In brief
Four simple rules prevent most accidents at electrical panels: the door closed with the key held by an authorised person, every circuit labelled, the space in front of the panel clear, and the indoor installation and earthing inspected once a year by a competent person. An insulating mat laid in front of the panel is a useful additional measure; it puts insulation between the person and the floor, but does not protect against touching two conductors at once and does not replace the residual current device, earthing or isolating the energy.
Electrical panel safety: what does the legislation require?
When walking round a factory, the place where the OHS specialist takes notes fastest is often the electrical panel: a cabinet with its door left open, a pallet leaning against it, and nobody knowing which fuse supplies what. Electrical panel safety is therefore not an expensive project but a matter of order and discipline.
The legal basis is found in a few provisions:
- Annex 1 of the Regulation on Workplace Buildings and Premises requires the electrical installation to be installed so as not to create a fire or explosion hazard and employees to be protected against the risk of accidents from direct or indirect contact. Maintenance, repair, inspection and operation of the installation are ensured; the TS HD 60364-4-43 standard is taken into account in tests and records are kept.
- The same annex requires residual current devices complying with the principle of selectivity to be installed in the workplace's main and sub-distribution panels.
- Under Annex III of the Regulation on Work Equipment, the indoor electrical installation and earthing are subject to periodic inspection once a year.
- Art. 8/3 of the Regulation on Risk Assessment requires hazards that may arise from electrical installation components such as heavy current and earthing to be identified.
The four topics in this article, the door, labels, the space in front and the mat, are what these general provisions mean on site.
Should the panel door be locked?
The basic function of the panel door is to stop untrained people from touching live parts. A panel with its door left open means protection against direct contact has been removed. In practice, this arrangement works:
- The door is kept closed and locked. The key is held by the electrician or maintenance lead authorised to work on the panel; it is clear who has it.
- The inner protective cover is in place. Many panels have an inner cover behind the outer door through which only the switch handles protrude. This inner cover stops fingers reaching the busbar even when operating a breaker; it should not be removed and set aside.
- Energy can be cut in an emergency. The lock must not delay cutting the electricity in an emergency. The location of the main switch or emergency isolation device is shown on the evacuation plan in the emergency plan; it is clear how the designated people will reach the key or the isolation point.
- Cable entries are closed. Unused glands and holes are sealed to keep out dust, water and rodents.
In a workplace where the panel door is locked but someone goes inside every day to "reset the fuse", the problem is not the lock but a circuit that trips frequently. Rather than resetting a frequently tripping fuse again and again, an authorised electrician finds the cause of the overload or leakage.
Panel labelling: which fuse supplies what?
When maintenance is to be carried out on a machine, the first job is to cut the energy. If it is not known which fuse supplies that machine, the wrong circuit is cut and the employee can receive a shock on a machine they think is isolated. Panel labelling is therefore a prerequisite for lockout and tagout (LOTO).
Good panel labelling includes:
- The panel's own name and where it is supplied from. For example, "Sub-panel 3 – from main panel outgoing C2".
- A label for each outgoing circuit. Immediately above the switch or fuse, the name of the machine or area it supplies.
- An up-to-date circuit list. On the inside of the door, with fuse ratings.
- A hazard sign. A warning sign showing the electrical hazard on the outside of the door; for the format of signs, see our article on health and safety signs.
Labels are updated after every change to the installation. A single-line diagram that matches the situation in the panel makes the job easier for both the maintenance team and the person carrying out the periodic inspection. We explained the steps for isolating and locking energy in our article on lockout and tagout, and the rules for verifying the absence of voltage in the five safety rules in electrical work.
Why is storing material in front of panels a problem?
Storing material in front of panels is the most common non-conformity found in inspections and the easiest to fix. The space in front of a panel is kept clear for three reasons:
- Working space. The electrician must be able to open the door fully, work in a comfortable posture and step back in the event of an arc or short circuit. Someone working at a panel with stock piled in front has to lean forward, and their escape route is blocked.
- Emergency access. In a fire or electric shock, the energy needs to be cut within seconds. A main switch with a pallet in front of it cannot be reached in time.
- Fire load. Cardboard, packaging and dusty material placed around the panel can ignite from a spark from a heating connection.
The permanent solution is to mark the space in front of the panel with a floor line and define this area as "clear space" in the storage plan. The dimensions of the required working space are determined by the installation design and the relevant standards; as a rule, an area is left in which the door can be opened fully and the employee can step back without obstruction.
What does an insulating mat in front of a panel really do?
In many workplaces an insulating mat is laid in front of the panel as "mandatory", but what it protects against is rarely explained. In an electric shock, current follows the path between the live point the body touches and earth. If the feet are on a conductive floor, the current passes through the body and flows to earth through the feet. An insulating mat puts a high-resistance layer in this path, limiting the current that flows when a single live point is touched and a current path to earth is formed.
The situations in which the mat cannot protect follow from the same logic:
- Touching two conductors at once. If one hand touches the phase and the other the neutral or another phase, the current passes through the arms and chest without going to the feet. The mat is not in this current path.
- Touching earthed metal. If a person standing on the mat touches a live part with one hand and the earthed panel casing with the other, the current again bypasses the mat.
- Arcs and burns. An arc during a short circuit is a burn and injury risk unrelated to the insulating mat.
If the mat is to be useful, it must be chosen correctly and maintained:
| Check | Right | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Type | A mat made for electrical insulation, with a voltage class stated according to a standard such as EN 61111 | An ordinary rubber floor mat or carpet |
| Coverage | The whole area the employee will stand on when working on the panel | In front of only part of the panel |
| Condition | No cracks or holes, dry and clean | Water, oil or metal swarf collected on it |
| Inspection | Regular visual checks, replaced if damaged | The same mat used for years without question |
Rather than looking for a number or frequency for mats in the regulations, it is more accurate to write in the risk assessment which hazard the mat is placed against and who is responsible for checking it.
Periodic inspection and daily observation
The indoor electrical installation and earthing are inspected once a year by competent persons registered on EKİPNET (the Ministry's register of persons authorised for periodic inspections); the inspection contract is made via ISG-KATİP (the Ministry's online OHS registration system) and the report is kept. For intervals by equipment, see our article on periodic inspection intervals for work equipment. Between annual inspections, a short observation round for panels is sufficient:
- Is the door closed and locked, and is the inner protective cover in place?
- Are the labels legible and up to date?
- Is the space in front of the panel clear and the floor marking visible?
- Is there any smell, heat, buzzing or blackening from the panel?
- Has the residual current device's test button been tried according to the manufacturer's instructions?
- Is the mat intact and dry?
In factories in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, we include panel checks in our site rounds and follow up the closure of non-conformities in periodic inspection reports. For details, see our periodic inspection and OHS specialist pages; you can plan annual inspection dates with the OHS calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it mandatory to place an insulating mat in front of a panel?
A mat is a supplementary measure; the need for one is determined in the risk assessment according to the type of panel, the floor and the work done. Where one is placed, it must be made for electrical insulation, have a stated voltage class and be in good condition. A mat does not replace isolating the energy, earthing or the residual current device.
Doesn't a locked panel door cause problems in an emergency?
To make sure it does not, the location of the main switch and emergency isolation points is shown on the evacuation plan and it is clear who holds the key. The lock prevents unauthorised intervention; it must not prevent access for the person who will cut the energy in an emergency.
How often are electrical panels inspected?
Under Annex III of the Regulation on Work Equipment, the indoor electrical installation and earthing are inspected once a year by competent persons. In addition, regular observation rounds are made for the door, labels, the space in front of the panel and signs of heating.
Is it a problem to put material in front of a panel even briefly?
Yes. You never know when an emergency will happen; even brief storage blocks access to the isolation point and escape. The space in front of the panel should be permanently defined as clear space in the storage plan.
Equipment inventory and an inspection calendar under the new Annex III, with inspections carried out through our solution partners, plus report and defect follow-up.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.