North Carolina Building Contractor License Practice Exam

What is the required clearance between a scaffold and a power line less than 300 volts in feet?

1. 10

2. 20

3. 30

4. 40

The correct answer is: 30

The required clearance between a scaffold and a power line less than 300 volts is 10 feet. This distance is in accordance with industry safety standards, specifically the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. Maintaining this clearance is crucial for ensuring the safety of workers who are operating near electrical lines, as it helps to prevent accidental electrocution and other electrical hazards. The reasoning behind this specific distance involves the fact that even low voltage electrical lines can produce dangerous situations if appropriate precautions are not taken. The purpose of the clearance requirement is to provide a safe working environment by minimizing the risk of accidental contact with the live electrical lines when workers are erecting, maintaining, or dismantling scaffolds. In the context of the choices presented, while some distances like 20, 30, and 40 feet may apply to higher voltage lines, they do not pertain to lines with less than 300 volts, further emphasizing the significance of the correct clearance of 10 feet for the specified condition.