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Trade School vs. College: Experience, Cost, & Career Opportunities

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Trade School vs. College: Experience, Cost, & Career Opportunities

WHILE MANY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES FEEL PRESSURED TO ENTER 4-YEAR COLLEGE, THERE ARE OTHER, MORE PRACTICAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES WHICH CAN PREPARE THEM FOR HIGH-PAYING CAREERS.

September 5, 2020

Most high-paying jobs require some sort of formal training. Many people elect to attend college, and earning a degree is one way to catapult yourself into a rewarding career. But for many, college is more of a chore than a learning opportunity—while there are many benefits to a college education, it is not the path for everyone. And that’s okay, considering there are more learning options available, and well-paying career paths that don’t require college.

One such option is going to a trade school. Trade school is great for those who are not interested in a typical sit-down classroom education, but rather a hands-on learning experience. And beyond that, a trade school education can be completed more quickly than a four-year degree.

Before deciding whether to attend college or go to trade school, it’s important to think about what each education brings in terms of cost, education experience, and the career opportunities that await after graduation.

What is the difference between trade school and college?

Attending trade school or college largely depends on your career choice. For those that are unsure what career they want to pursue, college is a great choice. You’ll gain a breadth of knowledge on a wide range of subjects, while having some time to decide what field of study you want to focus on. For those that do know what they want to do with their career, trade school is the better option. Trade school is specific, so you’ll only learn Is specialized for one career. That will prepare you to enter the workforce with extremely applicable knowledge and skills.

Here are some additional comparisons between college and trade school.

Length: Trade school can be completed in the span of a few months, compared to the four years (or longer) it takes to earn a bachelor's degree. Trade school is also flexible. If you attend on a full-time basis, you can complete the course in just months. But you can elect to go on a part-time basis, or even go with a five-year training program, both of which are great for those who are working while attending classes.

Accreditation: Trade schools bestow certificates, but not bachelors degrees. Certificate holders have completed the applicable course and have a solid basic knowledge of the career  they intend to pursue.

Scholarships & Financial Aid: Both trade schools and four-year universities offer scholarships and financial aid. And just like college, former and active military members can use their education benefits to pay for tuition and cover additional costs associated with trade school.

Experience: You might think trade school is an education earned outside the classroom, but that is not the case. While around one third of the education is hands-on training, there is a portion of studying that takes place in the classroom. Classwork makes essential requirements of the job—such as, for electricians, understanding how electricity works and learning the national electric code—more understandable. Trade school mixes hands-on work with classroom and textbook work.

Trade school costs significantly less than a four-year college.

The average total cost to attend a four-year college is more than $100,000. On the other hand, the average total cost to attend a trade school is only $33,000. Keep in mind that you might qualify for financial aid with either education, which could lower the amount you owe in tuition by thousands of dollars. However, if you take out student loans, the length of the loan and total debt you incur will be less at a trade school compared to college.

Degree length is one reason that total tuition at a four-year college is more expensive than trade school. You can earn the education in a much shorter time at a trade school, since you won’t need to rack up so many credits. You’ll also save on textbook cost and won’t have to pay for room and board.

All in all, trade school is a financially smart decision, especially when comparing tuition cost against expected income post-graduation. The employment search site Indeed estimates that journeymen electricians in California earn an average salary of $79,329 per year, meaning the money spent on trade school is quickly recouped. If you’re currently making $15 an hour as a warehouse worker or retailer employee, you’re probably making about $37,000 per year, less than half of what the average journeyman electrician makes.

While you wouldn’t start out as a full-fledged journeyman electrician when first starting your electrical career—or the equivalent position in another career field—it’s easy to see how the increase in pay quickly compensates you for the investment made to attend trade school.

Trade schools narrow your career focus. You will learn the skills required to do one specific job, such as an electrician or mechanic.

Many people at a traditional college don’t know what they want to do. A college education allows them to keep their options open while they pursue their studies.

Trade school is different. You train for one career. And when you graduate from trade school, you immediately enter the field of the profession you studied. You can go to trade school to become an electrician, mechanic, plumber, carpenter, or even a baker.

Another benefit of trade school is that employers won’t have to use resources or spend much time training you. While you’ll always have to learn a lot through practical job experience, a trade school education gives you a great chance to quickly join the workforce and advance in your career, as you’ll know much more than those starting out with little formal education.

A trade school education is different from a typical college education. Attending a trade school will put you on the fast track to a specific career, often costs less than a four-year college, and gives you the opportunity to earn a great salary post-graduation.

Ready to learn a skilled trade and work on some of the most exciting commercial construction projects in California and beyond?

I-TAP is an electrical apprenticeship program that helps you find your passion, grow your skills, and place you in the perfect electrician job.

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What Does An Electrician Do?

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What Does An Electrician Do?

EVER WONDER WHAT EXACTLY AN ELECTRICIAN DOES? FIND OUT HOW TO BECOME AN ELECTRICIAN AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR DAY-TO-DAY JOB DUTIES.

August 16, 2020

There are many different careers in the trades that are ideal for those who prefer working with their hands over a desk job. You can enter the construction field and become a carpenter. You can take your knowledge of cars and become a mechanic. You can even transform your ability to fix that tricky toilet in your bathroom into a career as a plumber. 

For those interested in becoming an electrician, there are many reasons why an electrical career can be rewarding. While the job does require manual labor, an electrical career is less labor intensive compared to other construction trades, and electricians have great potential for career advancement.

If you remain unfamiliar with the specific job duties that an electrician has, you might be hesitant to start your journey to a career in the trades. Read on to learn if pursuing an electrical career is the right decision for you. 

Electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical systems in residential and commercial spaces.

Electricians generally focus on either construction or maintenance, although many do both. The amount of work and the amount of responsibility you are assigned as an electrician depends on your job title and level of expertise. Electrician apprentices/trainees are considered beginner electricians, who work under the guidance of journeyman electricians. Apprentices and trainees do very basic work that allows them to gain practical experience. Expect to do your fair share of manual labor while you learn the ins and outs of the trade.

Once you have completed an approved training  program, attained the minimum amount of work experience, and passed the state test, you can become a journeyman electrician. Journeyman electricians have more experience and technical knowledge, and are allowed to work on their own on the jobsite—though they still have to work under someone with a C-10 contractor’s license. 

Electricians who work in new construction generally specialize in either installing electrical infrastructure in commercial buildings, or homes. Electricians specializing in maintenance fix and upgrade existing electrical systems and repair electrical equipment. Electricians are held to strict safety standards, which is why electricians must endure training and secure certifications before stepping into the career. 

A big part of the job includes reading blueprints, which are technical specifications and/or diagrams that show the location of circuits, outlets, panel boards, and other equipment. After determining the scope of the job, including where the wires will be installed, electricians begin the process of installing and connecting wires at the appropriate places. Electrical wires are often connected to breakers, transformers, and outlets. 

To install electrical wiring, electricians use hand tools such as screwdrivers, conduit benders, hacksaws, knives, pliers, and wire strippers. Power tools like drills and saws are also used on the job site. Once wires are installed in the place, the work turns to testing the wires for functionality and safety. Depending on the job type, a variety of tools might be used to test the wire, including voltmeters, harmonics testers, amp meters, among other testing equipment.

Maintenance electricians repair or replace electric and electronic equipment when it breaks. They may replace items such as circuit breakers, fuses, switches, electrical and electronic components, or wire. They may also be tasked with periodically inspecting equipment to ensure that electrical components and systems operate properly. Maintenance electricians utilize the same equipment that construction electricians do. 

Electricians work both indoors and outdoors at construction sites, businesses, and homes. 

As previously mentioned, becoming an electrician means that your daily work will require manual labor, as is the case with nearly every trade profession. But that does not mean the work is overly strenuous—electricians generally perform labor that is less strenuous than what is common with most other trades, and takes less of a toll on the body.

Common physical labor includes bending at the waist, lifting heavy objects, and standing or kneeling for prolonged periods. Considering that every job is different, some days at work might require more strenuous labor than others. 

Most electricians work a standard 40-hour workweek, but like many other careers, overtime is sometimes necessary (overtime is common, maybe not every week but often every month, more in the summer months typically). Those who do maintenance work may work nights and/or weekends, depending if they are on call workers or not. Periodic overtime might be required for those working during scheduled maintenance. And if you’re a night owl, you might be in luck. Some companies operate 24 hours a day, so you could wind up working nights. 

To become a certified electrician, you must complete classroom and lab training. 

You can become an electrician apprentice/trainee by attending a trade school, where you will get hands-on experience in a lab setting and related learning in the classroom. At Independant Training & Apprenticeship Program (I-TAP), our curriculum is geared toward ensuring you have the knowledge and skills required to be successful as you start your career, and eventually become a journeyman electrician. 

Some of our coursework takes place in the lab, where you gain practical experience with live wires, hand tools, and power tools. This training is vital, as it prepares you for the actual work you will do once you become an electrician. Lab work also ensures that you understand proper safety precautions while working, for both yourself and those around you.

Classroom work supplements your hands-on training. You will learn electrical theory, blueprint reading, math, code requirements, and additional safety information. 

At I-TAP, you can complete the training program in just six months. After the six months, you can take the California certification exam, and if you pass, be on your way to a rewarding career.

An electrical career is filled with many possibilities. As you work your way from apprentice/trainee to journeyman to project manager (if you wish to do so), you will learn a lot, and likely see your pay increase a lot as well. But before you can start your electrical career, you first must attend trade school and earn your state certifications. If you want to become an electrician, contact I-TAP today! 

Ready to learn a skilled trade and work on some of the most exciting commercial construction projects in California and beyond?

I-TAP is an electrical apprenticeship program that helps you find your passion, grow your skills, and place you in the perfect electrician job.

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The 5 most common accidents in the construction trades

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The 5 most common accidents in the construction trades

SAFETY IS A CONCERN FOR EVERYONE AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE, BUT ACCIDENTS CAN STILL HAPPEN EVEN TO THE MOST CAREFUL WORKERS

January 13, 2020

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 21% of all work fatalities in 2018 happened to workers in the construction trades. Over half of these accidents were directly related to ten of the most common workplace safety violations reported to OSHA, ranging from a lack of safety equipment to failures at controlling hazardous materials or environments.

Workplace safety is critical for every laborer in the construction industry, and it’s something that companies all over the US have worked to improve. For I-TAP’s trainees, learning the basics of safety on the worksite —and understanding the various rules and regulations designed to protect them—plays a central role in preparing them for their careers.

The 5 most common accidents in the construction trades

Vehicles, whether on the road or on a worksite, remain a considerable hazard to construction workers.

Of the 1,008 fatal work injuries reported by the construction industry across the US in 2018, vehicles played a role in a quarter of these accidents. Many of these occurred while in transit between destinations, with vehicle collisions or crashes into other objects on major roadways, oftentimes during the delivery of materials, equipment, or personnel.

The average construction workers can find themselves working on or around large transport trucks, or specialized construction vehicles depending on their role and job site. These vehicles represent an inherent danger to workers, and so clear communication and adhering to safety guidelines is a must in order to prevent accidents.

However, a busy construction project is filled with potential distractions and loud noises, and a distracted worker may not see or hear a vehicle until it is too late. These risk factors can be exacerbated by unsafe vehicle operation, or a lack of training, which can lead to vehicle collisions and serious property damage on a work site.

Falls, falling objects, electrocution and being trapped or crushed by equipment account for most preventable construction injuries and deaths.

Referred to as the “fatal four,” these accidents accounted for nearly 60% of all fatal injuries among construction workers in 2018. The risk factors associated with each of these accidents can be found in nearly every sector of the industry, though some are more prevalent depending on the type of construction work.

Falls

Fall accidents accounted for 33.5 percent of construction worker deaths in 2018, and tens of thousands are injured each year. Whether it’s a fall from a great height, or the result of tripping over a ground-level hazard, falls are a universal threat to construction workers, though some occupations may have increased risks.

Roofing is widely considered one of the most dangerous construction trades, as it requires regularly climbing and descending from heights. Naturally, this places these workers in the greatest danger of a fatal fall.

But even workers who are not expected to climb up high scaffolding or on rooftops to do their job can be seriously injured in a fall. An electrician pulling heavy cabling can trip over improperly stowed materials or equipment and strike their heads against the ground, reinforcing the need for proper head protection on any jobsite.

Despite national efforts to educate construction workers on fall prevention, fall protection violations are the most frequently cited OSHA standards. Other related violations include unsafe scaffolding, ladders, and failures to provide adequate personal safety equipment (including fall protection harnesses and safety helmets).

Struck by Object

Injuries and fatalities from being struck by objects on the worksite are the second leading type of accident among the “fatal four.” In 2018, just over 11 percent of all reported construction fatalities involved falling objects.

As noted above, construction sites can be busy places filled with hazards and potential distraction. The greatest protection against falling objects in these environments is communication between attentive workers, warning signage where necessary, and the proper use and stowing of tools and equipment.

While falling tools and equipment represent obvious threats, many injuries can involve simply walking into a hard object. An electrician working on a home’s wiring can strike their heads or sustain eye injuries while moving through crawl spaces, or while climbing into an attic. Dust or debris can get into their eyes, which could make it difficult to avoid more serious hazards.

Electrocution

Roughly 30,000 electrocution injuries occur in the US every year, accounting for 5% of burn injuries across the country. Over half of all fatal electrical injuries between 2003 and 2017 occurred within the construction industry.

Electricians are particularly at risk for these injuries because they are often in direct contact with or working near high voltage equipment. But other construction workers can be exposed to similar hazards, including improperly stowed energized equipment, loose electrical cables, and arc flashes.

A majority of electrocution injuries and fatalities are preventable accidents. Adhering to safety standards has helped to reduce the threat to workers, but electrocution remains the fourth-leading cause of work-related deaths in the US today.

Caught between objects and equipment

Being caught in between moving objects and equipment was the fifth leading cause of fatalities among construction workers in 2018. Even if this type of accident is not outright fatal, such injuries often have life-long consequences for the worker.

Some of these accidents are the result of factors that are outside of anyone’s direct control. Many others could have been prevented through proper communication of hazards to workers, improved training, and adherence to best safety practices.

While these five types of accidents represent the bulk of fatalities and life-changing injury among construction workers, there are many other injury risks.

Most of the accidents described above are events that can have immediate consequences to the affected workers. And while thousands are affected every year by these incidents, many more are at risk of injuries that take place over time.

Work on construction sites often involves repetitive, high physical stress motions in sometimes challenging environments. A bricklayer can be expected to perform thousands of ‘forward bending tasks’ over the course of a work week, which could cause serious back injury over time, or in single moment of improper motion. Electricians working on a commercial construction project may be asked to pull and lift heavy electrical conduit throughout the worksite. Entry level electrician trainees may find themselves digging trenches for that electrical equipment.

While workers recognize that that there is always the potential for these physical injuries, other types of injuries go unnoticed. This is certainly the case with hearing loss. Construction sites are naturally loud environments, which can lead to progressive hearing loss over time. Alternately, collapsing scaffolding, dropped equipment, or vehicle collisions can cause more immediate hearing loss. Both can be a serious hazard to workers, as they may be more likely to miss important warnings from their peers, or sounds from vehicles and other equipment near them.

Communication between workers and situational awareness is one of the most important factors in preventing accidents and injuries. But the loud nature of construction sites can exacerbate many of these hazards due to hearing loss and injury. Whether the hearing loss is the result of many years in construction, or the temporary result of a recent accident on the worksite, a worker may not hear warnings from their coworkers, or the sounds issued by vehicles and equipment.

Working in the construction trades is rewarding, and experienced tradespersons are always going to be in demand. But almost every trade in construction requires physical labor in environments filled with potential hazards. While serious accidents can and do happen, by following the best safety practices and adhering to OSHA standards, you can minimize the danger of these common accidents. Most construction workers enjoy long careers in the industry without major injuries simply by paying attention to their surroundings, and ensuring those around them are doing the same.

Ready to learn a skilled trade and work on some of the most exciting commercial construction projects in California and beyond?

I-TAP is an electrical apprenticeship program that helps you find your passion, grow your skills, and place you in the perfect electrician job.

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How do you get a C-10 electrical contractor license?

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How do you get a C-10 electrical contractor license?

EARNING YOUR C-10 WILL OPEN THE DOORS TO GREATER EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AS THE DEMAND FOR TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED ELECTRICIANS GROWS

December 23, 2019

Please note: I-TAP does not handle C-10 licensing. For any questions you may have about obtaining a California C-10 license, please contact the Contractors State License Board at their website or at 1-800-321-2752.

Electricians are in demand across the country, to the point where large electrical contractors have resorted to hiring services to find workers for projects. And the demand only looks to be increasing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of employment opportunities for electricians will grow by 10 percent between 2018 and 2028, fueled by a rise in construction spending.

While this increased demand for new construction will not last forever, changes in regulations,  such as legislation that will require many new single family homes and multi-family buildings to have solar power systems will help to continue to drive the demand for electricians.

The need for electricians isn’t going away any time soon, and large contractors are still hiring to handle the demand. But many electricians, and even aspiring electricians, are considering aiming higher by starting their own electrical contracting businesses. The services are needed, and the money is there for those willing to reach for it. But what do you need to get started?

How do you get a C-10 electrical contractor license?

A C-10 electrical contractor license is required by California law to work as an electrical contractor, and you must meet several employment and background requirements to obtain one.

In order to both start your business as an electrical contractor, and work on projects valued at $500 or more, California law requires that you obtain a C-10 electrical contractor license.

Obtaining the C-10 from the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) requires the following:

  • Complete an approved California electrical apprenticeship program, and earn a Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship. This is required for your C-10 application.
  • Earn your electrical certification card, which lets you work as a journeyman under a C-10 contractor.
  • Obtain employment as a journeyman for at least one year. C-10 applicants need only submit a single year of work experience if they have completed an apprenticeship program.

Alternatively, you can have at least four years of experience as an electrician at journeyman level or higher, without having to complete an apprenticeship program. These years do not need to be consecutive, but they must fall within ten years of the date you apply for your C-10.

If you have completed an apprenticeship program and have met the work requirements, or you have the four years of experience as a working journeyman, you can then apply to the CSLB to take the examinations required to be issued the C-10. You will need to submit a certificate of work experience from any employer you have worked under. Additionally, you should be prepared to submit additional proof of your work experience, including:

  • Payment stubs and tax returns
  • Copies of any contracts you have signed related to your work experience
  • Testimonials of your work experience and knowledge

It’s recommended you download the Application for Original Contractor’s License packet from the CSLB website so you can review the licensing procedures.

A criminal record is not an automatic disqualification from earning a C-10 license.

Applications to the CSLB will ask for records of any convictions for misdemeanors and felonies. This will include any DUIs and other Vehicle Code violations. Failing to report convictions is considered falsifying your application, and the CSLB can bar you from filing another application for a maximum of five years. However, there are four key exceptions that should not be reported:

  • Arrests and convictions related to marijuana offenses occurring prior to January 1st, 1976, per Health and Safety Code §11361.5 (b).
  • Arrests and convictions related to specified drug offenses named in Penal Code §1000.
  • Juvenile court convictions.
  • Convictions that fall under the California Health and Safety code §11357 (b), (c), (d), or (e) or §11360 (b) that that are over two years old.

If you’re unsure as to whether past criminal convictions must be reported, consult with a lawyer.

If your application is approved, you will receive a Notice to Appear for Examination from the CSLB, along with a request for your fingerprints within 90 days of the notice. They will have instructions for how you can have the prints submitted to them. After submitting your fingerprints, you can finally take the two required examinations.

C-10 licensee applicants must pass an Electrical exam, and a Law and Business exam.

The C-10 exams are closed book and multiple choice, and the CSLB has provided study guides to help applicants prepare for them. Each study guide provides a list of resources that the exams will draw from. Applicants have 18 months from the approval to take the exams to achieve passing grades. During this time, you may retake the exams as many times as you need to, though you will be charged a $60 rescheduling fee for each attempt.

C-10 Electrical Exam

The C-10 Electrical exam has questions divided into five categories:

  • Planning and Estimating
  • Rough Wiring
  • Finish Wiring and Trim
  • Startup Troubleshooting and Maintenance
  • Safety

C-10 Law and Business Exam

The required Law and Business exam is shared across multiple contractor licenses, and there is no exam that is specific to electrical contractors. The exam covers eight topic categories:

  • Business Organization (10%)
  • Business Finances (15%)
  • Employment Requirements (12%)
  • Bonds, Insurance, and Liens (10%)
  • Contract Requirements and Execution (23%)
  • Licensing Requirements (8%)
  • Safety (15%)
  • Public Works (7%)

Results are available at the test site once you complete the examinations. To help you prepare for the test, the CSLB has provided a study guide that includes a list of additional recommended study resources.

After passing the exams, you have more paperwork before obtaining your C-10 license.

If you pass the exams, you will receive instructions on submitting a surety bond, proof of workers’ compensation insurance, and a licensing fee to the CSLB. Surety bonds must be in the amount of $15,000. The surety bond (or cashier’s check) is required in case a customer sues for damages due to defective products, improper or faulty work, or violations of the contractors’ state license law, and can also be used to cover unpaid pages for employees.

The CSLB website provides a searchable list of insurance companies  who provide these bonds. These bonds can be applied to every job a contractor takes on, but must be repurchased once the coverage provided is fully depleted. The CSLB also provides resources to help you search for workers’ compensation insurance.

Once you have secured the necessary insurance and surety bond, and the CSLB has received the licensing fee, you will be issued your C-10 license. This includes a wallet-sized license that you must keep on you, as well as a wall certificate that must be displayed in your office(s).

After earning your C-10 Electrical Contractor License, you will legally able to start your own business.

With this license, you will be able to start hiring other contractors to work under you, with or without your direct supervision depending on their level of training and experience. You’ll need to find potential office space, and start searching for potential clients or projects that you want to take on.

How your business grows will depend heavily on the knowledge and experience you have acquired over the years. Depending on what you focus on, you may find yourself working alongside other professionals on commercial electrical projects, or provide your valuable expertise for residential clients in single-family homes or multi-family units. Whichever you choose to focus on, or if you decide to tackle every job you can get your hands on, you can be certain that the skills of an electrical contractor will always be in need.

Ready to learn a skilled trade and work on some of the most exciting commercial construction projects in California and beyond?

I-TAP is an electrical apprenticeship program that helps you find your passion, grow your skills, and place you in the perfect electrician job.

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How the 2019 Update to Title 24 Will Impact Commercial Electrical Work

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How the 2019 Update to Title 24 Will Impact Commercial Electrical Work

TITLE 24 IS THE PART OF CALIFORNIA'S MANDATORY BUILDING CODE WHICH MANDATES THE EFFICIENCY OF LIGHTING, SWITCHES, AND OTHER ELECTRICAL ELEMENTS.

December 6, 2019

If you have lived in California for any length of time, it should come as no surprise that the state has some of the most stringent building codes in the country. But the state has not only endeavored to protect residents of the state from the threats of fires and earthquakes, but also to bolster the state’s infrastructure and make it more resilient to changing times. One of the many ways that the state government has done so is the implementation of the Building Energy Efficiency Standards.

Back in the 1970s, long before ‘green friendly’ was a widespread concept, the California legislature was concerned by the state’s skyrocketing energy consumption, and the ability of energy infrastructure to keep up with demand. To confront this, in 1978 the California Building Standards Commission created the “Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings,” which was implemented as Part 6 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations. This set of regulations is often referred to as simply the “California Energy Code,” or more often, “Title 24.”

Title 24 is a set of building codes which dictate how energy efficient new homes and commercial buildings must be, and mandate the use of high efficiency insulation, lighting, water heaters, and more.

Title 24 has significantly reduced California’s electricity consumption.

Title 24 is not an optional certification, like the popular Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Title 24 is part of the state’s building code—compliance isn’t an option.

And the reality is, Title 24 works.

Energy Consumption in California vs rest of the United States

As the Natural Resources Defense Council showed using data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), energy consumption in California has flatlined for the last 40 years, while it has climbed in the rest of the nation. In 2017, the EIA ranked California 48th for energy consumption per capita.

Title 24 is updated every three years, and the newest update goes into effect in January 2020.

When Title 24 was implemented in 1978, its creators understood that with changes in construction and technology, it would quickly become obsolete and fail to fulfill a key goal—that structures built according to Title 24 standards would be cost effective over a period of 30 years.

This is why California law requires that the regulations be updated every 3 years. The last update went into effect on January 1st, 2017, and new revisions will go in place January 2020. The changes affect a range of mandatory, prescriptive, and performance measures, as well as building addition and alteration codes.

Updates to the energy standard include:

  • Lighting Power Density (LPD) requirements are now fully based on the use of LED lighting.
  • All restrooms are required to have occupancy sensor controls installed.
  • Enclosed areas of 100 square feet or more, with lighting loads exceeding .5 watts per square foot, must have multi-level controls that allow lighting levels to be adjusted up and down.
  • Daylighting controls must provide automatic daylighting functionality that meets specific setting, calibration, and accuracy requirements.
  • Installation of solar photovoltaics (PV) will become mandatory on all new residential properties in the state moving forward.
  • All HVAC systems will require MERV 13 filters. This will affect high-rise residential buildings and hotels, which were previously required to use MERV 8 filtration.
  • Changes to lighting power density requirements will require a reduction of the window-to-wall ratio, or the purchase of more efficient HVAC systems to meet Title 24 compliance.
  • Energy code now covers more occupancy types. I-1 and I-2 occupancy types have been added, which include hospitals, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes.

Over the years, commercial electrical work has gotten significantly more complex and involved. Commercial projects cannot use off-the-shelf lighting systems and standard light switches. Title 24 requires more control systems, more sensor-driven systems, and more specialized lighting sources. The increased requirements on I-1 and I-2 projects, while currently filled with exceptions, show that Title 24 is going to continue to expand to encompass more project types, and implement increasingly stringent requirements.

The demand for experienced commercial electricians is only going to increase, and any electrician invested in the future is advised to study past updates to Title 24 and proposed future updates in order to get a sense of what tomorrow’s standards will look like. Getting ahead of the pack by using future-proofed private standards may pay off handsomely.

Ready to learn a skilled trade and work on some of the most exciting commercial construction projects in California and beyond?

I-TAP is an electrical apprenticeship program that helps you find your passion, grow your skills, and place you in the perfect electrician job.

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Choosing the Best Personal Protective Equipment for Electricians

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Choosing the Best Personal Protective Equipment for Electricians

SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECES OF GEAR THAT ANY ELECTRICIAN WILL INCLUDE WITH THEIR TOOL BOX IS A SET OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.

November 19, 2019

Working with electrical equipment is inherently risky due to the risk of electrocution. Despite extensive improvements in safety over the years, about 400 workers are severely electrocuted every year. When the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)—a federal agency tasked with making workplaces safer—analyzed records of fatal electrocutions on jobsites, they identified five key scenarios which led to severe electrical injuries:

  1. Touching an electrical line—often believed by the worker to not be live, or to be insulated enough to not present a risk.
  2. Touching live equipment, such as an energized electrical circuit.
  3. Guiding suspended loads via crane or other equipment as it makes contact with an electrical line.
  4. Touching equipment that has been damaged or improperly installed.
  5. Moving a piece of metal equipment, such as a ladder or scaffolding, and bringing it into contact with an electrical line.

How to Choose Electrical Safety Gloves - Types, Classifications

To ensure that people who work around electrical equipment are as safe as possible, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration developed OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.269, also known as the “269” standard. This series of requirements “covers the operation and maintenance of electric power generation, control, transformation, transmission, and distribution lines and equipment.” In addition to the training and safety requirements it places on employers, it also provides specific standards for the personal protection equipment (PPE) workers are expected to wear while working on energized and inert electrical equipment.

PPE includes safety helmets and glasses, insulating gloves and sleeves, safety boots and shoes, fall protection, and flame-resistant clothing. Picking the right gear ensures your safety while on the job, so it’s important to use equipment that can protect you from the electrical loads you’ll be working on or around.

Proper insulating gloves protect your hands, which is the part of the body which most frequently comes into contact with electrical equipment.

Electricians rely on their hands to do their work, either directly in contact with electrical equipment, or using specialized tools. Unsurprisingly, one of the most common situations leading to electrical injuries involves a worker’s hands being poorly protected or not protected at all while working on energized wires and equipment.

Oftentimes, electricians don't work on energized worksites, and don't need to worry about the risk of electrocution. But when you're working around hot electrical equipment, or there is the possibility of energized equipment on the worksite, having the right gloves and sleeves is essential.

Electrical safety gloves are actually three gloves layered over one another, with each being made from a different material. The inner-most layer is a liner glove designed to keep your hands comfortable by absorbing sweat in the summer and holding heat in during the water. These are often made from cotton or a synthetic acrylic material.

The outer-most layer is a leather protector glove that helps protect against cuts and tears. While some electricians don’t wear leather protectors, they are critical to protecting against wear and tear that can compromise the insulating capacity of your electrical gloves. If the leather protector is starting to tear or break down, it should be replaced immediately.

Sandwiched between these two gloves is the rubber insulating glove, which is what prevents electricity from being conducted into your body.

There are two types of electrical safety gloves that fall under multiple classification levels of protection.

Workers have suffered severe electrical injuries even while wearing safety gloves that technically meet the 269 standard. This is because the gloves were either damaged, or encountered voltages which exceeded their protection levels.

When picking up a set of insulating gloves, electricians must be certain that they’ve picked up the right type of glove that protection for the voltages they can expect to work around. Currently, manufacturers produce what are known as Type I and Type II insulating gloves.

Type I gloves are non-resistant to ozone, a gas that is commonly generated by high voltage equipment, and which can break down the insulating rubber layers and compromise the protection offered by the glove. They are more suitable for low-voltage applications where ozone is not likely to be a factor. Type I gloves are also vulnerable to UV ray exposure, which can be problematic if the gloves are left out in sunlight for extended periods.

Type II gloves are better suited for high voltage applications, as they use rubber that is resistant both to ozone and UV rays. Many electricians choose Type II gloves because of these properties, regardless of whether they work in high voltage environment.

In addition to the two types of glove, every electrical glove sold in the United States is classified by OSHA according to the maximum voltage protection they have been approved for:

  • Class 00 – 500 volts AC / 750 volts DC
  • Class 0 – 1,000 volts AC / 1,500 volts DC
  • Class 1 – 7,500 volts AC / 11,250 volts DC
  • Class 2 – 17,000 volts AC / 25,500 volts DC
  • Class 3 – 26,500 volts AC / 39,750 volts DC
  • Class 4 – 36,000 volts AC / 54,000 volts DC

According to OSHA standards, insulating gloves must be electrically tested before they are issued for use. Gloves may provide some protection against much higher voltages than they are approved for, but always choose a glove with an approval rating appropriate to the voltages you work around.

Gloves and sleeves must be regularly inspected before use, and replaced immediately at the first signs compromised protection.

Before donning your gloves and sleeves for the workday, it is important to inspect them for obvious damage. If parts of the glove appear melted, show evidence of abnormal swelling, or have other clear physical damage to the surface, you should immediately discard your gloves and purchase new ones.

Additionally, all gloves should be regularly air tested to ensure that there are no gaps where electricity can pass through the insulating layers. If you blow air into the glove and seal it, and see that air is escaping, it’s time to replace it.

Additionally, avoid bringing your gloves into contact with oils and petroleum products, as these can break down the protective rubber layers. Swelling of the rubber layers can be a symptom of petroleum contamination.

Helmets protect electricians from both electrical and impact injuries, both of which are all too common.

Traumatic brain injury remain one of the most common dangers faced by construction workers today, and unsurprisingly it is also a threat for electricians, given the tight spaces they often work in.

OSHA standard 29 CFR 1915.155(a)(2) requires that protective hard hats be worn on work sites when there is a potential for head injuries caused by falling objects, or a risk of electrical shock. All such hard hats must comply with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z89.1.

If you are buying a helmet for use, or if one is being issued to you at the worksite, it is critical that it provides both impact and electrical hazard protection.

For impact protection, there are two types defined by ANSI Z89.1. Type I offers protection to the top of the head, while Type II offers protection to the top and sides of the head.

In addition to these types, hard hats are further classified by the level of protection they provide against electrical hazards.

  • Class C hard hats offer no electrical protection. These hard hats are often made from conductive materials. While some are made from non-conductive materials, they have holes in the shell intended for ventilation which also allow electricity to easily pass through and penetrate the wearer’s head.
  • Class G hard hats provide general protection against electrical hazards and are rated for 2,200 volts.
  • Class E hard hats are rated for up to 20,000 volts of electricity. These are typically employed in environments where high voltages are present, and the risk of arc flashes is high.

Hard hats require regular inspections, and after years of use will require replacement.

  • Obvious warning signs include visible physical damage, such as dents and cracks.
  • Damage may not be immediately evident. Test the hard hat by squeezing the sides with both hands. Audible creaking and groaning may indicate the hard hat is compromised and will allow an electrical current to pass through.
  • Storage location is also critical. Stowing a hard hat in your car where its exposed to sunlight and heat can degrade it much faster than normal. Harsh chemicals can also degrade the protective materials.
  • Hard hats should be cleaned regularly. Mild soap and warm water are recommended. However, if there is tar, sap, or other hard to remove materials that the above cleaning solution cannot address, it may be best to replace the hard hat altogether, as using harsher chemicals and solvents could compromise the shell.
  • Hard hats should be stored somewhere cool and away from direct sunlight when not in use. Avoid storing them near high heat sources, like ovens, stoves, furnaces, gas-powered fire places, etc.
  • Hard hat manufacturers all have recommendations for when a hard hat should be repaired or fully replaced.

Protective eyewear should be worn by all electricians.

Many eye injuries have been prevented due to the use of proper eye protection by electricians and other workers on construction sites. In many cases where injuries have occurred, it has been because a worker was wearing prescription glasses, rather than eyewear designed to protect the eyes.

OSHA standard 1910.133 requires that employers ensure that workers are wearing adequate eye protection that is appropriate for their environment. There is a wide range of eye protection available, including specialty prescription safety glasses to accommodate workers with vision impairments.

While not every electrician will be on a large construction site, eye protection is still an invaluable part of the job. In addition to protecting the eyes from direct physical harm, they can also guard against dust and dirt in confined spaces, which can directly cause harm, or prevent you from seeing a hazard until it is too late.

Shoes and work boots rated for electrical hazards can provide additional protection on any worksite.

Proper footwear on a worksite should emphasize an electrician’s personal safety, while also remaining comfortable enough to work in for hours at a time. Wanting to maintain your personal look and style is no excuse for not wearing proper work boots. Today, work boots come in a variety of designs and styles, and even major footwear companies have entered the market with proper work boots that don’t compromise on looks or safety.

Electricians who are looking for work boots or shoes should consider where they are going to be working. If you’re primarily on construction sites, you will probably want heavier duty boots to protect against falling tools, accidental impacts against equipment, and punctures from stepping on exposed nails. But if you’re a residential electrician, you might prefer the comfort and greater maneuverability found in lighter weight shoes. Ideally, whether a shoe or a boot, the soles should be thick enough to provide protection against electrical current as well as sharp objects.

Footwear designed for worksites are rated for a variety of use cases, and not all are safe for electricians to use. When selecting work boots, look on the box or tag for a white square with an ohm symbol (the Greek letter omega, which looks a bit like an open-bottomed letter ‘o’), and to the right of that the letters SA with a large C wrapped around them. Or if you’re shopping online, the symbols should be shown somewhere on the page.

CSA White Rectangle

This tag is known as the ‘CSA White Rectangle’, and indicates that the sole and heel of the boot or shoe has been designed specifically to resist electrical shocks of up to 18,000 volts, as well as leakage current of no more than 1 milliamp for 60 seconds. These boots have additional safety features, such caps on the laces and laces eyelets which are nonconductive.

What if your employer requires toe protection on your work boots?

Ideally, any work boots you choose should provide adequate toe protection against falling tools and equipment, with some sort of steel toe or hard cap at the tip of the boot. But many electricians are wary about getting steel-toed boots because of the risks posed by electrical currents, even if their employers mandate having footwear with this additional protection.

However, OSHA currently does not recommend against steel toe protection so long as it does not make direct contact with a person’s foot. Many shoe and work boot manufacturers who utilize steel toe protection protect against the risk of electrocution by coating the protective caps in rubber and leather, which prevents the material from conducting electricity. Workers should regularly inspect their boots to ensure that this protective material does not crack or peel away from the steel toes.

For electricians who are still wary about steel toe boots, many manufacturers use non-conductive alloys and composite materials, which offer comparable protection while eliminating the risk of conducting currents.

Wearing flame-resistant clothing can help to minimize the injuries resulting from arc flashes.

One of the greatest threats to electricians working in environments where high voltages are passing through equipment is an arc flash. Reaching temperatures that far exceed the surface temperature of the sun for fractions of a second, an arc flash can cause an explosion that sends superheated materials, including molten metal, into the surrounding environment. This in turn can ignite secondary fires or even cause clothing to combust or melt.

Most electricians will not work in environments where arc flashes of this nature are a serious risk. But even lower voltages can cause serious physical injuries and ignite clothing.

OSHA’s 269 standard prohibits workers from wearing clothing that could increase the extent of electrical injuries. That means clothing made from synthetic materials like acetate, nylon, polyester, and rayon are prohibited.

Clothing made from 100% cotton or wool, if they are the right weight, can minimize injuries. However, they can still present a fire hazard to an electrician under certain circumstances.

Employers must ensure that any clothing they provide does not include prohibited materials, or demonstrate that it has been treated to be flame resistant in the conditions the electrician will be working in. Whether you’re an electrician who works on commercial-level systems on large construction sites, or you work on residential systems at lower voltages, it is important that the clothing you wear offers some level of flame resistance. Even if you do experience a serious shock, you may be spared serious injury if you wear clothes that don’t catch fire as a result.

For electricians working high above ground, safety harnesses cannot be neglected.

Most electricians do not work on power lines suspended high off the ground. But over the course of your career, there may be instances where you are expected to work above the ground on roofs or construction scaffolding.

For electricians, there are safety harnesses that meet the NFPA 70E standard. Used properly, these harnesses can prevent serious fall injuries, without endangering the wearer with conductive materials.

If your workplace does not provide such harnesses, or expects you to purchase one, be sure to thoroughly study which harness you end up purchasing to ensure that it meets the standard. Many such harnesses will advertise that they are specifically designed for instances of arc-flash and arc-blast exposure.

The level of protection an electrician needs scales with the voltages they are working around, and the nature of their work site. This article only covers a fraction of the information our students will learn over the course of their training here at I-TAP. If you’re interested in a career as an electrician, contact us today. Our courses will help you learn all the critical safety information you need for a long and successful career, without putting you and your fellow workers at risk!

Ready to learn a skilled trade and work on some of the most exciting commercial construction projects in California and beyond?

I-TAP is an electrical apprenticeship program that helps you find your passion, grow your skills, and place you in the perfect electrician job.

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