Electrical Safety Tips

Important tips from the Electrical Alliance to prevent electrical accidents:

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Electrical Alliance Fast Facts PDF Print E-mail
  • Established in 1997 by Local 26 International Brother of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and Washington, D.C. chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)
  • The Electrical Alliance recruits new people into the electrical trade and assists Local 26 to recruit existing electricians into the union
  • IBEW, chartered in 1892, represents 7,500 members from a variety of fields
  • NECA, chartered in 1903, represents more than 200 contractors in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia
  • Training is coordinated by the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC)
  • The JATC Apprenticeship program is highly competitive: less than 10 percent of applicants are accepted, and fewer than half of those accepted complete the program ensuring only the most highly-skilled electricians achieve journeyman status
  • Accepted students, who must pass a written and oral exam, enter one of the following programs:
    1. Inside Wireman (five years): apprentice must receive 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under supervision of a qualified journeyman electrician and attend 800 hours of classroom related instruction
    2. Telecommunications (three years): apprentice must receive 4,800 hours of on-the-job training under supervision of a qualified installer/technician and attend 480 hours of classroom related instruction
  • Electricians are fourth highest paid among top 52 construction industry trades, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
  • According to BLS, employment of electricians is projected to grow 23 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations, with 289,200 projected job openings
  • Salaries start in $60,000s for electricians who have completed accredited apprenticeship programs (like those offered by JATC)
  • In the Washington region, electricians can work over time and easily make over $100,000 a year