December 2007
Cover Story
Mortgage Fallout
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Beck Ireland, Staff Writer
Over the past two years, the seesaw that is the construction industry economy was kept level by a thriving non-residential sector. Industry analysis performed...
Other Features
Faces of the Future
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Amy Florence Fischbach, Contributing Writer
Electrical contracting firms are on the hunt for the next generation of electrical workers due to the looming retirement of Baby Boomers. Valley Electrical...
Negotiation 101
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Brad Dawson, LTV Dynamics
Are you an effective negotiator? If not, don't be too quick to place the blame solely on your own shoulders. Most electrical contractors learn to negotiate...
Supervisory Skills for New Managers
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Bob Mitchell, Integrated Management Group
New supervisors play a key role in any organization's growth and development for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that their main responsibility...
Bragging Rights
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Beck Ireland, Staff Writer
With overall construction spending in the black and double-digit increases for non-residential construction in the last few years, electrical firms have...
The Basics of Power Monitoring Systems
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Jon A. Bickel, Square D Co./Schneider Electric
Rationalizing an investment in a facility's infrastructure can be a difficult prospect for any plant engineer or technician, often requiring extensive...
National Electrical Code
Illustrated Catastrophes
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Columnist
As usual, never consider the following commentary associated with these photos as a formal interpretation of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Without...
What's Wrong Here?
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Columnist
How well do you know the Code? Think you can spot violations the original installer either ignored or couldn't identify? Here's your chance to moonlight...
Code Quandaries
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Mike Holt, NEC Consultant
All questions and answers are based on the 2005 NEC. Q. If structural steel is used as a grounding electrode for the electrical service, is it also necessary...
Industry Viewpoint
Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Michael Eby, Editor-in-Chief
In what's become our annual construction outlook issue, we strive to deliver a comprehensive market forecast for the coming year based on reports delivered...
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
Battery Sizing Basics Article Addendum In the Voice Data Video Today article, starting on page 30 of the September 2007 issue, the author would like to...
Editorial Correction
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
In the Top 25 Revisions to the 2008 NEC article in November 2007, there was an inadvertent text error. On page 57, under No. 25, the text should have...
Market Watch
Safety Alert: GFCIs Bear Phony UL Marks
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Northbrook Ill., is warning consumers that Zhejiang, China-based General Protecht ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs)...
Expect Materials and Labor Cost Increases in 2008
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
he fifth Construction Inflation Alert released by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), Washington, D.C., cautions owners, budget setters,...
Product of the Month
Product of the Month
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, Edited by Stefanie Kure, Senior Associate Editor
The advent of LEDs and CFLs has helped propel the lighting industry into the 21st century. Not only are these products energy-efficient and environmentally...
Forensic Casebook
The Case of the Misleading Meter
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By John A. Palmer, Ph.D., P.E., C.F.E.I., Knott Laboratory, LLC
When an experienced electrician began working on the switchgear of a medical facility's main control room, he had no idea this job would be his last....
Going Green
Searching for Gold in Green Buildings
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Joe Knisley, Senior Editorial Consultant
A variety of green initiatives in the construction industry are helping to spotlight the importance of being good stewards of the environment. However,...
PQ Corner
Applying PQ Measurements to Predictive Maintenance
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Wade Thompson, Fluke Corp.
When it comes to predictive maintenance (PdM) on electrical equipment, the numbers don't lie. According to insurance claims data in NFPA 70B-2006, Recommended...
Construction Watch
Pharmaceutical Industry Poised to Top $21 Billion Next Year
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
Despite bleak headlines plaguing the pharmaceutical and biotech industry as a whole, there are definite signs of life, says Sugar Land, Texas-based Industrial...
NAED Distributors Offer Training CDs to Contractors
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), St. Louis, recently introduced new business development tools created specifically for contractors....
OSHA Rule Holds Contractors Responsible for PPE
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
On November 14, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a new rule clarifying the employer/employee responsibilities for payment...
Market Insider
Transportation Construction Is On the Road to a Shortfall
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Stefanie Kure, Senior Associate Editor
The collapse of the I-35 Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis last August underscored the nation's pressing need for updated transportation...
Product News
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
Handheld digital multimeter The U1240A Series of handheld digital multimeters (DMMs) features dual and differential temperature capabilities as well as...
Product Spotlight
Product News
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
Sheet metal hole saws These bi-metal hole saws feature a spring for automatic material ejection, a variable tooth pitch optimized for round holes, and...
Product Spotlight
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
Training spreadsheets These Excel spreadsheets help keep track of employee training. Users enter training information, and the spreadsheet organizes it...
Short Circuits
Short Circuits
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM
Light on Lamps A fresh journeyman electrician was assigned his first major project of installing a lighting grid for a new office addition. Because this...
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