When installing a switchboard, the crew is usually following a safety procedure that addresses the mechanical assembly and electrical connection part of the job. It typically doesn’t address the issues involved in setting that panel in place or assessing the work area prior to commencing the work (we covered those issues in Part 1).
Nor does it typically address the problem of safely getting the switchboard to the place where it will be installed. You can’t assume the lift truck operator assigned to the job will just handle everything. This load is a unusually tall and wide for the typical factor lift truck operator. Suppose, for example, he drives under an air compressor system accumulator and nails the tank with the top few inches of the switchboard. Or hits a bus way.
Plan the route yourself, allowing for sufficient space in all dimensions to protect the switchboard and anyone and anything along its route. Remove obstacles and visual obstructions as much as possible. It’s advisable to rope off the route.
