August means hot sun, ramped-up outdoor work and (hopefully) some vacations. Don’t worry, we have your reading material covered with these issues of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR and SAFETY LEADER wherever you choose to relax.
No matter if you’re traveling or not, in this issue we get to go to South America with Derek Vigstol, where he ran an NFPA 70E electrical safety training course. Electrical hazards are universal, so having experienced instructors share this information is critical. Derek also learned some unexpected lessons from his students. Read “Southward Bound” on page 4.
Understanding who influences the safety culture of an organization and a job site is the focus of “The Culture of a Safe Work Site,” page 8. Claire Swedberg identifies some key aspects of how this culture manifests within a company and the possible actions an employer can take to truly drive safety. The question we would like to ask you is, “Who drives safety in your company?” Email Wes at [email protected] with your answer.
Summer is typically the time for major construction projects, especially those that involve underground installations. Knowing what is down there before digging can help keep workers and the public safe from potentially serious incidents. On page 14, Jeff Griffin’s “Ground Control to 811” provides useful information to help electrical workers avoid hazards resulting from damaging underground utilities such as gas, water, sewer and communications.
Don’t forget, registration is open for the inaugural NECA Safety Professionals Institute this fall. This course is for newly appointed safety professionals. For more information, please visit https://www.necanet.org/education/neca-safety-professionals-institute.
Since SAFETY LEADER was created in 2020, we have amassed many outstanding articles by our writers, subject matter experts and staff. You can access them all at ecmag.com and ecmagdigital.com. If you receive some inspiration on what topics you would like to see covered in these pages while you’re catching some rays (or anytime), email Julie at [email protected].
About The Author
Julie Mazur
Managing Editor, Electrical Contractor magazineJulie Mazur is the managing editor of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR, Safety Leader and Line Contractor magazines. Before coming to ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR, she was an editor at Knight-Ridder/Tribune newspapers and the Los Angeles Times and taught English as a foreign language in Egypt and Japan. As managing editor, Julie oversees the whole publishing arc. She plans and assigns the stories for every issue, works with writers and designers and interacts with the printing plant. She has a mass communications B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. Go Bears!
Permanently retired from ziplining, Julie is an enthusiastic sports spectator and radio listener. She likes to read, exercise and cook.
Wesley L. Wheeler
Executive Director of Safety, NECAWHEELER, SMS, CESCP, is NECA’s executive director of safety and is a Safety Management Specialist through the BCSP and Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional through NFPA. He is technical committee member on NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, Code-Making Panels, and a former technical committee member on NFPA 70E. He also served as an employer representative on the OSHA ACCSH Committee from 2019-2023. Reach him at [email protected].
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