Hint: Room type ― electric or storage?
Scroll down for the answer.
It looks as though this room is being used as both an electric room and a storage room. This is a common violation and a real pet peeve of mine.
Section 240.24(A) requires overcurrent devices to be readily accessible. Climbing over debris and removing other items to access these circuit breakers means the circuit breakers are no longer readily accessible.
Section 110.26 requires working space to be provided and maintained around electrical equipment to permit safe operation and maintenance of the equipment. Section 110.26(B) has very clear language that prohibits the working spaces for switchboards, panelboards, motor control centers and other equipment likely to be serviced, adjusted, or examined while energized, from being used for storage. Believe it or not, there are circuit breakers directly behind the large wooden shelving propped up against the switchboard. How would we even know they were there if we were trying to find them in an emergency? Any delay in gaining access to these circuit breakers quickly, could put the structure and more importantly, people’s lives at risk.
Building owners and managers must be made aware of the dangers and liabilities of using electric rooms as storage rooms.