NECA Safety Round Up

"What's Your Plan, for and after retirement." Listen to real-world preparations for starting retirement. No, not the financial plan, your activity plan. We all know that staying active is key to staying healthy and engaged. Craig's advice is for everyone, from those entering the trade to those entering retirement as we speak.

Join Wes Wheeler and Tom Domitrovitch as they have a candid conversation on NEMA, NFPA 70E, Electrical Safety innovations and industry trends. This was featured during Arc Week Presentations but presented here to ensure all NECA Safety Round Up viewers and listeners have an opportunity to hear this important message.

Please join NECA and one of our member company’s safety professionals discussing the dangers of heat for our Spanish speaking workers in the construction industry. Heat affects everyone and we anted to provide a specific message to this community, in their own language, on the symptoms, precautions and details in understanding OSHA’s new proposed rulemaking on Heat Regulations. Jon Atteberry, VP of Safety for Alterman had his team prepare this message for the NECA Safety Round Up and NECA encourages you to share this video podcast with any and all Hispanic workers that could benefit from this discussion.

Neil Tolson, Executive Director of the Electrical Industry Certifications Association (EICA) sits down with Mike and Wes to discuss how his organization is tackling unique challenges faced by the electrical industry. Cranes are a critically important tool in electrical construction but requirements around competency, qualifications, and certifications can be a lot to understand. Neil lays out what you need to know about operator certification, how the organization came to be, and what they are working on next.

Join Mike Starner and Wesley Wheeler as they welcome Mike Gillette from NFPA to join them in this month’s Safety Round up Podcast. The relationship that NECA has with NFPA is very important. NECA participates on Technical Committees for many NFPA Standards including NFPA 70 – The National Electrical Code, NFPA 70E The Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace and NFPA 70B – The Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance. While there are also many other standards that NECA has representation on, such as fire alarm and healthcare, working together, NECA and NFPA can ensure that installation, safety and maintenance issues are address to provide employee and employer protections.

Please join us for this month's episode of the NECA Safety Round Up where we welcome Stephanie Adamec, NECA Executive Director of Education, and Emily Huesman, Associate Director for Education Development for NECA as we kick off the registration of the 2025 NECA Safety Professionals Institute, a one of a kind, educational program for up and coming safety professionals to learn how to manage day to day, their company safety management system and programs related to risk management. Hear about the success of the 2024 NSPI and find out if you qualify to attend the 2025 program in Washington DC, we look forward to having you join us.

This month, Mike and Wes welcome Alex Kopp from The Association of Union Constructors and Justin Crandol, from the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association about the recent White House initiative to provide Naloxone/NARCAN training to workers in the construction industry and how their associations are also addressing this important issue with programs across the country. Jointly, all associations are recommending that this life saving medication be available on all worksites and that all workers are trained in recognizing the signs and symptoms of Opioid Overdose and how to use Naloxone to treat overdose victims. NECA looks forward to you joining Mike, Wes and their guests for this timely conversation.

May is the month we celebrate Construction Safety Week, the OSHA Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, Electrical Safety Month and the NECA Safety Professionals Conference. This NECA Safety Round Up episode will feature a timely discussion around fall prevention as Alex Kopp, Safety Director with TAUC and Justin Crandol, Safety Director with SMACNA, join Mike Starner and Wes Wheeler in the studio and discuss this important topic. This year, NECA is signed on to be a Premier Partner with OSHA and their fall prevention initiatives as well as sponsoring many member and industry stand downs across the country. Come learn why Fall Protection is so important and why fall protection training should be on everyone's mind.

Falls have been recognized as a leading cause of death and injury in construction. Traumatic Brain Injuries or TBIs account for 25% of all construction fatalities and many are associated with falls. Justin Azbill, Milwaukee Tool's National EHS Director joins NECA's Wes Wheeler and Mike Starner to discuss statistics, innovation, and best practices that can help keep your workers stay safe and healthy.

Managing the safety of North America's largest craft workforce is a tall order, thankfully Quanta Services has just the man for the job. Matt Compher, Sr. Vice President, S.H.E. joins NECA's Wes Wheeler and Mike Starner to discuss how Quanta is looking at safety differently by engaging with their employees and developing innovative concepts that result in the Capacity to fail safely."

"Join Wes Wheeler and Mike Starner from NECA as they welcome Scott Ketcham, Director, and Tim Irving, Assistant Director from OSHA Directorate of Construction into the NECA office to talk about OSHA initiatives, emphasis programs and the state of safety in our construction industry. From Proper Fit for PPE for all workers, Heat regulations and the industry changes that are coming from transitioning from Hardhats to Helmets, it was great discussion that was supportive, enlightening and gave of all a glimpse of what Scott and Tim like to do in their spare time. Please join us for this edition of the NECA Safety Roundup Podcast."

Wes Wheeler, the NECA Executive Director of Safety, Keith Wheeler, the president of HR Resources of the Carolinas, and Sharon Lipinski, the CEO of Habit Mastery Consulting, will co-present their research findings into how senior leaders impact the effectiveness of an organization’s safety program and key measures for gauging the level of senior leader buy-in. We’ll also share real-world stories on how safety professionals have increased executive buy-in to create a more successful safety program.

OSHA Outreach Training Program provides awareness training for entry level workers new to the job. Over the years, this program is now being recognized as "Task-based Safety Training" by many employers, workers, and pre-qualification companies which is beyond OSHA's initial intent. Join Mike Starner and myself as we welcome Palmer Hickman with the Electrical Training Alliance to discuss proper training in the construction industries.

Join Mike Starner and Wes Wheeler from NECA as they follow up their last podcast discussion on incident response with this month’s topic of how to conduct proper incident investigations. Understanding that the goal is to determine what root causes and contributing factors attributed to the incident, and not who should be blamed, but instead, help everyone to learn from and hopefully prevent similar occurrences in the future.

"How prepared are you for an effective incident response? Learn how to define your organization's response to an unexpected event so when it occurs, not if, you are ready. NECA's Wes Wheeler and Mike Starner discuss best practices for incident response that ensure the right care is provided and the right information is gathered."

NECA's Wes Wheeler and Mike Starner speak with Chapter Executive at American Line Builders, Kevin Moran, about challenges faced by safety professionals trying to implement innovative ideas that may or may not conflict with collective bargaining agreements.

Join NECA's Safety Directors, Wes Wheeler and Mike Starner as they discuss safety leadership with NSPC presenter and author, David McPeak

"NECA has developed the NECA Safety Professionals Institute to address the need for comprehensive safety training in the electrical industry for its member employers and their employees. The NECA Safety Professionals Institute will equip participants with essential knowledge and skills to ensure workplace safety and prevent incidents, accidents, injuries, and fatalities. By investing in this training, NECA contractors, from both the Outline Line, and Inside Electrical Industries, can prioritize workplace safety and protect their employees, contributing to long-term success. Join Wes, Mike and Emily as they discuss some key tenets of this program in today's Safety Round Up Podcast."

Job Briefings, JSAs, JHAs and Stop Work Authority are important for all projects, both in inside electrical work as well as outside line and utility construction and maintenance. Taking the time to prepare all workers for the tasks involved and ensuring everyone is qualified to perform those tasks is the subject of our conversation today. Whether it is NFPA 70E or 1910.269/1926 Subpart V, following the correct steps and conducting a proper Job Briefing, will remind all workers to prepare for all of the hazards they may face. For more information following this Safety Round Up Podcast, check out a video created on this topic from NECA at https://www.necanet.org/programs/safety/safety-videos-resources .