[RE-wrenches] Conduit across walkways

[August Goers]

Andrew,



I’m by no means an expert in this area, but it has come up over and over
again for our commercial and residential installations. There is no
question that a) avoiding conduit in walkways is nearly impossible and b)
it is a trip hazard. I’m not aware of any particular OSHA requirements,
this link has the closest info I could find:



https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9714



Typically a rooftop is not considered a readily accessible area so I don’t
think the OSHA stuff really applies. Once again, I haven’t deeply
researched it so I may be wrong.



If, for example, you have EMT on the roof then NEC article 358 would apply.
358.12(1) Uses Not Permitted – Where, during installation or afterward, it
will be subject to sever physical damage. I think it is hard to make a case
for severe physical damage on a roof.



The 2013 California Fire Code section 605.11.2 specifies locations of DC
conductors. I can’t copy the paste the language because the pdf I have a
copy protected, but in a nutshell they want conduit run as close as
possible to a ridge or hip or valley (doesn’t apply to flat commercial
roofs) and then run as directly as possible to outside walls.



Common sense dictates that the conduit should be marked with a bright paint
or tape of some sort when they cross walkway areas. Anyone who’s spent time
on the roof has probably tripped on conduit and or ground wire while
working on the array. It would be even better to put some ramps to avoid
the trip hazard altogether but that gets expensive really fast.



-August





*From:* RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] *On
Behalf Of *Andrew Truitt
*Sent:* Wednesday, July 22, 2015 12:17 PM
*To:* RE-wrenches
*Subject:* [RE-wrenches] Conduit across walkways





Wrenches - What is your take on conduit across walkways on commercial
rooftops?





[image: Inline image 1]





The 2012 IFC says "The DC combiner boxes shall be located such that conduit
runs are minimized in the pathways between arrays." so that would indicate
that this is acceptable.  Is there anything in the NEC or OSHA that
requires some type of step or protection for conduits in access walkways?
I am concerned with a scenario where the conduit is covered with snow and
becomes an even bigger trip hazard and potential source of damage to the DC
conductors.







For a brighter energy future,


Andrew Truitt

Principal
Truitt Renewable Energy Consulting, LLC

(202) 486-7507

LinkedIn Profile
<https://tracking.cirrusinsight.com/079df0b1-ab1c-4515-b1e0-d7a6f92238bd/linkedin-com-in-andrewtruitt>

Company Website
<https://tracking.cirrusinsight.com/079df0b1-ab1c-4515-b1e0-d7a6f92238bd/truittreconsulting-weebly-com>

NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional ID: 032407-66

Colorado Journeyman Electrician License No.: 600132

[image: 24 copy.jpg]

"Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion
to fission. And it just so happens that there's an enormous fusion reactor
safely banked a few million miles from us. It delivers more than we could
ever use in just about 8 minutes. And it's wireless!"

~William McDonough
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org/attachments/20150722/d0bcfde2/attachment-0002.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.png
Type: image/png
Size: 51019 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org/attachments/20150722/d0bcfde2/attachment-0004.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image004.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 5239 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org/attachments/20150722/d0bcfde2/attachment-0004.jpg>