I have been trying to find some standard that tells where on a panel to place the emergency stop pushbutton. I know where to place the up, down, start, stop, etc., but can not find anything about the E-Stop, other than color and design. I thought I had read somewhere in the past that it was not to be located in close proximity to the standard stop pushbutton, but can't even find that now. Since I always place the stop pushbutton at the bottom of the panel, I place the E-Stop at the top of the panel, but now there is a question here where I work about whether it is supposed to be at the bottom of the panel or not.
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Panel location for E-Stop pushbutton
- Thread starter dstnwst
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crthompson
Electrical
I'm not sure what kind of equipment you are running but from the description it sounds like there are moving parts that the operator may come in close proximity to... We have a drill press and a punch that are combined into one machine (one on each end). Both can operate seperately by two different operators. We have 2 e-stops, each located within reach of the equipment's operator. The main thing to keep in mind is that the E-stop is to be used in case of an emergency, it needs to be highly visible and easily accessed... Sorry, no references...
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks for the replies. The equipment, in this case, is a dumper (food processing equipment) with semi-automatic operation where the up and down functions latch in and the equipment stops automatically at the top and bottom of the dump cycle.
The operator control panel has a up, down and stop pushbutton, and since it is semi-auto it also has to have an e-stop on it as well. I have always placed the e-stop at the top of the panel and separate from the other pushbuttons, if possible.
The question came up this morning as to whether it should be at the bottom, under the normal stop pushbutton, but I can not find any standards that address e-stop location, other than it should be easily accessed by the operator. I really need something carved in stone to put this to bed.
The operator control panel has a up, down and stop pushbutton, and since it is semi-auto it also has to have an e-stop on it as well. I have always placed the e-stop at the top of the panel and separate from the other pushbuttons, if possible.
The question came up this morning as to whether it should be at the bottom, under the normal stop pushbutton, but I can not find any standards that address e-stop location, other than it should be easily accessed by the operator. I really need something carved in stone to put this to bed.
There is nothing carved in stone, in fact there is nothing carved in stone that says you are even required to have an e-stop button. The "requirement" is that you need to be able to stop the machine. HOW you do that is less important.
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NEC does not require an ESTOP. But I believe that UL508A (if you have a UL rated panel) says that you have to have an ESTOP for industrial control panels.
From UL508A manual
66.12.2 An industrial control panel provided with operator controls, such as pushbuttons and selector
switches, shall also be provided with an emergency stop button.
66.12.2 effective April 25, 2003
66.12.3 The emergency stop button shall have an actuator that is a mushroom or palm type, and of the
self-latching type.
From UL508A manual
66.12.2 An industrial control panel provided with operator controls, such as pushbuttons and selector
switches, shall also be provided with an emergency stop button.
66.12.2 effective April 25, 2003
66.12.3 The emergency stop button shall have an actuator that is a mushroom or palm type, and of the
self-latching type.
- Thread starter
- #8
Some of our panels are C-UL-US, some are CE, so all of our automatic or semi-automatic units must have an e-stop. But I can not find anything specifying where on the panel to install them. NFPA specifies locations for practically every other pushbutton and indicator, but not the e-stop. I am beginning to think, since a machine can have several e-stops at various locations, that a location is not specified other than "easily accessible to the operator".
automatic2
Industrial
I normally position the E stop above the start/stop. This typically refrains from having the operator cross over it in normal opertions. I believe it's important to have some continuity with your other equipment for quick recognition. Although not covered in the NEC, safety regulations often point to engineering standards that direct the physical location of E stops around the physical process. One of your best resources is your operators.
Automatic bring up a good point with respect to continuity for quick recognition. In my opionion, putting the etop above or close to the stop button is defeating the purpose. You may want to consider the worst case scenario. Floor mounted estops are used so if the operators hands get caught in the machine, he can hit it with his feet to stop it. The best way to determine the ideal placement is to watch the operator and see the worst case senario then design appropriatly.
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- #11
A lot of great input on the subject. Thanks all.
The biggest hazard with the majority of our equipment is someone being around the dumper carriage when it raises, or getting under it when it lowers. The operator would not generally be that person, but would be able to emergency stop the machine during any phase of the cycle if necessary.
It sounds like there really are no hard and fast rules for e-stop placement on control panels. I always put them at the top of the panel, the normal stop at the bottom, so there is generally anywhere from 12" to 16" between them. Units that may have people other than the operator (loading, unloading, etc.) often have remote e-stops as well along conveyor lines or load-in gates.
Attached is a .BMP of one of our typical dumper control panels. The p/b layout is also pretty typical, although on smaller boxes they sometimes are moved a little closer together.
Thanks again for the input.
The biggest hazard with the majority of our equipment is someone being around the dumper carriage when it raises, or getting under it when it lowers. The operator would not generally be that person, but would be able to emergency stop the machine during any phase of the cycle if necessary.
It sounds like there really are no hard and fast rules for e-stop placement on control panels. I always put them at the top of the panel, the normal stop at the bottom, so there is generally anywhere from 12" to 16" between them. Units that may have people other than the operator (loading, unloading, etc.) often have remote e-stops as well along conveyor lines or load-in gates.
Attached is a .BMP of one of our typical dumper control panels. The p/b layout is also pretty typical, although on smaller boxes they sometimes are moved a little closer together.
Thanks again for the input.
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- #12
automatic2
Industrial
'In my opionion, putting the etop above or close to the stop button is defeating the purpose'
Don't forget that an E stop and a normal stop will in most cases have an entirley different function. Athough E stops can, and are used in situations of equipment malfunction, I approach them as a personal safety device first. I will provide an E stop at every point that the operator can enter the machine envelope during normal operation. Lockout procedures should then cover abnormal conditions.
Don't forget that an E stop and a normal stop will in most cases have an entirley different function. Athough E stops can, and are used in situations of equipment malfunction, I approach them as a personal safety device first. I will provide an E stop at every point that the operator can enter the machine envelope during normal operation. Lockout procedures should then cover abnormal conditions.
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- #14
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