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Ecmweb 8362 Think Safe
Ecmweb 8362 Think Safe
Ecmweb 8362 Think Safe
Ecmweb 8362 Think Safe
Ecmweb 8362 Think Safe

Being Careful with Raceway, Part 1

Aug. 9, 2016
Raceway work typically presents specific dangers such as neck strain, finger injuries, and injuries from falling.

If your work involves construction, you almost certainly run raceway. This work typically presents specific dangers such as neck strain, finger injuries, and injuries from falling.

Before we discuss how to protect yourself against these dangers, let’s be clear on what raceway actually is. Raceway is an enclosed channel for holding wires, cables, or bus bars. A raceway is defined within specific NEC Article definitions (e.g., Art. 358).

A commonly performed unsafe act is bending conduit in a bender that has a shoe designed for tubing. Some shoes are multi-purpose, but don’t assume the one you have can bend both types of raceway. In fact, you need to inspect the bender at the start of your shift and periodically throughout the day; the manual will tell you specifically what to look for.

Many commonly used raceway types come in 10 ft lengths (“sticks”). You don’t want people walking through the work area while you’re swinging one of these into position or carrying several on your shoulder. Always rope off the area.

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