Highly Trained Commercial Electricians Keep Critical Systems Running at Peak Performance
October 24, 2023 – Lakewood, CO — Encore Electric commercial electricians take pride in delivering electrical service and electrical repair for complex and demanding mission-critical facilities, such as functioning hospitals. The projects, people, and tools in these environments are highly specialized to ensure patients and caregivers are kept safe while vital electrical systems are continuously kept operating at peak performance.
A continual presence allows Encore Electric to provide electrical service for all day-to-day electrical, technology, and energy needs perpetually required across the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado
To further ensure teams are well-equipped for the monumental task of managing commercial electric requirements for the campus, every Encore Electric electrician on site receives specialized training designed to safeguard the team, patients, and caregivers during electrical service.
Encore Electric healthcare training covers Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) and mission-critical electrical systems. Once trained, Encore Electric electricians become certified after they complete 2,000 hours of healthcare facility electrical work. Encore Electric teammates who are trained and certified are easily identified by these stickers which are proudly worn on helmets.
Training doesn’t stop once they receive their healthcare-trained or healthcare-certified designation. Encore Electric cares for craftspeople in the field by providing health and wellbeing guidance as well. “Mental health and wellbeing training is particularly important for teams who work in high-stress environments such as functioning hospitals,” said Greg Olson, Encore Electric Foreman. “You never know what you will see working in a live ED, it can be mentally exhausting. When you work in a space like this, you must be mentally and physically diligent because it’s not a run-of-the-mill job site and a lot of people are counting on you to be at your best.”
Ben Nickerson, an Encore Electric Foreman, captures the importance of well-rounded training, “To an outsider, our projects probably look overwhelming. For us, they’re not because we have the right training and processes in place to manage these sometimes chaotic environments. Processes include daily safety briefings, continuous job walks, and carefully devised plans which are endlessly monitored to allow us to be flexible if the hospital schedule changes. Fortunately, UCHealth also recognizes we will do everything in our power to accommodate them, even if it means we are here at 3 a.m. on a Saturday to stay out of the way of patient care,” said Nickerson.
Ben Nickerson, Encore Electric Foreman wearing a bunny suit within a workspace shared by patients and caregivers.
In addition to being highly trained and certified, Encore Electric teammates rely on an arsenal of electrical repair tools and resources to help them with efficiency and safety.
“There are some interesting challenges to overcome in an active hospital,” said Nickerson. “Sometimes we need special ladders that collapse to fit in the elevator and then expand to 16 feet. Tools can also be tricky; some locations require that they be wrapped in plastic to keep harmful particles out of patient areas. Collaborating with the Encore Electric prefabrication, tools, and asset management teams is vital to our success in these complex environments because they understand the challenges and help us find the right solutions to keep patients safe and customers happy.”
At the top of the unique tools list is HEPACART®, which is an essential piece of equipment used during construction to make sure dust and debris are contained and filtered to protect patients, especially those who are immune compromised. This Encore Electric team is HEPACART® certified.
To further protect patients and caregivers, Encore Electric commercial electricians occasionally wear protective Bunny Suits to keep particles and materials from contaminating patient areas. Bunny Suits are also frequently utilized in other mission-critical facilities such as laboratories, manufacturing, and data centers.
This Encore Electric service and special projects team embodies our philosophy of developing professional, highly trained employees who drive excellent long-term customer relationships through planning, building, and partnering with them on their most complex and demanding projects.