The Australian Coal and Energy Survey reveals that shiftwork patterns in the mining and energy sectors could be impacting negatively on workers’ physical and mental health. [ + ]

NECA is calling on the Victorian Government to protect electrical and communications contractors caught up in the alarming number of insolvencies that have been occurring in the state’s construction industry recently. [ + ]

NOJA Power has been recognised as a Queensland Exporter of the Year in the Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards 2012 program. [ + ]

ABB has announced its underground substation concept for the efficient and safe delivery of energy for Australian urban areas. [ + ]

Western Australia now has the dubious distinction of having the highest electrical fatal injury rate in the country, prompting Master Electricians Australia to call for a renewed focus on electrical safety training. [ + ]

With a market share of 30.9%, Spirent Communications has received Frost & Sullivan’s 2012 Market Share Leadership Award for ethernet testing. Frost & Sullivan also recognised the company as the market leader in each segment (1, 10 and 40/100 GbE) that it tracks. [ + ]

Almost a third of all new Australian homes are now adding in smart wiring as they are built, in order to better handle technologies like fibre broadband. [ + ]

November 2012 marks a photovoltaic (PV) milestone for Australia. This month, cumulative Australian PV installations reached 2 GW - equivalent to 2,000,000 kW. [ + ]

CEDA’s latest research has found that state governments should divest their ownership of energy network service provision assets to help curb further electricity price rises for households. [ + ]

A new service that manages and mentors apprenticeships is steadily gaining success, having seen more apprentices successfully completing their electrical apprenticeships. [ + ]

The decreasing number of available apprenticeships is limiting school leavers’ job prospects, according to the Group Training Association of Victoria. [ + ]

A leading authority on causes of industrial switchboard failures says energy-saving power factor correction (PFC) technology should be housed separately from switchboards and motor control centres to minimise damage and downtime resulting from any failures. [ + ]

The Electrical Trade Union’s claims that Ausgrid has suspended asbestos removal programs are “not correct”, the electricity distributor has said. [ + ]

ABB has been announced as a winner in the 2012 Banksia Environmental Awards in the Clean Technology - Harnessing Opportunities category for its new sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) gas recycling technology. The technology was developed by an Australian team and has been implemented at ABB’s gas recycling centre at Moorebank, NSW, Australia. [ + ]

Master Electricians Australia (MEA) has welcomed the announcement of an inquiry into the school building scheme which has left small contracting businesses millions of dollars out of pocket and driven many to the brink of bankruptcy. [ + ]