Safety requirements are getting stricter due to updates to the Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution (1910.269) and Electrical Protective Equipment (1926 subpart V) standards from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) has announced the winners of its 2015 NECA Safety Award Program, which recognizes companies that excel in multiple areas of their safety and health programs.

Workers at a United States Postal Service (USPS) mail sorting facility were exposed to electrical hazards, OSHA inspectors found, and it wasn’t the first USPS location to have such hazards.

Portland, Ore., lineman Kurt Shriver, who traveled to the South American nation of Suriname in October to help launch a new safety training program for linemen, knew he was bringing knowledge that was sorely lacking. But the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local125 member was still surprised at conditions faced by workers at EBS, the state-run utility.

Because Reynolds Nationwide did not test the atmosphere and properly ventilate the air in food transport tankers before allowing workers to enter, those workers risked potentially lethal suffocation caused by dangerous fumes, according to OSHA, which has levied $179,000 in fines against the company.

Paul Holum from Elk River, Minn. has been named the winner in the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) NEC Challenge– a competition that pits electrical professionals and experts against each other in a test of National Electrical Code® knowledge and experience.

Avoid electrical hazards! – Look for overhead power lines before handling a ladder. Avoid using a metal ladder near power lines or exposed energized electrical equipment.