Electricity Today T&D Magazine

New regulation removes “optional” to increase worker safety

BY CRAIG FIRL, Capital Safety

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published updated rules and regulations in April 2014 that impact fall protection for the electrical utility industry. These new regulations, which replace rules dating back to the 1970s, have been in development since 2005 and will replace guidelines that were both out-of-date and inconsistent. OSHA estimates the new rules will prevent an additional 118 workplace injuries and 20 fatalities each year.

Workers who operate or maintain electric power generation equipment, or transmission or distribution lines will be affected...

In a significant move that underscores the growing demand for reliable and sustainable energy to power the expanding digital infrastructure, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved an interconnection agreement between Talen Energy, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Exelon. This agreement allows for the integration of new energy generation sources to supply a large-scale Amazon data center facility at the Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania.

The Growing Need for Data Centers and Renewable Energy

The intersection of energy infrastructure and the rapid growth of data centers is becoming an increasingly important focus for regulators and energy providers. As industries...