Electical Contractor

Electrical safety is as much an individual responsibility as it is an organizational responsibility. Employers (contractors) are required to provide a safe workplace for workers, and qualified workers must know how to recognize and avoid electrical hazards to keep them safe.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published the final rule on Clarification of Employers’ Duty to Provide Personal Protective Equipment and Train Each Employee.

Under normal circumstances, a typical look at safety for the upcoming year would begin with a review of the recent activity of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), its strategic plan and 2009 budget. But, these aren’t normal circumstances.

The US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Nov. 20, 2008, that the rate and number of occupational injuries and illnesses decreased from 2006 to 2007.

Portable generators supply electricity where none is available. They commonly are used following natural disasters and at construction sites. Portable generators produce electricity with an internal combustion engine that is run on a fuel source, usually gasoline, diesel, kerosene or propane.

Home electrical fires cause more than 500 deaths, 1,400 injuries, and $1.4 billion in property damage each year. According to a report recently released by the U.S.

Throughout US history, there have been near-legendary workplace fires. In 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City caused 150 deaths. As recently as 1991, a fire at the Imperial Foods poultry processing plant in North Carolina caused 25 worker deaths and 49 injuries.

Recent electrical incidents in Iraq have stirred up controversy. In August, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) issued a statement that the victim count stood at 18. Casey reported that 16 were U.S. military personnel, and two were U.S. contractors.

In New York City, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is taking new steps to combat the rise in construction fatalities, where 20 employees have died in construction-related accidents since January 2008.