[FDanz]

After speaking with an engraving shop owner a few days ago, I was told that, due to OSHA requirements and NEC, he could not engrave the labels that I requested from his shop because of the material I requested and the application for which they were to be used. He went on to explain that plastic produces an excessive amount of toxic fumes and gasses (specifically naming CO as the primary concern) when it burns, so we could not use plastic as electrical labeling material and must, instead, use phenolic labels.
After researching this requirement, not only have I been unable to find any requirement to support this in any of OSHA's documentation or the NFPA 70E, I also found that these phenolic labels he mentioned are just a different type of plastic label. I don't want to put any of my technicians at risk by using the wrong label type, but the company I work for isn't going to approve a label material purchase of a more expensive type just based on a shop owner's suggestion.
Can anyone help me find where this requirement is in writing? I have, so far, only been able to find, in both OSHA's requirements and the NFPA 70E, the following statement regarding labels:
""The marking shall be of sufficient durability to withstand the environment involved."
Since we don't expect fire to exist in our substations where these labels will be used, I believe that standard plastic labels are plenty durable. If there is documentation to prove otherwise, I will definitely make the necessary switch to the phenolic labels.
It is also worth noting that I work in a manufacturing environment with a LOT of old equipment, much of which has been around since before many of these requirements existed so much of the work my technicians are doing now is updating this old equipment.

 

[Pete m.]

Maybe you need a new engraving shop.

Pete

 

[wirenut1110]

Sounds like this GC telling the owner of a restaurant, I do work in, that running PVC conduit inside was illegal.

He told him if the building was on fire, the PVC would emit toxic fumes

I told him "don't be in here when it's on fire"

 

[FDanz]

Sounds like this GC telling the owner of a restaurant, I do work in, that running PVC conduit inside was illegal.

He told him if the building was on fire, the PVC would emit toxic fumes

I told him "don't be in here when it's on fire"

That's kind of the logic I was using here, too. My substations are not generally occupied unless there's work going on inside them and, if there was a fire in one of them, the only people that would be in there with it are firefighters who are wearing breathing protection. I feel that, if there's a fire in an electrical substation, there's probably plenty of other things giving off "toxic fumes" that should be worried about besides the little plastic labels.

 

[wirenut1110]

there's probably plenty of other things giving off "toxic fumes" that should be worried about besides the little plastic labels.

LOL yeah, I hope they didn't use plastic labels here sub station explosion :thumbup:

 

[dawgs]

Phenolic labels are generally always what's listed in job specs.