Should my NB panel be locked or accessible to a child?

Your electrical panel should always be accessible to adults but secured against young children — this is both a safety best practice and something TSANB-licensed electricians take seriously.

The panel itself needs to remain accessible at all times for adults. The Canadian Electrical Code requires a minimum 1 metre of clear working space in front of your panel, and TSANB inspectors will flag anything blocking that access. In an emergency — a tripped breaker, a burning smell, or a power issue — you need to reach that panel immediately. Locking it away completely or blocking it is a code violation and a genuine safety hazard.

That said, young children should absolutely not have unsupervised access to an electrical panel. Breakers can be switched, wires can be touched if a cover is missing, and the bus bars inside carry lethal voltage. The good news is that most modern panels come with a door latch that requires a deliberate adult motion to open — this is usually sufficient for toddlers and young children.

Practical options for child safety include:

A simple panel door lock or latch is the most common solution. These are inexpensive and keep curious hands out while still allowing quick adult access. If your panel is in a utility room, keeping that room's door latched is another layer of protection. Some homeowners install a basic keyed lock on the panel door itself — this is acceptable as long as the key is immediately accessible to adults in the home (not stored somewhere that would delay emergency access).

What you should never do is permanently block or seal a panel in a way that delays emergency shutoff. If there's ever a fire, sparking, or electrical emergency, seconds matter. Your panel needs to be reachable in under 30 seconds.

If your panel is missing its cover, has exposed wiring, or has breakers that don't sit properly in their slots, that's a more urgent concern than child access — an uncovered panel is a serious hazard for anyone in the home. A TSANB-licensed electrician should inspect and repair it promptly.

If you're unsure about your panel's condition or want to discuss the right child-safety solution for your setup, New Brunswick Electrical can match you with a local licensed electrician for a free assessment.