Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

Like many of you, I’ve started a small collection of battery-powered outdoor yard tools that now includes a chain saw, hedge trimmer, leaf blower, grass clippers and lawn mow

Arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) protection is now a requirement in most areas of a home, and it’s not difficult to understand why the National Electrical Code (NEC) makes this demand. Basically, a lot of us don’t pay a whole lot of attention to what – and how – we plug into our wall outlets, and this can lead to serious fire risks over time.

When I was doing electrical work in the processing plant, time was important. While I was the only one working on a project in many cases, often I worked side by side with contractors in other crafts.

I'm working on upgrading the electrical outlets around the outside of our house. In addition to adding more receptacles around the perimeter, I'm finally getting around to "electrifying" the shed and lean-to in the backyard.

In the food processing plant where I cut my electrical teeth, there were ceiling drops for sticker guns to label bagged product. Some of the workers complained about getting shocked off the stainless still bins that held the product. Adding inline GFCIs helped (although some still complained, even when no voltage was present).

Some facilities are changing their requirements for motor and appliance installations. This could be due to OSHA Lock-out and Tag-out requirements or NFPA 70E. The change is toward using pin and sleeve devices instead of having a hard-wired installation.

Safety requirements often have the maintenance person checking for the absence of voltage before touching. The rules are quite specific and are enforced by OSHA.