• Introduction
  • More on Arc Flash
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Chicken Switch®
MarTek Ltd. designs and builds portable remote operated devices for use on electrical equipment where arc flash is a hazard. Customers are typically manufacturing plants, commercial facilities, hospitals, universities, and mines. Branded under the name Chicken Switch®, our products are an affordable and effective solution for complying with OSHA arc flash protection requirements of certain tasks.

The "ChickenSwitch" is a portable, easy-to-use device that is designed to remotely operate a variety of pistol-grip circuit breaker control switches and circuit breakers. A 30' control cable allows the operator to be safely positioned away from the breaker.



NO MODIFICATION to the switchgear is required. The actuator is held in place by strong magnets and can quickly and easily be moved from one breaker to another.

The ChickenSwitch is made from the highest quality components. Parts are CNC-cut for accuracy. The high torque gearmotor uses all metal gears. The actuator responds quickly to operator commands. A micro-controller constantly monitors the position of the actuator and controller inputs. The motor is controlled by an intelligent H-bridge and the unit is powered from sixteen AA alkaline batteries. One set of batteries will yield hundreds of operations.

Where would you want to operate?

Locally or Remotely
         

More about Arc Flash, OSHA, NFPA, and the line of Chicken Switch Products...

In response to injuries caused by electrical arc flashes, OSHA and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have been increasing the electrical workplace safety requirements to protect employees from these arc flash hazards.  NFPA 70E, "Standard for Electrical Worker Safety in the Workplace®" was first approved in 2000 and now stands as the guidance standard in the United States. OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.133 addresses Standards for Work Practices and references NFPA 70E.

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has also been focusing on the arc flash hazards associated with electrical work and are in the process of establishing CSA Z462, "Workplace Electrical Safety Standard". CSA Z462 is based closely on the NFPA 70E and will have many of the same requirements.

MarTek Limited recognized the need for a portable device that could be used to remotely operate a circuit breaker control switch and thus move the employee from the arc flash hazard boundary. The idea was that establishing distance from the arc flash hazard would be the best method to protect the employee. In 2004, MarTek Ltd. began to market the first recognized portable remote switch operator, which became known as a "Chicken Switch". Today, the original Chicken Switch, which is our Model CS-01, is the most popular Chicken Switch model that we sell. Several variants of the CS-01 have been built over the years and sold as custom units to customers that have called and requested a solution to a unique application. Those custom units will now be offered under new model numbers now found on this website. Should you have a special application, please call us. We may be able to build a Chicken Switch for your application.

Chicken Switch products are available directly from MarTek Ltd through our website or by calling us.   We accept most major credit cards and purchase orders from approved companies.

Our products are also available through most electrical distributors in the US and Canada. 

You can view the Users and Distributors page for a partial list of distributors we routinely sell through.  

 

      

Click Here  to view a video of our most popular Chicken Switch, the CS-01. 

 


Click Here  to view a video the ES-20, specifically built for the Electroswitch Series 20 control switch.