WA Contractors Association Hires First Safety Director

From the National Electrical Contractors Association: As the construction project totals continue to rise in Seattle, the Puget Sound Chapter National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) has doubled down on its commitment to worksite safety by hiring Jamie Stuart as its first Safety Director. Puget Sound Chapter NECA is just the second out of 119 chapters nationwide to employ this position.

“With increased demand for electrical work in the Puget Sound, the safety of our workforce and job sites is a major priority for NECA contractors,” said Chapter Executive Director Barry Sherman. “They are working at record paces to deliver projects on time, on budget and right the first time and the addition of a NECA Safety Director to support them increases their ability to meet all regulations and keep skilled workers safe.”

As Safety Director Stuart will apply 18 years of experience in the industry to address the safety needs of NECA’s members. He will help them assess work sites and evaluate safety plans to ensure they meet or exceed all federal and state safety regulations. He will also oversee a variety of NECA Safety Committees, assist in NECA Safety Award Program coordination and manage the NECA safety training and education programs too.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor 21.4% of work fatalities in 2015 were in construction. Construction’s “Fatal Four”—falls, struck by object, electrocutions, caught-in/between—accounted for 64.2% of the construction work deaths in 2015. Eliminating the “Fatal Four” would save 602 workers’ lives in America annually.

Some NECA contractors have full-time safety directors on staff but the increased safety support is a welcome given that NECA members are performing about 50% the electrical work on construction projects in the State of Washington.

“Our industry puts a premium on job site safety,” said Stuart. “We are always striving to enhance our practices when it comes to safe worksite practices and I am honored to be doing work that I am passionate about on behalf of NECA and its members.

The commitment NECA contractors have made to safety is also being recognized nationally. Johnson Electric, Teknon Electrical Services and VECA Electric & Technologies recently won the National Electrical Contractors Association “Safety Excellence Recognition” and the award for “Zero Injury Recognition” was present to Johnson Electric and Teknon Electrical Services.

Photo courtesy of the National Electrical Contractors Association