Message From The Editor
Even smart people make mistakes
I attended a training session on international lighting standards last week. Always amazing to hear people describe how little importance some industry members may give to standards that are, let's remember, recommended performance requirements in our industry. It seems that sometimes we take best practices too much for granted. In this issue, a look at stupid — and dangerous — things that smart people sometimes do when they test electricity. Good reading!
Line Goyette
Managing Editor
linegoyette@kerrwil.com
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Changing Scene
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Best Practices
How Contractors Can Build and Better Their Client Relationships
By Sheryl Coonan
Though going above and beyond with the project at hand is usually the No. 1 priority for contractors, creating and cultivating client relationships follows closely behind. Any business owner and manager knows that building and maintaining great relationships with clients is key to a company's success. We've gathered four tips on how you can help cultivate positive relationships with clients right now.
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Safety
Safety Checklist: 10 Dumb Things Smart People Do When Testing Electricity, Part 1
People who make their living by working with electricity quickly develop a healthy respect for anything with even a remote chance of being "live." Yet the pressures of the getting a job done on time or getting a mission-critical piece of equipment back on line can result in carelessness and uncharacteristic mistakes by even the most seasoned electrician. Here in Part 1 are the first five of 10 quick reminders of what not to do when taking electrical measurements.
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Safety
HDBaseT Alliance and UL Launch Cable Certification Program to Support PoH Installations
UL and The HDBaseT Alliance, the cross-industry group tasked with promoting and advancing the HDBaseT standard, have announced a certification program for Power over HDBaseT (PoH) cables. Targeted at cable manufacturers, the program addresses the increased performance and safety requirements related to heating due to current levels being carried under PoH of audiovisual installations. The new certification program evaluates the cable's ability to carry DC power of up to 100 watts over the four pairs of the cable and to maintain HDBaseT data transmission performance.
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Economy
Investment in New Housing Construction Rose 9.1% YOY in December
Investment in new housing construction rose 9.1% year over year to $4.3 billion in December, reflecting higher investment in all dwelling types. Over 80% of the national advance resulted from higher spending on construction of single-family dwellings, which rose 14.9% year over year to $2.3 billion. Investment in row house construction increased 9.9% to $383 million, while spending on apartment and apartment-condominium buildings went up 1.4% to $1.4 billion. Investment in semi-detached dwellings increased 3.6% to $187 million. Provincially, Ontario and British Columbia recorded the largest year-over-year gains, followed by Quebec.
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Survey Says
Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Establishments by Region
Ontario has twice as many as the rest of Canada combined, and five times as many as the second ranked jurisdiction.
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Survey Says From Recent Issues
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New Products and Solutions
VBII Safety Switch: You Asked for It, Siemens Listened
Siemens asked contractors for everything they wanted in an enclosed safety switch. Their input helped create what Siemens describes as the toughest, most reliable, most hassle-free enclosed safety switch in the business — the Type VBII. It's a switch that's right for any commercial, industrial or special use application.
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Fluke 120B Series Industrial ScopeMeter Hand-Held Oscilloscopes
Automated industrial machinery is harder than ever to troubleshoot. It's not enough to just know where to test, you also have to know what to look for. The new 120B series is designed to simplify testing and give you more insight than ever before, so you can troubleshoot faster and keep your systems up and running.
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Shawcor Extends Titan Z Product Line to 35 KV
Since its launch in April 2015, the DSG-Canusa branded Titan Z medium voltage cold shrink cable terminations have been providing electrical utilities and contractors with one of the fastest growing choices in the safe and reliable installation of utility or industrial type power cables.
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From Our Last Issue
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EIN's Training & Events Calendar
Training, networking and professional development opportunities for members of Canada's electrical industry.
WiRE Field Trip K-line
March 9
Electrical Tech Talk: Most Common Code Violations
March 21
BUILDEX Edmonton
March 21-22
Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta: Electrical Project Management
March 22-23
View all Events |
Current Copper Prices
 Monitor daily and 6-month $US prices for copper — the preferred electrical conductor for most categories of electrical wiring.
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The Electrical Stock Market
 Track the stock market performance of 25 publicly traded electrical equipment suppliers and electrical wholesalers. Updated weekly.
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