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NECA Releases New and Updated Safety Tools

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) is rolling out 2012 with a renewed focus on workplace safety for electrical safety. The association will host its second Safety Professionals Conference in St. Louis, May 21-23, but in the meantime, several new and updated safety publications will help contractors and workers keep their resolutions to make 2012 their safest year ever.

“NFPA 70E is the bedrock when it comes to electrical safety, but the standard can seem intimidating and complex for some users,” said NECA Director of Safety Jerry Rivera. Rivera also spearheads NECA’s Safety Professionals Conference.

“We’ve worked hard to revise the NECA safety guides reflect the changes in NFPA 70E-2012 Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace," Rivera said. "We know that working in a de-energized environment is always the safest option, but it’s not always feasible. NECA’s safety products can offer practical guidelines for staying safe on any job, with easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations.”

New in 2012 is the Supervisors Guide to Job Site Safety. This field guide and companion training CD (available in March) will assist project supervisory staff in effectively implementing jobsite safety requirements. It provides a high-level review of NECA’s Standing Policy on Safety, planning, training and inspection requirements.

“Supervisors are instrumental in the success execution of jobsite safety, and this guide is a must-have for every supervisor’s toolbox when it comes to understanding their duties and responsibilities as related to safety,” Rivera said.

Also new this year is the Guide to Decision-Making: Energized vs. De-energized Work. The publication will be available in late February and offers a simplified approach when determining if working on circuits in an energized or de-energized state is justified. This guide includes hazard identification and assessment, energized work permit requirements and a decision making flow chart.

“There is no doubt that tough decisions need to be made, but the guide helps users make an informed decision and that is powerful in this process,” said Mike Johnston, NECA Executive Director, Standards and Safety. Johnston coordinates much of NECA’s participation with the National Fire Protection Association, the organization responsible for publishing the National Electrical Code and NFPA standards.

The energized vs. de-energized guide helps managers on the feasibility or inconvenience as it relates to of OSHA and NFPA 70E standard, common misconceptions, hazard identification, risk assessment, energized work permits and a flow chart that helps the project management staff in the decision making process. "Without a doubt, this will be one the most valuable guides that NECA has produced,” Johnston said.

The highly anticipated updates to NECA’s most popular safety publications, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Selector and Lockout/Tagout Guide, will also be available next month. Both guides have been revised and are current with NFPA 70E 2012.

NFPA standard 70E has become the driving force in the industry for the worksite protection needed by electrical contractors. However, applying this complex standard to determine what protective clothing and procedures should be worn in the field can be difficult. Both the PPE Selector and the LOTO Guide offer an overview of the standards and easy to follow links, either for selecting proper PPE or executing LOTO procedures. The PPE Selector identifies protective clothing and worksite equipment specified in NFPA 70E for different electrical tasks. Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) refers to specific practices and procedures to safeguard employees from the unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment or from the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities.

Full pricing information and release information for all 2012 NECA safety publications follows.

About NECA: NECA is the voice of the $130 billion electrical construction industry that brings power, light, and communication technology to buildings and communities across the U.S. NECA’s national office and local chapters advance the industry through advocacy, education, research and standards development. For more information, visit www.necanet.org.

Supervisors Guide to Jobsite Safety – Index Number 5125 (In stock)