The dead front cover is missing from an energized panel. How should the inspector treat this?

The dead front is the barrier that makes a panel safe to stand in front of. Behind it are bus bars, lugs and breaker terminals carrying full service voltage, and with the cover off they are exposed to anything that comes near — a hand reaching for a breaker, a stored object falling against the enclosure, a curious child, a pet. Contact at service voltage is potentially fatal, and unlike most electrical hazards this one requires no fault to occur; the energised parts are simply accessible. Nothing mitigates it short of restoring the cover: a locked room limits who can reach it but does not protect the people who can, and a panel in a utility space is often the most trafficked location in a basement. The inspector reports it prominently, points it out on site if the client is present, and recommends immediate correction.

With the dead front removed, energised bus bars and terminals are directly accessible, and contact at service voltage can be fatal. The hazard requires no fault to occur, so it is reported prominently and corrected immediately.

The dead front cover encloses energised components of a panelboard so that only breaker handles are accessible. Missing or improperly secured dead fronts, and missing breaker knockout fillers, are reported as safety hazards.

No Cover, No Barrier. Everything behind that panel is live and waiting. Nothing about the room makes it safe.

Check for missing knockout fillers too. An open knockout in an otherwise intact cover exposes energised parts through a hole a finger fits into.

• •Downgrading the hazard because the panel is in a restricted room
• •Filing exposed energised parts as a maintenance item
• •Overlooking missing knockout fillers in an otherwise intact cover