Bring these

• Flashlight
• Site electrical-safety program and work order record

Before touching anything

• Know what your employer's written procedure actually authorizes an unqualified employee to do at a panel.
• Keep all covers and dead fronts in place for every check in this guide.

1. 1Keep required access clearKeep the working area in front of electrical equipment clear and do not use the space for storage. Report blocked access, damaged doors, missing labels, or a panel that cannot be securely closed.
2. 2Look, listen and smell from a safe positionWith the cover and door in place, look for obvious damage, discoloration, water, corrosion, missing blanks, or signs of impact. Abnormal buzzing, crackling, a burning odor, smoke, or unusual heat are escalation signals — not reasons to get closer.
3. 3Check the directory and identificationVerify that panel identification and circuit directories are legible and useful. Do not guess at circuit identification by opening the panel or touching conductors.
4. 4Document recurring tripsRecord the circuit, load/equipment involved, time, conditions and whether the breaker trips again. Repeated tripping is a fault symptom that needs diagnosis, not repeated resetting.
5. 5Treat a tripped breaker carefullyA tripped breaker can indicate overload, short circuit, ground fault, failed equipment or another electrical problem. If your employer's written procedure allows an unqualified maintenance employee to operate a breaker with all guards/covers intact, first identify and remove the obvious load when that can be done safely. A single reset may be appropriate only within that procedure. Never repeatedly reset a breaker to make it stay on. If it trips again, stop and call a qualified electrician.

At a site-defined interval, visually verify from the exterior that the enclosure is closed and secure, labels/directories are legible, access is clear, no water/corrosion/impact damage is visible, and no abnormal odor/noise/heat condition has been reported. Keep a record of recurring trips and electrical complaints. Internal inspection, torqueing, cleaning, thermal/electrical testing and energized work belong to qualified personnel under the site's electrical-safety and maintenance program.

Call when there is recurring breaker operation, heat or burning odor, buzzing/crackling, corrosion or water exposure, damaged/missing panel components, uncertain circuit identification that affects safe work, evidence of overheating, required internal inspection, breaker replacement, conductor/termination work, or any diagnosis requiring exposure to energized parts.

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.333 — Selection and use of work practices OSHA 29 CFR 1910.303 — General electrical requirements BuildingWrench safety note: local rules, the Authority Having Jurisdiction, employer policy and equipment instructions can be more restrictive. Follow the most protective applicable requirement.

• Repeatedly resetting a breaker to make it stay on.
• Removing the dead front to identify a circuit.
• Working near a panel with water present.