I believe that there are three words that belong together, the three words are common, sense, and safety – If you think about it, safety more times than not is nothing more than common sense! That is why I believe these three words belong together – COMMON SENSE SAFETY

Here is something to remember: If you are the one who has an accident, then you are the one who is going to suffer the pain and the potential loss of income – so again I say common sense safety.

Some common sense safety tips:

• Be alert, pay attention, know what’s going on around you and your work area
• Wear the appropriate PPE, no matter how inconvenient it may seem
• Keep your work area clean and hazard free
• Never be afraid to ask for assistance to move or lift heavy items
• Take safety seriously

Common sense safety is often simply thinking before doing, working safe and responsibly is everyone’s job.

Len
Safety Director

DOE issued a subpoena to AeroSys, Inc. on July 23 to obtain
data necessary to determine whether certain AeroSys
commercial air conditioners and heat pumps comply with
relevant DOE energy efficiency standards.

At this being not only summer time, but also being our Monsoon season, with working in the hot and humid days, certain precautions must be taken. Overexposure to high temperature and humidity levels during prolonged physical exertion may result in HEAT CRAMPS, HEAT EXHAUSTION, or HEAT STROKE. Working in very hot or poorly ventilated workspaces should be avoided during the peak heat hours of the day.

When the body is unable to cool itself through sweating, heat illnesses may occur. The most severe heat induced illnesses are HEAT EXHAUSTION and HEAT STROKE. If actions are not taken to treat HEAT EXHAUSTION, the illness could progress to HEAT STROKE and death.

At this time of year, with the high temperatures and high humidity, it is extremely important to remember to replace the fluids that you have lost, avoid long periods of sun exposure, try and use shading if possible, have a fan to help move air and keep you cooler. If you feel that you might be heading towards HEAT EXHAUSTION, you might place a cool damp towel over your head, on your neck, between your thighs, and even under your armpits, this will help in the lowering of your body core temperature.

I know that with working in the construction trades we cannot avoid working in the heat and the humidity, but we can do things that will help us to avoid HEAT EXHAUSTION, and HEAT STROKE, the main thing is to make sure you replace your fluids, and try to cool yourself down.

Here are the primary three categories and the signs to look out for:

HEAT CRAMPS – the first phase
Heat cramps are severe muscle spasms that often begin suddenly in the hands, calves, or feet, they are painful and disabling.

HEAT EXHAUSTION – the second phase
This causes excessive fluid loss, leading to fatigue, weakness, anxiety, low blood pressure, drenching sweat, faintness, and sometimes collapse.

HEAT STROKE – the third phase (sometimes called sunstroke)
Heat stroke is imminent when the body core approaches 106F, a higher temperature may result in coma, or even death. The symptoms to look for are; dizziness, weakness, nausea/vomiting, confusion, blurred vision, collapse, and unconsciousness.

Len
Safety Director

On any type of construction site, be it a job from ground up, a Solar installation, or even a simple service call, an electrical shock can come from the use of many types of tools, electric drills, saws, concrete breakers, roto hammers, ect. If these electrical tools and their power cords are not checked and properly maintained, the user of that tool or cord may be subject to electrical shock, which could result in burns and even death. OSHA requires that when using an electrical tool, or extension cord, it must be connected to a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI), which disconnects the power at the slightest hint of an electrical problem.

The two safest ideas that I can recommend would be:

• At the beginning of every day you should first check all your extension cords and power tools
• Only plug into a GFCI protected circuit

If you notice that you have an extension cord, or electric tool with a bad cord, get it replaced/repaired immediately before continuing with that cord or tool.

Len
Safety Director

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced
the availability of nearly $300 million in funding from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for state-run
rebate programs for consumer purchases of new ENERGY
STAR qualified home appliances.

Something I learned of today has me a little nostalgic. Unfortunately, this walk down memory lane was sparked by some very unfortunate news. It was just announced that Bashas’ Supermarkets Inc., our state’s family-owned grocery chain has filed Chapter 11 and is closing 10 of its 158 stores across the state. This news is very sad for so many reasons. The biggest one in my book is the unknown road that lies ahead for the hundreds of employees that must find a new job. Facing a very similar situation, more than 30 years ago, Richard Harmon was a casualty of budget cuts while working as a service electrician for A.J. Bayless. Another locally owned grocery chain, A.J. Bayless ultimately ceased operations, selling the last of its stores to Bashas in the late 80s. Can you see why the Bashas news struck a chord?

Fortunately for the electrical contracting and solar industry, after the layoff, Richard decided to remain self employed and worked as an independent service electrician. As the demand for his services grew, he eventually expanded into electrical installs for construction projects. Shortly after, Harmon Electric was born. I’m sure when Richard left A.J. Bayless he never expected that he would be responsible for a thriving electrical contracting and now a solar installation company. While tough times are scary, they also test our limits, and we often come out further ahead then we could have imagined. My deepest thoughts are with the Bashas family and their employees. Although a tough road ahead, I’m confident that several years from now, we’ll be reading the company’s success story and of another “Richard Harmon” who took the road less traveled.

Holly
Public Relations

DOE is providing more than $448 million in Recovery Act
funding to expand weatherization assistance programs in
Alabama, Idaho, Maine, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma,
Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington,
Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

One of my suppliers and I were discussing Lighting Retrofits, and he told be that FSC Lighting has a new energy efficient light out. The PLI 99100i is an Induction Parking lot light fixture that is available in a 100W or 200W fixture. This fixture is extremely efficient, it has an average lamp life of 100,000 hours compared with a standard Metal Halide lamp that has an average lamp life of 10,000 hours. It’s lamp design has no electrode which allows for installation in high vibration applications. Instant on and instant restrike allow for the lights to be “Full On” immediately compared with Metal Halides that take several minutes to get to full brightness, and can take up to 10 minutes to restart after being shut off. These fixtures are pricey, but the 10 year warranty for the lamp and ballast on all induction fixtures makes that cost worth the savings in lamp and ballast maintenance and replacement. Depending on the situation, it may also be possible to take advantage of lighting retrofit incentives.

If you are looking at lighting retrofits, but were unhappy with the bottom line, it’s time to take a second look with a Phoenix electrical contractor that has enlisted the help of a leader in the lighting retrofit industry.

Jason
Estimator

DOE is offering $3.9 billion in grants to support the
development and demonstration of smart grid technologies,
with the bulk of the money going toward awards of up to $200
million that will enable smart grid functions on the nation’s
power grid as soon as possible.

While only 12% of new homes built in the United States in
2007 earned the Energy Star label, the market share
increased to 17% in 2008, according to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. Nearly 940,000 Energy
Star-qualified homes have been built to date.

Fish Tapes are used in our industry on a daily basis, used to fish or snake power runs and low-volt communication lines through walls and ceilings. Fish Tapes are a quick and convenient way to pull lines without having to resort to unneeded demolition. Fish Tapes that are most commonly used are made of spring metal and can present laceration or electrical hazards to their user. Below you will find a few helpful hints to make your Fish Tape usage a little safer.

• DO NOT RUN A FISH TAPE THROUGH YOUR BARE HANDS; fish tapes can have sharp edges or burrs which can lacerate your hands
• BE AWARE OF THE SPRING HAZARD OF A COILD FISH TAPE; keep your fish tape constrained in the holder as much as possible
• BE AWARE OF ALL ELECTRICAL HAZARDS; never run a fish tape into a energized panel without first making safe the panel you are pushing to
• USE PROPER LOCKOUT/TAGOUT PROCEDURES; whenever possible while working around energized electrical circuits

Use common sense and work with extreme caution when using a fish tape, fish tapes can make your work easy, and they can present a hazard. Look before you fish.

Len
Safety Director

Yes, we are in the midst of the Dog Days of summer. The only problem is, in Arizona, the days last until September. Although we can stand the heat, sometimes the heat comes after us. It is understood that the monsoons in Arizona can be vicious and sudden. It is best to be prepared for all that can happen. With the frequency of lightning during our monsoon storms, there are things we can do to prevent electrical damages to our homes and our businesses.

I have heard all the warnings about the need to be prepared but keeping safe is a priority here at Harmon Electric. Our company employs high standards to keep your buildings safe. It is this standard that has helped us to have the pleasure of helping the Phoenix area grow to its great stature today.

Harmon Electric also cares about the citizens of Phoenix. I would like to remind you all that water, batteries, radios and important phone numbers are always good to have handy. It is also important to remember that your wiring must also be protected.

If you experience an outage, turn off lights, computers, televisions, air conditioners, digital equipment and dishwashers. Surge protectors, while helpful, are not designed to control a surge of large proportions. Shutting off systems is the best way to protect them. Power can be restored more quickly with a lower drain on the overall system. When your power does return, go though your home and restore these items one at a time. Too much of a power drain can overload the grid and knock out power again.

Harmon Electric has served fine companies in Arizona for over 34 years. We care about Arizona and we care about you.

Joe
Vice President of Construction

LED’s are on the cutting edge of Green Technologies. It seems that every manufacturer of lamps has a new line of LED lamps (light bulbs) and LED Luminaries (light fixtures). The marketing of these products is geared toward the fact that these lamps use a fraction of the power that even fluorescent lamps use, and the lamp life is extraordinary. However, these technologies are still fairly new, and standards are still being worked on. Before you go out and spend a small fortune to replace all or your existing lamps with an LED equivalent, you need to educate yourself about the issues that you can face.

Although the LED itself has an incredible life expectancy, the drivers that power them may not last as long, especially if they are going to be used outside in the extreme heat of Phoenix. It is very important to employ the services of a designer that is aware of not only the advantages, but also the disadvantages of LED’s. Harmon Electric and Harmon Solar have recently partnered with a company who is very knowledgeable about LED’s and is very willing to do a site visit and discuss ALL of the options available in LED technology, and whether or not LED is the way to go, or if there is another option that will be better.

Jason
Estimator