A circuit interrupter comprising: a housing ; a first contact electrically connectable to a power source ; a second contact electrically connectable to a load; said first and second contacts being movable between a closed and open position relative to each other; an actuator rotatable about an axis of rotation and being coupled to at least one of said first or said second contacts such that, when said actuator is moved to an off position, the at least one contact moves to the open position, which comprises an off state, and when said actuator is moved to an on position, the at least one contact moves to the closed position, which comprises an on state; an overcurrent protection circuit coupled to the at least one contact; wherein when a current through the first and second contacts exceeds a threshold level, said overcurrent protection circuit functions to move the at least one contact to a tripped position, which comprises a fault state; and a status indicator that provides a visual indication of whether the circuit breaker is in each of: the off state, the on state and the fault state; wherein said status indicator comprises a rotational element that rotates about the axis of rotation; characterized in that said status indicator includes a status surface having three areas each corresponding to one of: the off state, the on state and the fault state; and in that the rotational element comprises a shield with an opening therein coupled to the actuator such that said shield rotates about the axis of the actuator and simultaneously covers two of the three areas such that only one of the areas is visible through said opening. a housing ; a first contact electrically connectable to a power source ; a second contact electrically connectable to a load; said first and second contacts being movable between a closed and open position relative to each other; an actuator rotatable about an axis of rotation and being coupled to at least one of said first or said second contacts such that, when said actuator is moved to an off position, the at least one contact moves to the open position, which comprises an off state, and when said actuator is moved to an on position, the at least one contact moves to the closed position, which comprises an on state; an overcurrent protection circuit coupled to the at least one contact; wherein when a current through the first and second contacts exceeds a threshold level, said overcurrent protection circuit functions to move the at least one contact to a tripped position, which comprises a fault state; and a status indicator that provides a visual indication of whether the circuit breaker is in each of: the off state, the on state and the fault state; wherein said status indicator comprises a rotational element that rotates about the axis of rotation; characterized in that said status indicator includes a status surface having three areas each corresponding to one of: the off state, the on state and the fault state; and in that the rotational element comprises a shield with an opening therein coupled to the actuator such that said shield rotates about the axis of the actuator and simultaneously covers two of the three areas such that only one of the areas is visible through said opening. <EOS>