Monday, February 1, 2016

Two Common Violations of a Vague OSHA Electrical Standard

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13 comments:

  1. Are you saying, because it does not state anything, this is a violation - even if just temporary wiring within the allotted time frame? ("But nowhere does the code discuss installing a standard metallic outlet box so it dangles from the end of a portable extension cord being used out in the shop or on a construction site as a temporary power supply.")

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    1. The issue is not whether or not temporary wiring is allowed (it is), the issue is using a non-sealed metal receptacle box that is designed for use in a permanent installation being used on the end of the cord - that is not in compliance w/ the NEC code cited in the UL White Book.

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  2. Hello Curtis,
    Thank you for your blog and really we are getting valuable information from this.
    Could you please advise how many workers need a safety officer in construction industry according to OSHA
    Workers and Safety representative / Officer Ratio
    Thank you again and expecting your answer

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    1. OSHA does not specify how many safety officers there must be on a jobsite. That is uop to the employer to determine what is needed. In some cases, there is not even a safety officer, as the employer trains their foremen and supervisors to perform those duties in their areas. SO it is all over the board.

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  3. Good article Curtis, nice job! As a electrical safety "guru" myself I've been preaching these very things on construction sites for years. - Dean Kermicle

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  4. doesn't the UL Listing for "ordinary locations" throw the use of most inductive heaters in construction for a loop?

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    1. I'm not sure exactly which heater you are referring to, do you have the UL 4-character product category code?

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  5. Curtis, I also love your posts and would like to share them but I can only find the link to "like" you on Social media but no link to share.

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    1. Michelle, I appreciate the positive feedback. There is no forward button on our blogs (I'm not smart enough to know how to do that), but there is one at the bottom of our email that we send out monthly to announce the blog posts. Do you get that email? If not, let me know and I'll add you to the mailing list. Thanks again, CC

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  6. What about the use of a tritap (pigtail) cord attached to a heavy duty extension cord or portable GFCI? It is common for workers to plug several tools into one and draw more amps than the cord is rated for, but is there a standard that prohibits this? Or is this strictly per the manufacturer?

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    1. The OSHA reg that states not to use electrical equipment for purposes for which it is not designed. Based on your scenario, the cord is not designed to draw that many amps, so that would not be allowed

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  7. Now I am seeing these metal boxes with knockouts and one knockout used to attach a flexible power cord and then the metal box is permanently attached to the top or sides of older, portable Snap-On Tool Box/Carts or other manufacturers' portable tool box/carts by the owners of these portable tool box/carts, since these newer portable tool box/carts now come equipped with flush-mounted power strips (relocatable power taps, but I question whether these latter, newer portable tool box/carts were submitted and accepted/approved by a Nationally Recognized Testing Lab (NRTL)as an entire unit? And the attaching the metal box to the portable tool box cart is still not per the metal box's label and listing in my opinion.

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  8. Good Day,

    While at a facility working, I noticed a neat use, albeit may be a violation, where a standard fluorescent light was plugged into a spst switched outlet mounted on the bench as an interrupt. Now that was extended to the power strip via a grounded three-prong plug. The power strip was a 10-port-5ft long-metal housing that extended to a mounted quad-receptacle power box. Is this daisy chained?

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