Walked into a new coffee shop downtown and the panel cover was just... hanging open.

I was grabbing a coffee in Springfield yesterday morning and right there by the bathrooms, the electrical panel cover was completely off the wall. Not just a little loose, but hanging by one screw, wires just sitting there exposed. It was a 200 amp Square D panel, looked fairly new too. I could see the main lugs clear as day, no deadfront, nothing. I told the guy at the counter and he just shrugged and said the owner was 'getting to it.' Getting to it? That's a huge code violation and a serious safety hazard for staff and customers. It takes two minutes to put four screws back in. Stuff like that drives me crazy because it gives the whole trade a bad look when people see sloppy, dangerous work in public places. Has anyone else had to point out something that blatant in a business?

2 comments

2 Comments

tarab541d ago

Unbelievable. I saw the exact same thing at a laundromat last month, a main breaker panel just wide open like a medicine cabinet. All the breakers were right there, you could have reached in and turned off the power to the whole building. I told the lady working there and she acted like I was complaining about a flickering light bulb. It's pure laziness, and you're right, it makes everyone think this kind of sloppy work is normal.

loganhart1d ago

Pure negligence. That open panel is an accident waiting to happen, a kid could stick their hand in there. The shrug from the staff is the worst part, shows they have no clue about the risk. It really does make all electrical work look bad when people see that and think it's okay. Someone's going to get hurt because of that lazy attitude.