How Wide and How Long Should a Switchboard Mat Be?
Most switchboard mat orders start with a tape measure and the panel. Someone measures the width of the lineup, orders a mat that length and moves on. It feels logical but a mat doesn't protect the equipment. It protects the person standing on it and that person doesn't stand still. They step sideways to reach a breaker, crouch to read a label, back away to swing a door open. A mat sized to the panel covers where the equipment is. A mat sized to the person covers where their feet actually go. Start with the working space the code already defines NEC 110.26 sets the clear working space that has to be kept in front of electrical equipment operating at 1000 volts or less and it gives you a ready made footprint for planning mat coverage. Above 1000 volts the rules move to 110.34. One honest caveat: the code does not specify a mat size, so treat what follows as a planning method, not a requirement. Check which edition your jurisdiction has adopted and note that OSHA's general ...