Virtual Safety Tour on ElectricTV.Net Exposes Common Construction Hazards

BETHESDA, MD, January 19, 2009 –- Every year, on-the-job accidents cost U.S. building

owners billions of dollars – and cause worker pain, long recuperations and even death. But

when construction owners take a more proactive role in exposing hazards, recent studies

reveal, job site safety gets a shot in the arm.

Simple steps owners can take to increase safety on construction job sites – and

significantly reduce costs – are highlighted in a four-minute report now included in the latest

edition of ElectricTV.net. A joint production of the National Electrical Contractors Association

(NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), ElectricTV.net is the

only web TV program dedicated to reporting the latest developments in the electrical

construction and information systems industries.

In this informative program, Jim Dollard, Safety Director of IBEW Local 98, leads viewers

through a tour of a high-rise construction project in Philadelphia, pointing out common hazards

and offering practical solutions owners can take to make their sites safer. “The number one

hazard on a job site is falling,” Dollard notes. Yet protecting workers from life-threatening falls is

but one of the many precautions explored. Other areas include secure footing, ladder safety and

how to tell if electrical boxes are hot or not.

Also on this edition of ElectricTV.net is a segment on how the city of Ann Arbor,

Michigan, is cutting their energy costs in half by turning to LED lighting; a feature detailing the

many advantages a design/build electrical contractor brings to a construction project; and a

spotlight on how NECA/IBEW's unique training programs are preparing the green workers

America needs both today and tomorrow.

To view, visit http://electrictv.net/safetywalk.aspx.

strong>ABOUT NECA AND IBEW

Through their joint marketing organization – the National Labor-Management Cooperation

Committee (NLMCC) of the organized electrical construction industry – NECA and IBEW

together work to:

• Reach customers with accurate information about the industry; and

• Achieve better internal communication between labor and management.

NECA has provided over a century of service to the $130 billion electrical construction

industry that brings power, light and communication technology to buildings and communities

across the United States. NECA's national office and 119 local chapters advance the industry

through advocacy, education, research and standards development.

With 725,000 members who work in a wide variety of fields – including construction,

utilities, telecommunications and manufacturing – IBEW is among the largest member unions in

the AFL-CIO. IBEW was founded in 1891.

For more information, visit www.thequalityconnection.org

Contact:

Mark Walston

Phone: 301-919-8755

[email protected]