According to a May 2021 report from the National Safety Council (NSC), the organization “cautiously supports” the CDC’s May 2021 recommendations that fully vaccinated individuals can relax safety protocols, such as mask...
In May 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released its guidance for employers, “What You Should Know about COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and other EEO Laws,” which covers COVID-19 in the...
According to the results of the latest American Staffing Association’s Workforce Monitor survey (conducted from June 10 to June 14 by The Harris Poll among 2,066 U.S. adults aged 18 and older), nearly six in ten U.S. adults...
In March 2020, life in the United States seemed to come to an abrupt halt. Efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 forced many of us to turn spare closets and kitchen corners into home offices. Images of empty rush-hour...
The National Safety Council (NSC), Itasca, Ill., has observed June as National Safety Month since 1996. This annual observance aims to promote a culture of safety both in and out of the workplace. For its 25th anniversary...
According to a report from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 depends largely on one’s occupation. Overall, while hesitancy to receive a vaccine...
What have we learned from the pandemic? Regardless of where we are in the design and installation process, how we approach the work we normally perform has changed. Hopefully, we have also learned some important business...
Today’s global concern about germs and germicidal treatment makes it a fortuitous moment for disinfectant LED lighting. While it remains a nascent area as research continues, markets are broadening and companies with...
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...
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...
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need for comprehensive guidelines to protect workers from infectious diseases has never been more apparent. OSHA’s General Duty Clause (29 USC 654) and protections laid out in the agency’s...
According to a report from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), Arlington, Va., construction employment declined by 61,000 jobs in February, while the sector’s unemployment rate increased to 9.6% amid severe...
With the emergence of new approaches to office layouts combined with the changing demands on work settings during the pandemic, office environments have been a hotbed of re-evaluation and transformation, and so have the needs...
In a single year, electrical contractors have redefined job-site safety—minimizing the risk of disease transmission while maintaining efforts to protect workers from injury. Indoor work, tasks that can’t be done while social...
While utilities are working hard to make sure their employees receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, since their work is critical to the running of the nation, many of these utilities are going above and beyond by offering to...
Essential workers in blue-collar industries—including construction—are less likely to opt for a COVID-19 vaccine than those who work in more white-collar sectors, according to research by Morning Consult, New York. While...
According to a new report from the National Safety Council (NSC), Itasca, Ill., “State of the Response: The Future World of Work,” continued remote work, increased focus on flexible work arrangements and a renewed commitment...
The electrical construction industry hasn’t been spared the need for new safety protocols that minimize exposure to the coronavirus in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency...
On Jan. 29, OSHA announced that it is issuing stronger worker safety guidance to help employers and workers implement a coronavirus prevention program and to better identify risks that could lead to exposure and contraction...
According to a new white paper co-published by NECA, the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), Rockville, Md., and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), Chantilly, Va...
