Independent Electrical Contractors of New England

Empowering Electricians Since 1968.

1800 Silas Deane Hwy, Rear Building
Rocky Hill, CT 06067

- Substance abuse costs Connecticut employers millions of dollars every year in lost productivity and days away from work, increased healthcare costs, human resources activities, and other resource expenditures. In response, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced this week that it has published The Opioid Crisis and Connecticut’s Workforce, a multidisciplinary white paper that challenges conventional, “punitive discipline” human resource models as ineffective in addressing complex substance abuse issues in the workforce.

According to a U.S. study conducted by the Fire Protection Research Foundation concerning arc flash injury, the most common work task leading to arc flash injury is the replacement of fuses. Many workers do this without turning off the power and verifying that equipment is de-energized. From the study, arc flash injury has also accounted for 29 percent of electrical fatalities from 2003 to 2010 and 36 percent of non-fatal electrical injuries from 2004 to 2013 in the United States.

The new Building, Fire Safety and Fire Prevention Codes were approved by the Connecticut Legislative Regulation Review Committee at their meeting July 25. These codes will go into effect on October 1, 2018.

With any luck, you’ve never had to deal with someone vandalizing a job site you’ve worked on in an attempt to sell the wire as scrap. The thieves who do this typically slip (or break) in, cut off any available wire and make a break for it with bits and pieces of wire still hanging in place. In some cases, they actually damage the rest of the structure trying to get as much wire as they can grab. It can be a real blow, both because it comes as a shock and because there’s now a lot of work that has to be redone.

Electrical fires are sneaky, insidious and often odorless. They don’t produce smoke, so smoke detectors don’t immediately sound an alarm. When faulty or damaged electrical wiring heats up, it slowly begins to smolder. These types of fires can be so slow-burning that it can take months to actually ignite. Even worse, they can be very hard to extinguish once they take hold. It makes sense that the best approach is to prevent electrical fires instead of having to deal with one.

IN THIS EDITION: Workforce Policy IEC Participates in Congressional Apprenticeship Caucus Roundtable Perkins Legislation Advances in the Senate Labor Policy More Threatening Labor Legislation Introduced Supreme Court Rules Against Public Sector Unions Political Education Fund “College Night” at the IEC Convention

Electrical Construction and Maintenance Power management company Eaton has issued a product safety bulletin for certain Eaton Heavy Duty 30A and 60A Safety Switches intended for use in heavy commercial, utility, and industrial applications. The safety switches referenced in the bulletin can potentially supply power when the handle is in the “off” position, subjecting the operator of the switch or any downstream equipment to risk of serious bodily injury or death.

As the temperatures heat up, it’s time to review your warm weather safety standards for your electrical crew. While it’s important to stay on track while on working on projects or completing service calls for customers, you have a responsibility to protect your workers from exposure to temperature extremes. OSHA makes it easy for you to remember your responsibilities in this area, which come down to the organization’s three chosen keywords: Water, Rest, and Shade.