As we enter into the fall season, temperatures are starting to come down, the leaves are turning, and the game of football is cranking up. As we go through football season this year, you will undoubtedly hear many times that it’s “a game of inches.” Football being a game of inches was highlighted in a memorable way by actor Al …
Safety Testing of EV Chargers
Electric vehicles are prominently heralded as the trend of the future, a vital part of many planned economies’ efforts to combat global warming, widespread pollution, and the squandering of resources. But there has also been negative publicity over safety issues like car fires. The key to enjoying the best of both worlds — excellent performance under complete safety — is …
Safety
Safety is an important consideration for any workplace and for NETA Certified Technicians. ANSI/NETA MTS-2019 recognizes that an overwhelming majority of the tests and inspections carried out by NETA Certified Technicians are potentially hazardous. It is essential that workers are aware of the hazards involved with the tasks they perform. QUESTIONS What United States regulatory agency exists regarding workplace …
Performing Personnel Audits
They are called many things — observations, audits, assessments — but they are all intended to accomplish the same task: Evaluate the people in the field performing the task at hand. Generally, you observe an employee doing a task, then audit or assess whether performance of the task meets expectation. These inspections can be performed by any level within a …
Improving Safety in the Field
Becoming a great company doesn’t happen overnight. Instead, it is about small, incremental steps as we progress down the road of becoming better and better at what we do and how we do it. This is the most critical as it relates to our safety processes and safety culture. It is important to note that the first step in making …
Sync Check Supervision
The purpose of the sync check function (25) is to ensure that the voltage magnitude, phase angle, and frequency of the generator (VX) and the utility system (VS) are within a set of acceptable limits before the generator is synchronized with the system via closing the circuit breaker that connects them (Figure 1). An improper sync can result in electrical …
A Safety Reminder
Summer is in full swing across the country, and I want to take some time to focus on safety. You’ll find many of our articles in this edition of NETA World revolve around some aspect of safety. Our cover story continues the discussion of the 2018 changes to the arc flash calculation process in IEEE 1584. (Editor’s note: Catch up …
Ground Faults in Photovoltaic Systems
Solar farms, which are exposed to the elements, are especially at risk for failure and require dedicated electrical maintenance. Good grounding is essential, as the panels produce high DC voltages that can be sources of shock and fire, as well as induced voltages and electromagnetic interference on lines. With respect to grounding, there are two types of photovoltaic (PV) systems: …
Arc-Flash Reduction Techniques
As NETA Certified Technicians, many of the tests and inspections performed may expose workers to electrical hazards. ANSI/NETA MTS, Standard for Maintenance Testing Specifications for Electrical Power Equipment & Systems specifies that individuals performing these tests shall be qualified and capable of conducting the tests in a safe manner and with complete knowledge of the hazards involved. One of these …
Vehicle Safety for the Workforce
Commuting to and from work by vehicle is a daily routine for many. The COVID pandemic has changed how some organizations operate, forcing many employees to work remotely, but for those who need to be on the job doing physical work, the commute never stopped. For some, driving to a jobsite, client sites, the shop, the parts supplier, and everything …









