Stay in Compliance! Learn which tasks require PPE and which don’t. Users will be able to understand and apply the provisions found in the 2018 revision of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)’s Standards for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, NFPA 70E. Effectively apply the personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements of NFPA 70E, “Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace,” with the PPE app.

The app provides a simplified approach and understanding to job site PPE requirements by providing an in-app job task analysis, briefings examples and risk assessment tools with detailed requirement explanations. The app also provides users with Arc Flash PPE categories, glove charts, and specific PPE options for both direct and alternating current requirements. Visit necanet.org/ppeapp for purchase, or search for “NECA 70E PPE Selector Guide” in your App Store today.

Registration is open for the NECA District IX Council Meeting set for June 24 – 27, 2019, in Monterey, CA. The itinerary includes the General Council meeting and educational sessions, presentations by Politico Group and optional golf events. The full itinerary can be viewed by clicking here.

All meetings will take place at the Intercontinental, The Clement on Cannery Row. Rooms are selling fast and will likely sell out. Please contact Julie Russell with the Chapter office if you would like to book a room for the District IX Meeting. The cancellation policy is generous, so if you are interested in attending, we will be able to book a room now and register your attendance at a later date.

Your company’s education credits may be used towards reimbursement on many of the costs incurred attending the District IX Meeting. For information on how to use education credits offered with your company’s membership, please contact the Chapter office.

California has become the first state in the country to require that all new homes be built with solar panels. The mandate is aimed at reducing California’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.

The California Energy Commission voted unanimously to recommend energy efficiency standards that are set to be added to state building standards later this year, effecting all construction after January 1, 2020. Under the new rules, builders will be required to either build each new home with its own solar power system or build a shared solar power system to serve a group of homes. In addition to single family homes, the requirement will also apply to apartment and condominium complexes of three stories or less.

The solar panel rule next goes before the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC), which typically adopts recommendations from the energy commission. CBSC is expected to take up the matter in October or November.

September 30th marked the deadline for the Governor to act on measures sent to him in 2018. On the final day, the Governor signed the remaining two bills from NECA’s 2018 legislative package. In all, Governor Brown signed four of five NECA priority sponsored/co-sponsored/supported measures. Our continued success in improving the industry through pushing issues in Sacramento reflects your supports. Click here to view a brief summary of each new law (and the one bill that was vetoed).

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has updated the National Emphasis Program (NEP) on preventing trenching and excavation collapses in response to a recent spike in trenching fatalities. OSHA’s NEP will increase education efforts wile its inspectors will record trenching and excavation inspections in a national reporting system, and each area OSHA office will develop outreach programs.

The emphasis program began October 1st, with a three-month period of education and prevention outreach. During this period, OSHA will continue to respond to complaints, referrals, hospitalizations and fatalities. Enforcement activities will begin after the outreach period and remain in effect until canceled. OSHA-approved State Plans are expected to have enforcement procedures that are at least as effective as those in this instruction.

OSHA has developed a series of compliance assistance resources to help keep workers safe from trenching and excavation hazards. The trenching and excavation webpage provides information on trenching hazards and solutions.

With over 100 years of active support in the National Electrical Code (NEC) development process, NECA continues to be recognized as the leading voice of electrical contractors in the development of industry codes and standards. Because our members turn to us for these important updates, NECA has launched the first edition of its new digital subscription, the Codes & Standards Update.

This monthly update provides NECA member contractors and industry professionals with an email containing recent happenings in codes and standards and important announcements relating to job site rules and regulations, the NEC and NECA’s National Electrical Installation Standards (NEIS).

In a major victory for the union construction industry, Governor Brown has signed AB 1654 which we were strongly supportive of. This measure waives the California Private Attorney’s General Act (PAGA) within the construction industry for employees and employers covered by a valid Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) who agree to waive PAGA in the CBA.

Paga provides employees with a private right of action against a California employer in order to collect penalties on behalf of the state’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) for labor code violations.

Specifically, AB 1654 waives PAGA claims (authorized under California Labor Code Section 2698-2699.5) related to the Construction Industry for employers and employees that engaged in a CBA that expressly provides for:

• Wages, hours of work, working conditions, premium wage rates for overtime, and provides an hourly wage of not less than 30% more than the minimum wage.
• A grievance and binding arbitration procedure to redress violations.
• A waiver that addresses the requirements of PAGA in clear and unambiguous terms and authorizes the arbitrator to award any and all remedies otherwise available under PAGA (paying penalties to the state is specifically banned under the new law).

On Friday, September 14th, the San Joaquin Area Apprenticeship Coordinators Association held its 14th annual Construction Trades Fair at the NECA/IBEW Local 595 Training Center. Following months of planning, the event witnessed over 700 high school students from multiple Central Valley schools, receiving hands-on demonstrations in various crafts represented by the Building Trades. The students also received a presentation from our Local 595E Training Coordinator Garrett Greer on expectations of establishing a career in the trades.

In the electrical industry, counterfeits are estimated to be a multi-million-dollar problem. From circuit breakers that do not trip when they should to batteries without vents for built-up gases to grounding rods with only a fraction of the required copper coating, counterfeit electrical products fail to meet standards and pose risks of injury and even death. Furthermore, contractors may be liable if they install a counterfeit product, and for year, manufacturers have considered contractors the men and women on the front lines in the battle against counterfeiters.

On September 19th, join ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR and Eaton in an investigation of counterfeit electrical products. Attendees will learn how to quickly identify at-risk and suspect packaging, extraneous marks and labeling, product modification, and how counterfeit products are sold. Attendees will also learn how today’s technology is being used to help contractors easily detect counterfeits in the marketplace, along with intuitive digital tools to assist contractors in the field. Click here to learn more and register today!

NECA will host a Student/Contractor Meet-and-Greet on Saturday, September 29th, at 3:00 PM during the 2018 NECA Convention in Philadelphia. Designed to meet your recruitment needs, this event will connect you with students and faculty from across the country to establish new relationships in an effort to build a pipeline of future electrical contracting industry workers. Please click here to register for this Meet-and-Greet by Tuesday, September 12th.