I want to start by thanking all NETA members and Board members for their support and trust to help lead the organization as I step into my term as President. It truly is an honor to be part of such a first-class organization that’s so well-respected all across the world and to be able to represent and lead it is …
With over 15 years’ experience at Magna IV Engineering in Edmonton, AB, Canada, this technician-turned-trainer explains why preserving our legacy knowledge is the best way to keep people safe. NW: What attracted you to the electrical testing profession? Balitski: In high school, I excelled in math and physics, so one of my instructors encouraged me to explore engineering. My father …
Foreword by Ron Widup, Shermco Industries On June 9, 2021, I received this text message from Vickie White, wife of Jim White: Jim is free and home with God. June 9, 2021 @ 4:55 AM was his appointed time. And that was that. Jim the fighter, the guy who would never give up, the person you could always count on …
A change in NETA leadership occurs every two years, with the transition to a new president recognized as an important part of the association’s history and a key to its longevity and progress. NETA World’s custom is to share the outgoing president’s perspective in a thoughtful and reflective interview. Outgoing President Scott Blizard has been Vice President and Chief Operating …
ANSI/NETA ETT–2018 REVISION SCHEDULED FOR 2021 ANSI/NETA ETT, Standard for Certification of Electrical Testing Technicians, 2018 Edition is in the process of revision. The initial ballot was completed July 2021. Suggested comments and revisions will be reviewed by the Standards Review Council in fall 2021. A second ballot is scheduled for late 2021. The revised edition of ANSI/NETA ATS is …
Changes in the CSA Z462, Workplace electrical safety Standard are slowing down. Good news! That said, the 2021 Edition includes significant reorganization of content in Clause 4.1 and Clause 4.3, changes to existing annexes and some new annexes, and a significant change to the Arc Flash PPE Category Method of determining “additional protective measures” for a work task’s arc flash …
The new NFPA 70B, Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance closed its First Draft balloting on June 11, 2021, at 11:59 PM EDT. Much work has been done — and will continue to be done — by the committee members. This has been a huge re-write with chapters added, moved, renamed, and completely revamped. Material that was anything but a …
NETA supports two main CSA standards in Canada: CSA Z462, Workplace Electrical Safety and CSA Z463, Maintenance of Electrical Systems. Both of these standards are entering a new revision phase. TWO NEW TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CHAIRS CSA Z462 is now chaired by Daniel Roberts. Daniel is well-known in electrical safety circles as an expert in electrical shock and arc flash exposure mitigation as …
Installed wind power capacity in the United States has been growing at an incredible pace during the last two decades. In the middle of 2020, the total American wind power capacity was nearly 110,000 MW with over 60,000 turbines installed (Figure 1). It is known that power equipment used to connect renewables faces very specific and increased stress when sources of …
The design life of a transformer is usually about 20 to 25 years. In the United States, estimates show the average age of a transformer is currently around 42 years, which means a number of even older units are still in service. As with all things, transformers age and degrade over time. Transformer failures can come from a variety of …