# 2008 nec 110.27 (b)



## [email protected] (Jan 24, 2018)

Prevent physical damage - curious how others interpret "In locations, where electrical equipment likely to be exposed to physical damage". My application is panel boards in common aisle way parallel to construction equipment service bay. Six foot clear to service bay but being challenged to add bollards or guardrail to separate.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

It's interpretational, dependent on environment 

Welcome to ET Brad

~CS~


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

Why are you using a 2008 version? Is there forklift, or motorized lift traffic in the area? Bollards for panel protection are not uncommon.


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## Moonshot180 (Apr 1, 2012)

install the bollards and charge accordingly...


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## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

Here's what the McGraw Hill 2008 edition has to say. 




> Part (B) of 110.27 addresses an additional concern for protection of electrical equipment. After the 1968 NEC, old Sec. 110.17(a)(3), accepting guardrails as suitable for guarding live parts, was deleted. It was felt that a guardrail is not proper or adequate protection in areas accessible to other than qualified per- sons. However, where electrical equipment is exposed to physical damage— such as where installed alongside a driveway, or a loading dock, or other locations subjected to vehicular traffic—the use of guardrails is clearly accept- able and required by this rule. Failure to protect equipment against contact by vehicles is a violation of this section.
> Live parts of equipment should in general be protected from accidental con- tact by complete enclosure (i.e., the equipment should be “dead-front”). Such construction is not practicable in some large control panels, and in such cases the apparatus should be isolated or guarded as required by these rules.


Well it doesn't give you an interpretation of physical damage, but an idea of how the article came to be. I agree adding bollards would be the way to go.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> Prevent physical damage - curious how others interpret "In locations, where electrical equipment likely to be exposed to physical damage". My application is panel boards in common aisle way parallel to construction equipment service bay. Six foot clear to service bay but being challenged to add bollards or guardrail to separate.


If you say 6 foot from the panel to the service bay edge of shop ?

That is plenty room and put bollards and guard rails 3 or more feet away from panelboards and ya good to go.


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