Mobile service employees working on temporary residential and commercial job sites face unique challenges, including airborne toxins (such as mold), driving hazards, vermin, unruly pets and even poisonous animals. Fortunately...
Heat waves and intense summer temperatures can be deadly, especially for those that work in physical jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics'(BLS) most recent data, 38 workers died from exposure to temperature...
Multi-employer work sites can be a challenging environment from a safety standpoint. At any given moment, a variety of specialty and subcontractors could be working at one location. These may range from demolition contractors...
In 1994, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched its "Focus Four" initiative, targeting the top four safety hazards in construction: falls from heights, electrocution, crushing injuries (such as...
Even though wiremen, electricians and other electrical workers are familiar with the dangers of electricity and energized equipment, they far too often overlook or neglect simple, essential safety practices. This behavior...
For electrical contractors involved in solar roof installations who think that the same Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety requirements apply to their workers that apply to roofers, a recent court...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is sometimes thought of as an organization focused on the negative—always looking for what is going wrong in a workplace. But it’s with good reason the organization...
Demolition and renovation work present unique hazards that, unfortunately, often are overlooked and result in job-related injuries and fatalities. These dangers can be controlled and eliminated with the appropriate planning...
According to the latest annual report published by FireStarter Speaking and Consulting, "2019 People in Construction Report," employees in construction and construction-related jobs feel relatively satisfied in most respects...
Last week, OSHA announced the availability of $10.5 million in training grants for nonprofit organizations, including employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, state-funded colleges and...
Since the first crude ladder-like climbing device was used thousands of years ago, there have been fall hazards. Ladder manufacturers today make safety a top priority, and their products include multiple design features to...
According to the NFPA’s Trends and Patterns of U.S. Fire Loss report in 2017, “The fire death rate per million population fell 70% from 34.4 in 1977 to 10.2 in 2015.” The decline is largely attributed to the increased...
We must consider safety issues when installing a fire alarm system, interconnecting to other building systems, and testing and/or repairing fire alarm systems. We must also consider occupant safety during an alarm...
If you go to eBay to buy a voltage relay, you might choose Omron—oops, actually that’s Omrch. It’s a counterfeit part. It looks like Omron. Except, it’s fake. Omron relays are real. Omrch relays are fake. On the technology...
Facing tight budgets, an aging workforce and increasingly stringent safety standards, building managers are looking to third parties for electrical safety maintenance solutions. That means electrical contractors, who...
According to the National Weather Service, the 30-year average for weather-related fatalities from 1988–2017 puts heat as the most frequent with 134 deaths per year, followed by flood at 85 per year and tornado at 69 per year...
Safety—Then and Now In 1970, President Richard Nixon signed into law the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, a new program that would create regulations to improve safety in the workplace. The Occupational Safety and...
If you think there is no cost to skimping on safety, think again. In 2018, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued 29,416 citations and $87 million in penalties in the construction industry. Resulting...
Safety is a critical component of every work environment, especially in the electrical industry. Every year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) most-documented injuries, illnesses and deaths involve...
The word that comes to mind when I look back at my NECA Now 2019 experience in Phoenix is “tremendous.” It was an energizing example of what the electrical construction industry is all about. As the new National Electrical...
