In baseball, When an umpire calls the home team’s player “safe,” the crowd cheers. We also consider electrical workers returning home safely as a reason to celebrate, which is why we’re dedicating much of this month’s content to electrical and worker safety in honor of National Electrical Safety Month. (A special thanks to Greg Schlegel for modeling this for us on the cover.)

Sometimes safety starts before you ever get on-site. In “Error Proof,” Jeff Gavin leads us through the ins and outs of a technique called prevention through design.  It’s better to avoid and eliminate hazards before they even arise, wouldn’t you agree? You can read about it on page 24.

The codes are also a big source of electrical safety practices. Kyle Krueger explains how proper equipment maintenance that complies with NPFA 70B is one of the pillars of electrical safety. “Maintenance Matters” is on page 30. Then in “2027 NFPA 70E Update,” Jim Phillips begins a four-part series introducing us to what’s coming in the next edition of this important electrical safety standard. It’s on page 38.

Hazards on the job appear in familiar ways, day after day, and can drive complacency. Tom’ O’Connor covers a few common hazards, and how to fix them, in “The Slow Creep of Complacency” on page 66. 

Then, in “A High-Wire Act,” Katie Kuehner-Hebert discusses the importance of fall prevention for lineworkers working at heights, from hazard elimination to proper PPE. Read it on page 82.

Safety on the job isn’t all about physical hazards. As Mark Walter puts it in his President’s Desk letter, keeping our “top noggin” in shape is equally as important. Marlena Chertock writes about some of the programs specifically designed to promote mental well-being for construction workers. You can read “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” on page 52.

Susan Bloom then takes us to the World Trade Center Complex in New York. She tells us all about challenges and successes that Five Star Electric Corp. has experienced in rebuilding part of that complex in the wake of the tragedy experienced there 25 years ago. “A Project at the Center” is on page 74.

This month, we unfortunately have to say goodbye to one of our long-time writers, Tom Hammerberg. Thank you, Tom, for lending us your expertise for the last two decades in your Life Safety Systems column. Lucky for us, he’s introduced us to another great expert in this field, Larry Rietz, who will take over his column starting in July. You’ll find Tom’s final column with us, “Putting Strobes to Good Use,“ on page 86.

We hope this month’s stories inspire you to do everything you can to slide safely onto home plate.