The safe use of ladders at work

Accidents involving ladders lead to an alarmingly high number of work related incidents. Just last week while visiting a shop at a mall, I saw a pregnant worker on a stepladder placing items on shelves. When I approached her to discuss the matter, I saw that the ladder was defective and poorly maintained… (more)

Vibration testers that do fast analysis

Typical vibration analysers and software are intended for monitoring machine condition over the longer term, but require special training and investment that may not be possible in many companies. Vibration analysers used in condition-based monitoring or predictive maintenance programmes rely on baseline conditions to evaluate machine condition and estimate remaining life… (more)

Energy savings – a strategy in utilities

This paper looks at energy savings potentials in utilities in industrial processes. It presents a monitoring and targeting strategy proposal that will assist in realising sustainable energy savings in key energy user utilities in processes… (more)

Recommissioning a building to deliver peak performance

Every building undergoes changes over time. While good for business, these changes can negatively impact building performance, resulting in lower productivity and higher energy and building maintenance costs. To address this problem, many companies are “recommissioning” their buildings as a way to fine-tune and update building performance… (more)

Increasing plant and workforce efficiency

Industrial plants are increasingly becoming automated, leading to shortages of staff skilled in the management of automation and associated control software. With these systems becoming more complicated, the control software is constantly being blamed for plants tripping and outages… (more)

Energy saving motors are only a part of the answer

Since an electric motor’s energy consumption makes up about 98% of its total cost of ownership, investment in efficient drive technology is important. There are binding standards for plant manufacturers and operators such as the IEC 60034-30 which will make compliance with the IE2 energy efficiency class mandatory for a large number of electric motors from 16 June 2011… (more)

High currents under control

Users of power control equipment have used third-party systems for many years because they offer the benefits of reduced development costs, shorter time to market and ease of meeting qualification standards. As specifications have become more demanding, it has become necessary to use higher levels of integration… (more)

The changing world of light – a beginner’s guide to LED

New lighting technologies are making inroads into the traditional sources that have held sway since the 1800s. A recent addition to the world of lighting technology are miniature light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These lights, according to the Radiant group, are set to become the standard source of illumination for the 21st Century… (more)

Energy-saving outdoor lighting

In the ever-increasing drive to save energy, governments play a key role. Efforts include setting goals for reducing energy use by banning energy-inefficient products, by promoting energy-efficient alternatives and by financing all kinds of energy-saving programmes… (more)

Comparing 70 W metal halide with LED down lights

The purpose of this test is to determine how many 8-LED or 15-LED down lights are needed to achieve an average of 600 lux at a height of 0,85 m above ground. The goal is also to do a cost comparison between the 70 W metal halide light fittings and the cost during the lifetime of the 8-LED or 15-LED down lights… (more)

Inside Steve’s brain

Book Review: Steve Jobs, founder and current Chief Executive of Apple Computers, is a phenomenon. This is a review of a book on Steve Jobs, “Inside Steve’s brain” by Leander Kahney. He has no doubt assured his place in business history by being fired from his own company in 1985… (more)

Sub-standard electrical training in South Africa: terminology and standards

The Municipal Infrastructure Directorate of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape wrote the following letter to the Energy Sector Training Authority (ESETA) in May 2010 but by September had not received a response. It is surprising that an issue of this nature appears to be of no concern… (more)

In the same boat – the electrical contractor and the wholesaler

A familiar sight at any electrical wholesaler is the crowd of electrical contractors or their staff at the counter early on a weekday morning. In the last couple of years however, the crowds have been a bit thinner. The reasons are not difficult to see… (more)