Quick Hits

PART V — SERVICE EQUIPMENT — GENERAL

EPISODE 9 — Enclosed or Guarded Equipment & Barriers (268.62, 268.63)

Slide 1 — Hook "New Part — short and focused: keeping people safe from energized service equipment parts."

Slide 2 — 268.62 & 268.63

• 268.62: energized parts of service equipment must be enclosed OR guarded, per 110.18 and Article 110 Part III — same general "keep people away from live parts" principle you'd expect, just at medium/high voltage.

• 268.63: barriers must be positioned in service equipment so that no uninsulated, ungrounded service busbar or terminal can be accidentally contacted by a person or maintenance equipment while working on load terminations — even with the service disconnect open. (Same concept as the feeder barrier rule you saw in Article 215.)

Slide 3 — Why this matters

• At these voltages, "accidental contact" isn't just a shock risk — it's an arc-flash and equipment-damage risk. Barriers specifically address the scenario where a technician thinks the equipment is safe because the disconnect is open, but upstream busbars/terminals are still live.

Slide 4 — Quiz + CTA Q: "Per 268.63, barriers must prevent inadvertent contact with an uninsulated, ungrounded service busbar even when...?" A) The building power is fully shut off B) The service disconnect is in the open position C) Only during scheduled maintenance windows D) Barriers are only required when the disconnect is closed

✅ Answer: B — even with the disconnect OPEN, upstream busbars can still be live — barriers guard against that specific danger.

CTA: Follow for more daily quick-hit study notes 📚⚡ — Part V complete! Part VI (Disconnecting Means) is next — a big one.

← View Chapter 2 Home

← Back To Article 266 Home

← Back To Quick Hits Home