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Height required of manual push button e-stops

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hazard22

Mechanical
Dec 21, 2001
2
Holiday greetings to all.

I'm looking for a confirmation source for the height required of manual push button e-stops. They are being used on a electro/mechanical test bench that runs cal fluid [ Mil 7024 ] as the test medium. I believe it comes from NFPA or ANSI however I am having no luck digging it out.
 
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Check out NFPA 79 Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery. It may have the information you need. It is generally not good practice to place an E-stop button at a height which can't be easily accessed. As a norm for our designs, we place them near eye level (about 4 feet from the ground but not higher than 5 1/2 feet). SAE HS-1738 is the standard for the design and application of electrical engineering equipment for automotive industry applications worldwide. This publication might have the info you need
 
Not 100% sure on the codes. Probably has to be very specific to the machine hazards & function and position personnel stand or sit.
Take for instance a metal lathe. There are almost always a large red hand push button along side of the rest of the controls between waist and shoulder height. Then there will be a kill switch connected to a long steel cable almost the whole length of the lathe at foot level. This is used if the operator got caught up in the lathe or it was too dangerous too approach the normal controls kill switch.
Nothing wrong with having multiple stop switches. The more the merrier.
Doug
 
One such standard is SEMI S8-95 "Safety Guidelines for Ergonomics/Human Factors Engineering of Semiconductor Equipment". For controls they give a standing and seated (if at a console) height recommendation. They even break it out between "low use" controls or "high use" controls. Try to obtain a copy or I could fax you pages if you cannot. But, again, it is only a guideline and for Semiconductor Equipment. I believe there are also Ergonomic MIL standards similar to this.
David Baird
mrbaird@hotmail.com

Sr Controls Engineer

EET degree.

Journeyman Electrician.
 
The requirement is .6 m to 1.9 m but normally should not exceed 1.7 m. Christopher Caserta
ccaserta@us.tuv.com
Ph:904-225-0360
 
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