Susan DeGrane

Susan DeGrane is a Chicago-based freelance writer. She has covered electrical contracting, renewable energy, senior living and other industries with articles published in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times and trade publications. Reach her at sdegrane@att.net.

The Perfect Storm: Weather-related disasters yield opportunities, insights into safety

Susan DeGrane

2020 set records for multibillion-dollar, weather-related disasters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual tally of hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, heat waves, droughts and wildfires since 1980...

Line Contractor

Safety

Jun 15, 2021

Instruction Comes First: OSHA requires training and evaluation for crane operators

Susan DeGrane

On July 18, 2008, Deep South Crane & Rigging Co. gave just a few minutes of instruction to a crane operator unfamiliar with the controls of one of the world’s largest pedestal cranes, a VersaCrane TC-36000. Normally, training...

Safety Leader

Safety

May 14, 2021

The Shift to Virtual Training: Relying on electronic instruction, JATCs maintain apprenticeship standards

Susan DeGrane

Before COVID-19, it would have been rare to find a first-year electrical apprentice learning DC theory on a laptop at their kitchen table. But since the pandemic, this situation is not so unusual. Joint Apprenticeship...

Web Exclusive

Your Business

Apr 15, 2021

Moore Electrical, IBEW 131 Help Pfizer Gear Up for Vaccine Production

Susan DeGrane

In March 2020, Brian O’Donnell, business manager at IBEW 131 in Kalamazoo, Mich., received a call from a contact at Pfizer Inc. concerning extensive plant modifications. Pfizer is headquartered in New York and has several...

A man wearing a mask and gloves holding a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

Line Contractor

Safety

Mar 15, 2021

Lineworker Boot Camp: ALBAT intensifies training to keep labor pipeline flowing

Susan DeGrane

As one of seven NECA chapters focused on outside electrical construction, American Line Builders (ALB) represents 41 electrical contractors in the District of Columbia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio...

Safety Leader

Your Business

Feb 15, 2021

The Contactless Office: Preparing the workplace for employees' safe return

Susan DeGrane

Since mid-March 2020, the Blue Cross-Blue Shield (BCBS) headquarters has been eerily quiet, staffed mostly by a skeleton crew of electricians and building engineers. As with many businesses across the country and world, the...

Web Exclusive

Your Business

Jan 15, 2021

NECA and IBEW STEM Programs Draw Students to Trade Careers

Susan DeGrane

Employers are increasingly recognizing the value of STEM education in the development of capable students who will eventually be qualified workers. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math—four academic...

Safety Leader

Safety

Nov 13, 2020

Calculated Distance: Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic

Susan DeGrane

When the novel coronavirus struck the United States in March, the Carolinas Electrical Training Institute (CETI), Charlotte, N.C., and the Electrical Training Alliance of Jacksonville (ETAJ), Jacksonville, Fla., were...

Safety Leader

Safety

Aug 14, 2020

Wind Power Practice Makes Perfect

Susan DeGrane

Wind power continues to gain momentum throughout the United States. As opportunities for electricians to work with wind turbines grow, the goal is to limit the injuries and deaths related to this hazardous line of work. Of...

Safety Leader

Safety

Jun 15, 2020

Wind Power Industry Necessitates Special Safety Training

Susan DeGrane

Wind power continues to gain momentum throughout the United States, with turbines springing up from coast to coast and even offshore. Even as the opportunities working with wind turbines become more prevalent and more...

Your Business

Apr 15, 2020

Sharlen Electric Creates Spillover Sites at Chicago Hospitals

Susan DeGrane

Working in a healthcare setting during a pandemic poses plenty of risks, but as Sharlen Electric learned, hazards can be reduced with careful planning and swift action. Sharlen serves several healthcare providers, making it a...

Web Exclusive

Your Business

Mar 15, 2020

Staying Power: Taylor Electric’s Methods for Continuing Success

Susan DeGrane

As one of Chicago’s oldest family-owned electrical contractors, Taylor Electric Co. attributes its staying power to communication and quality work. The company focuses on vertical commercial and residential/hospitality...

Kendra Dinkins, left president and CEO of Taylor Electric; Bryan K. Taylor, center, foreman and electrician for Taylor and Karen Michele Dinkins, chief operating officer, pose under portraits of Sam Taylor, left, founder of Taylor Electric, and Rufus Taylor, right.