape path.

I fail more jobs on working space than on almost anything else. Somebody always wants to stack drywall in front of the panel.

When it applies

This is the rule that keeps you from getting boxed in while working on live gear. Any panel, disconnect, or piece of equipment that might be serviced energized needs clear space in front of it, a set depth, a minimum width, and headroom. The idea is simple. If something goes wrong, you can step back and get out without knocking into a wall or tripping over stored junk.

Common mistakes

• Letting the customer stack boxes, shelving, or a water heater right in front of the panel after the inspection passes.
• Mounting a panel in a shallow closet or behind a swinging door that eats the required clearance.
• Forgetting the equipment needs a dedicated space above it that is kept clear too.

In the field

I tell every GC the same thing. That three feet in front of the gear is not negotiable, and I would rather fight about it now than explain to an inspector why the panel is behind a shelf.