1910.269(u)(4): Guarding of rooms and other spaces containing electric supply equipment
Key takeaways
- 1910.269(u)(4) is part of OSHA's general industry standards (29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart R).
- OSHA cited it 1 times in the last 3 years, in 1 inspections, with $16,550 in current penalties.
- Related part: 1910.269(u) Substations (1 citations).
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What this rule covers
29 CFR 1910.269(u)(4) ("Guarding of rooms and other spaces containing electric supply equipment") is one requirement inside 1910.269 Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution, an OSHA general industry standard (Part 1910, Subpart R). It includes 8 sub-paragraphs. The official text below is copied word for word from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). The numbers, injury cases and training on this page show how OSHA enforces it on real job sites.
Official text
(4) Guarding of rooms and other spaces containing electric supply equipment. 1 citations
(i) Rooms and other spaces in which electric supply lines or equipment are installed shall meet the requirements of paragraphs (u)(4)(ii) through (u)(4)(v) of this section under the following conditions:
(A) If exposed live parts operating at 50 to 150 volts to ground are within 2.4 meters (8 feet) of the ground or other working surface inside the room or other space,
(B) If live parts operating at 151 to 600 volts to ground and located within 2.4 meters (8 feet) of the ground or other working surface inside the room or other space are guarded only by location, as permitted under paragraph (u)(5)(i) of this section, or
(C) If live parts operating at more than 600 volts to ground are within the room or other space, unless:
(1) The live parts are enclosed within grounded, metal-enclosed equipment whose only openings are designed so that foreign objects inserted in these openings will be deflected from energized parts, or
(2) The live parts are installed at a height, above ground and any other working surface, that provides protection at the voltage on the live parts corresponding to the protection provided by a 2.4-meter (8-foot) height at 50 volts.
(ii) Fences, screens, partitions, or walls shall enclose the rooms and other spaces so as to minimize the possibility that unqualified persons will enter.
(iii) Unqualified persons may not enter the rooms or other spaces while the electric supply lines or equipment are energized. 1 citations
(iv) The employer shall display signs at entrances to the rooms and other spaces warning unqualified persons to keep out.
(v) The employer shall keep each entrance to a room or other space locked, unless the entrance is under the observation of a person who is attending the room or other space for the purpose of preventing unqualified employees from entering.
Source: eCFR, text current as of 2026-10-15. Read all of 1910.269.
Export the list: 1 inspections cited 1910.269(u)(4) in the last 3 years, with employer, location, penalty and date.
Purple Belt, $59/moWhere and how often it was cited
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OSHA interpretation letters
None exist. OSHA has not published a letter of interpretation for 1910.269(u)(4).
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About this page
Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.269 (eCFR), text current as of 2026-10-15
- U.S. Department of Labor enforcement data: OSHA inspections, citations and accident records, copied nightly; data as of 2026-11-06
3-year window. Federal OSHA only; state-plan rules are not counted. Plain-language text is a summary, not legal advice; the official text controls. Black Belt Safety is not part of OSHA or the Department of Labor.
