Commercial and Public Construction Up in Most Districts
The national economy continued to expand during the survey period from October through mid-November but at a slower rate compared with the previous survey period, according to results from the Federal Reserve Bank's Beige Book, an informal survey of businesses in the 12 federal districts, referred to by their headquarters cities. Among districts, seven reported a slower pace of economic activity while the rest revealed a modest increase or mixed conditions. A few districts reported emerging signs of declining demand for commercial space. However, construction of commercial and public buildings and infrastructure projects remained high in most districts, partly offsetting low residential building activity and helping to limit losses in overall construction employment.

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Underwriters Laboratories Finds Faulty GFCIs
Recent testing by Northbrook, Ill.-based Underwriters Laboratories (UL) of samples obtained from both the marketplace and several manufacturers indicates that some GFCI units do not meet all current UL requirements and, under rare conditions, may not trip when a fault is present, resulting in a loss of protection from electric shock. There have been no reported incidences of these products causing injury in the field, and under normal circumstances UL expects these products will perform their intended function. While GFCIs provide an effective means for protecting against electric shock, UL recommends that they be tested regularly to verify they are operating properly, using the self-test feature that is built into these devices.

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Report Predicts $7.2 Billion Thin-Film PV Market by 2015
Projections estimate the world thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) market will reach $7.2 billion by 2015, compared to just more than $1 billion currently, according to a report from NanoMarkets LC, Glen Allen, Va. The market is being driven by the inherent advantages of TFPV, including low cost, low weight, and the ability to manufacture them on flexible substrates that can be embedded in walls, roofs, and even windows. TFPV can also operate under low-light conditions. To accommodate the growing demand, says the report, most manufacturers are ramping up production capacity, and several are building plants with more than 100MW in capacity.

To read more on this topic, visit the EC&M Web site.

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New Flip Clip from Cooper B-Line
The fastest, most inexpensive way to securely hang and level wire basket tray, saving installers time and money. The Flip Clip^™ can be used with 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch threaded rods, eliminating the need for multiple hanger sizes. The Flip Clip requires only one nut and one tool for installation. www.cooperbline.com/flipclip

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Airport Lighting Project in Florida
The Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority (GACRAA), Gainesville, Fla., is soliciting statements of qualifications (SOQs) for the purpose of obtaining an airport engineering services consultant for design, engineering, and construction oversight of a Taxiway B rehabilitation and lighting project at the Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV). The selected consultant will scope, negotiate, and enter into an individual agreement for services with the airport authority for completion of the Taxiway B Rehabilitation project. SOQs received after 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 20 will not be considered. For additional information, contact Lynn Noffsinger at (352) 378-8797, lynn.noffsinger@flygainesville.com, or visit the airport's Web site.

Electrical Construction in Kentucky
The City of Bowling Green, Ky., is accepting bids for the fire protection and electrical work in the construction of the Greenwood fire station. Proposals are due at 2 p.m. CST on Jan. 15. For more information, visit the city's Web site.

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Web Exclusives
Business Brief
Seattle-based Glumac, a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) consulting engineering firm, recently received a Revit BIM Experience Award for its exemplary use of building information modeling (BIM) and dedication to sustainable design. To efficiently collaborate with multi-discipline teams working on large-scale projects, Glumac's engineers use San Rafael, Calif.-based Autodesk's Revit MEP software to share Revit models with project partners, fostering tighter integration and communication.

For more business briefs, visit EC&M's Web site.

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Mountable Nimbus
The NIMBUS offering from ILSCO contains a mountable version of the dual-sided configuration for use in troughs, wire ways, or panels. NIMBUS mountable connectors are available in up to 12 ports with a wire range of 750kcmil -- 6. Dual rated for copper or aluminum conductors. UL Listed through 500kcmil. NIMBUS features removable plugs for entry port closure that display both the ILSCO and NIMBUS names along with the largest conductor size each port will accept. www.ilsco.com

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Eye on Safety
Florida Horizontal Immunity Law Tested in Court
In the first horizontal immunity case to go to trial in Florida, concrete worker Gregory Aikens was denied compensation from Miller Electric Co. In January 2004, just four days after the horizontal immunity law went into effect, a field supervisor working for Miller Electric dropped a 2,000-pound load of PVC pipe on Aikens' lift basket, throwing Aikens off the lift and leaving him dangling from his safety harness 35 feet in the air. Before he was brought to safety, Aikens tore ligaments in his left knee, lacerated nerves in his arm, and injured a disc in his back.

In the court case, the jury determined that the electrical worker was indeed negligent, but under the horizontal immunity law, the jury must find gross negligence before holding a subcontractor liable for injuries to another subcontractor's employee. Gross negligence means knowingly undertaking a dangerous act likely to result in injury. Supporters of the law claim it will prevent frivolous lawsuits designed to skirt limitations on workers' compensation. Aikens, who turned down the firm's $200,000 settlement proposal, could be forced to pay the company's court costs, up to $36,000. Aikens' lawyer is appealing the law's constitutionality.

Shows and Events
IEC National 2008 Leadership Conference
Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) will hold its 2008 Leadership Conference from January 4-6 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The event provides a forum for IEC members and staff to gather for educational, planning, and motivational sessions such as "Seven Steps to Fiscal Fitness" and "Strategic Planning: 2008 Objectives." For more information and to register, visit IEC's Web site.

International Consumer Electronics Show
The 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is scheduled for January 7-10 in Las Vegas. Knowledge track sessions for this year's show include seminars on emerging technology, energy efficiency and recycling, sales and marketing, and wireless technology. For more information and to register, visit the conference's Web site.

2008 BICSI Winter Conference
The 2008 BICSI Winter Conference will take place in Orlando, Fla., from Jan. 14-17. Topics for seminars at this year's event include structured cabling, an overview of TIA-TR42, a complete review of all the articles in the 2005 NEC that affect the RCDD when designing voice/data, security/safety, and audio/visual systems in commercial and public buildings, and security. For more information and to register, visit the conference's Web site.

Electric West
Year after year, electrical contractors, consultants, engineers, plant managers, and other electrical professionals make it their business to stay on top of the latest industry developments by attending the Electric West Conference, scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from Feb. 27-29. It provides the tools you need to become more efficient, work faster, more profitably and stay ahead of the competition. Categories include:

• Code changes & standards


• Safety


• Lighting


• Residential applications


• Industrial applications


• Business practices


• Home automation

For 2008, the Power Quality segment will be expanded into its own separate conference. For more information and to register, visit the Electric West Web site.