FAQ #2: I am on a construction site commissioning a live panel. There are other trades working in the area. How do I use to set up a restricted work area so I can use TempCovers® while I am away form the general vicinity of the service panel.

If the area is accessible to all workers, then you must set up a barrier. In OSHA a ﾓbarrierﾔ is a means to notify qualified and unqualified persons that there is a hazard and they are not to enter. In the case of an electrical hazard, red hazard tape would be used supported by saw horses, cones or other means. A ﾓbarricadeﾔ is a physical barrier restricting access to hazardous areas.

In NFPA 70E there is a table / formula for determining the ﾓLimited Approach Boundaryﾔ and in almost every instance it is less than the ﾓArc Flash Boundaryﾔ A rule of thumb is to use the arc flash boundaries as follows: 120/240 volts = 4 feet, 240/480 volts = 10 feet and anything over 480 volts shall be 20 feet.

Other safety factors must also be considered when setting up a restricted area. A crew of plumbers working with copper pipe could accidentally contact live parts within the service panel. Keep in mind, that a service panels with a TempCover® offers more protection than against accidental contact than an open service panel.