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E lectricalB usinessT H E A U T H O R I T A T I V E V O I C E O FCANADA’S ELECTRICAL INDUSTRYE lectricalELECTRICAL BUSINESS is the magazine of the Canadian electricalindustry. It reports on the news and publishes articles in a mannerthat is informative and constructive.B usinessEditorAnthony Capkun - acapkun@clbmedia.caT H E A U T H O R I T A T I V E V O I C E O FCANADA’S Publisher ELECTRICAL INDUSTRYJohn MacPherson - jmacpherson@clbmedia.caNovember/December 2008 • Volume 44 • Issue 10Account ManagerScott Hoy - shoy@clbmedia.caEB Editorial Advisory BoardTom Crist, Kerry Heid, Ron Bergeron, Stephen Tatrallyay, DanMott, John Vickery, Ian Dempsey and Pierre DowdArt DirectorSvetlana Avrutin - savrutin@clbmedia.caProduction ManagerRobert Russell - rrussell@clbmedia.caEditorial InternScott Hamilton - shamilton@clbmedia.caCreative DirectorEinar Rice - erice@clbmedia.caManager, ProductionLisa Drummond - ldrummond@clbmedia.caSubscriber Customer Service RepresentativeKristen Schulz-Lacey - kschulz-lacey@clbmedia.ca240 Edward Street, Aurora, ON L4G 3S9Tel: 905-727-0077 Fax: 905-727-0017PresidentStuart MorrisonVice President, Media, PublishingNiel HiscoxVice President, Finance/Corporate DevelopmentKent MilfordVice President, Human ResourcesSusan BishopVice President, IT and OperationsDavid OverallDirector, Industrial GroupFrank ShonikerDirector, Professional GroupKaren LorimerDirector, Manufacturing GroupNigel BishopDirector, Editorial and ProductionJackie RothDirector, Facility Management and LogisticsSteve DaleDirector, Human ResourcesDenise DesrosiersDirector, Product & Business DevelopmentTodd PhillipsDirector, ITPhillip DamianidisCirculationNancy Gaston - ngaston@clbmedia.caUrszula Grzyb - ugrzyb@clbmedia.caSubscription Rates:Canada: Single issue $7.00 • Ten issues: $35.00 (including tax)USA: $59.00 (US) and International: $75.00 (US) per yearUnited States Second Class Postage Paid at Lewiston, NY(USPS-741-470) US POSTMASTER: send address changes toELECTRICAL BUSINESS, P.O. Box 8145, Lewiston, NY 14092The contents of Electrical Business are copyright by ©2008 CLB MediaInc. and may not be reproduced in whole or part without written consent.CLB Media Inc. disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, completenessor currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liabilityin respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance uponinformation in this publication. REPRINTS: Contact The Reprint Outsourceat (877) 394-7350.PAP Registration No. 10774Send address changes to:ELECTRICAL BUSINESS240 Edward Street, Aurora, ON L4G 3S9Return Postage GuaranteedCanada Post - Canadian Publications Mail Sales ProductsAgreement 40063602 ISSN 0013-4244Printed in CanadaThey say there’s a time and a place for everything so, logically,I should wait until the next edition of Electrical Business—which has a special focus on health & safety—to discussH&S matters. Some people are patient. I find it hard to be,which is why when something looms so largely in my mind, Icannot help but tackle it right away.Electrical contractors are increasingly recognizing the importanceof—and executing—a documented health & safety plan.(I say “documented” because if you’re not keeping track of yourH&S endeavours, your efforts to protect your workforce maygo unnoticed by the courts should an accident occur.) Knowingthat all it takes is one successful lawsuit showing a disregardfor H&S to lose their businesses, forward-thinking owners aretaking steps to train their crews in electrical hazard and riskmanagement, proper use of personal protective equipment, andso on.I’m not concerned about them, and my message is not forthem. Nor is my message for contractors who pay lip serviceto health & safety. Regardless of the moral obligation, if theycannot see the writing on the wall—that is, that the courts willnail ‘em to the wall and take them for everything they haveshould something bad happen to one of their employees—thenthere’s no helping them.No, my message is to the guys who work for a contractorthat’s trying to establish and/or carry out an H&S strategy,yet continue to work unsafely; the ones who refuse to use thePPE their employer has provided to keep them safe; the oneswho attend training sessions, then go back to the way they’vealways done things; the ones who are convinced that whilebad things might happen to other people, they could neverhappen to them.ContentsfeatureS▼ From the editorTime to get smart about health & safetyOn the cover and page 16To them I say it’s time you got smart about health &safety.And not because if you kill yourself, or seriously wound yourself,your family will be shattered and your livelihood taken away.Not because you may have to kiss your old way of life good-bye.And not because there’s no shame in working safely.No, it’s time you got smart about H&S because should somethingbad happen, you could herald the destruction of bothyour employer’s business and the livelihoods of everyone heemploys.I’ve spoken with many contractors who are trying to be proactiveabout H&S, and their number one complaint is gettingtheir guys on-side. (If you’re one of these contractors, at leastyou know you’re not alone.) If, as one of their workers, you gethurt or killed, you’re not the only one who will suffer. And whileyou may bring no charges against your employer in a court oflaw, you can rest assured the ministry or department of labourin your jurisdiction will.And make no mistake: blame has a way a travelling far andwide. If you get hurt through your own disregard for H&S,and your employer can prove he’s done everything reasonableand practicable to keep you safe, then you’re just plain screwed:physically, financially, emotionally and more. And if, after anaccident, you’re able to rejoin the workforce, who’s going towant to hire you? You’re a walking lawsuit; a pariah.So get smart about health & safety. Get on-side with youremployer, and everyone wins.Are you ready to be TechReady?Jump into the world of residential low-voltage! As an electrician, you can continue down the normal road of high-voltagework, where there is comfort and consistency in your area of expertise. However, there just might be a world of opportunityout there for the brave souls willing to take the road that includes a deeper understanding of low-voltage technologies.Photos by Anita MacPherson • AMac Photography. Special thanks to Shane Wambodt of Uberhome.8 10 easy steps for entering the fiber optic marketFiber optics are just part of the continual evolution of the communications and electrical tradesand, for the forward-thinking contractor, can be an ideal area in which to expand services and growthe business.10 You may walk the licensed contractor walk.. but can you talk theLEC talk?While electrical contractor licensing in Ontario is considered by some to be nothing more than anadministrative burden, it can also be wielded as a powerful marketing tool. (Here we also present ashort sidebar on what Ontario’s electrical contractors have to say about licensing.)14 Wiring for the information age: how to wire EthernetNon-power and light wiring constitute a good part of any new construction and renovation. Andwhile there are plenty of cabling contractors available to do this work, the ‘traditional’ electrician isusually first onsite, so why not make low-voltage work part of the overall electrical contract?24 Hybrid heating a winning solution for Winnipeg’s MTS Centre(Case Study) Although it opened just a few years ago, the owners of Winnipeg’s MTS Centre knewthey could do more to curb greenhouse gas emissions and save on energy costs, so they retrofitted ahybrid heating system.departments4 Industry News7 Personalities9 Calendar18 From the Legal DeskEven one-minute jobs demand safety precautions19 Mind Your SafetyMeeting the new CSA Z462 standard20 Counter IntelligenceA year of possibility lay ahead22 Trucks for the TradeFive revelations on growing your businesswith wireless26 Products28 Multimedia Resources29 Product Showcase30 Code FileRigid PVC conduit in residential applications30 Code Conundrumpage 26www. mag.com • november/december 2008 • 3