Recognizing the need for developing safe electrical work practices at the start of a career, the Kansas City Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) — a training apprenticeship program for electricians — signed an alliance with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offices in Kansas City, Mo., and Wichita, Kan.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Chapter 124 (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) are also joining the alliance.
“Partnering with the electrical apprenticeship program to teach safety standards on day one of an individual’s career will help develop lifetime safety habits that prevent workplace injuries,” said OSHA’s Acting Regional Administrator Steven J. Kaplan in Kansas City. “OSHA designed its electrical standards to protect employees from electric shock and electrocution. All employers should implement safety and health programs, and train workers on identifying hazards and using required protective measures.”
Local OSHA offices have made electrical safety education a priority since fall 2021, following the fatal electrocution of four workers in Kansas and Missouri in five months. The agency also has a Local Emphasis Program in the St. Louis area for electrical hazards in industry, and an alliance with the Iowa Department of Workforce Development and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 55 to promote electrical safety.
Learn more about OSHA resources on electrical safety hazards.
OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program offers employers no-cost and confidential occupational safety and health services, with priority given to high-hazard worksites. Learn more about programs in place at the Kansas Department of Labor Industrial Safety and Health Division and at the Missouri Division of Labor Standards.
