When it comes to mental well-being, sobering statistics abound. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimated that in 2020, one in five—52.9 million—U.S. adults lived with a mental illness. It is safe to assume...
Implementing a comprehensive safety program is crucial to protecting workers from occupational hazards. Simply having the framework doesn’t mean that employees are completely committed to creating and maintaining the safest...
They were truck partners. Mike Starner, now NECA director of outside line safety, and another troubleman in his 30s shared equipment and a truck to drive to work sites. “He was three or four years ahead of me, a peer, an...
Basic electrical theory is that the greater the load is, the greater the current. Normally, the current flows through conductors and various electrical components, but what if the current takes a different path? What if it...
In August 2020, lightning sparked unprecedented wildfires in parts of western Oregon. Fanned by dry winds from the east, the fires skipped over roads and natural fire breaks, spreading hundreds of miles on flying embers....
Not long ago, when a manufacturer decided to upgrade an assembly line, the power supply to a steel-bending machine needed an essential feature. Surge protection was required to prevent electrical damage to the machine’s...
Residents in Michigan wishing to grow marijuana in their homes—like those living in other states with legalized use—need to learn ahead of time how much energy it demands. They also should know the safety precautions to...
According to the ELECTRI International report, “Pandemics and Construction Productivity: Quantifying the Impact,” the COVID-19 pandemic is estimated to have reduced productivity in the construction sector by some 20%, based...
Cleaner, better managed and flexible energy may have found its vehicle. Called Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBs), this approach offers two-way power management between a utility and its customer. Stakeholders are...
It’s not news that construction work can be physically dangerous—there are roughly 150,000 construction-site injuries every year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What’s less documented is the toll construction...
Tool buyers thinking of purchasing a product may find that it is “ergonomic” or has an “ergonomic design.” Yet often there is no explanation about what makes the tool ergonomic. For many, ergonomics is a feature added to a...
Prefabrication activities are pervading the electrical contracting industry. Following, three contractors share how they’re engaging in prefab as a way to reduce costs and meet aggressive deadlines in an increasingly...
Imagine this: you have solar panels on your house that generate more energy than you need, so you decide to sell your excess energy. You go to an online marketplace, where you have the ability to sell the energy to your local...
Cellphones are as ubiquitous as the workers on your job sites, and with or without strict rules of usage, these handheld, ever-smarter devices provide distractions and benefits to electricians, managers and companies. How to...
Software has so many applications. A variety of software programs help construction workers facilitate daily tasks, such as project and tool management, BIM, estimating, payroll and more. However, collaborative software is...
There’s a future for electric cars that involves more than driving. Vehicle Grid Integration (VGI) occurs when electric vehicles (EV) and charging stations interact with the electrical grid. This interplay could be one more...
Every work day on U.S. construction sites, there are more than 1,100 incidents that damage underground utilities, according to Common Ground Alliance’s (CGA) 2019 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT), released in October...
In 2017, Heather Escalante’s husband Chris, a traveling apprentice, fell 35 feet on the job. He injured his hip and wrist and sustained a traumatic brain injury. The doctors informed him that it may take years for him to...
You only have to look at recent California wildfires to understand why line contractors and electric utilities are more interested than ever in managing their line infrastructure. In several cases, fires have been linked...
Performing an arc flash study can be complex enough, but the latest edition of IEEE 1584—IEEE Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations has taken it to a whole new level. A lot has changed since arc flash studies...
