Boomers Poised to Change Pace of Retirement
from the San Francisco Business Times
Gary McDowell retired three years ago from his job as chief electrical inspector for the city of Sacramento. Now, the 70-year-old spends almost as much time teaching the young workers who will replace him about the profession. The future shortage of workers is about more than numbers; there is a serious lack of the skilled workers required to keep the state -- and nation -- competitive. More

Electrical Safety Gets a Boost
from Occupational Safety
There are 600 to 800 electrical accidents in Canada every year – not to mention related deaths. To help reduce that number, the Canadian Standards Association has come out with a new standard that deals with electrical safety and ties into the 2009 edition of the Canadian Electrical Code. More

IAEI Seeks New Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director
from IAEI
The International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) is seeking an energetic, experienced professional from the electrical industry or inspection community to be its next Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director. The successful candidate should have experience in the technical aspects of the electrical industry equally balanced with skills in overall organizational management. Applications must be received by June 1, 2009. More

Low Voltage but Not Low Risk
from Electrical Contractor Magazine
The good news is that the electrical current through low-voltage cabling—such as telecommunications, security or video—is not strong enough to cause a fatal electric shock. The bad news is there still are very real safety risks when performing low-voltage installations. More

Seattle Adopts New Electrical Code
from the City of Seattle
Seattle Mayor Nickels signed into law an ordinance adopting the 2008 National Electrical Code (NEC) with Seattle amendments. The effective date for the new code is June 6, 2009. After June 6, applications for electrical permits will be subject to the requirements of the 2008 NEC and Seattle amendments. More

Coordinated Protection for Critical Environments
from Consulting Specifying-Engineer
There's no doubt that a sudden power failure can have a dramatic effect on business, especially in a facility with critical operations. Isolating a fault condition to the smallest area possible is essential in providing the most reliable electrical system with maximum uptime for the facility. But expensive electronic distribution protection equipment might not be worth the extra cost unless a proper protective device coordination study is provided by an experienced engineer. More

Electrical Dangers in Older Homes Add Urgency to Community Service Project
from the National Electrical Contractors Association
For the sixth year in a row, the Electrical Connection is upgrading electrical installations in low-income homes for the Rebuilding Together campaign – but this time with greater urgency. That’s because a first-ever study recently issued by the Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) sheds light on the heightened susceptibility of aging homes to electrical fires spawned by outdated and/or improperly installed electrical infrastructure. More

Australia Plans World's Biggest Solar Power Station
from the Shanghai Daily
Australia plans to build the world's largest solar power station with an output of 1,000 megawatts in a A$1.4 billion (US$1.05 billion) investment, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said. The plant would have three times the generating capacity of the current biggest solar-powered electricity plant, which is in California More