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Random Engineering Fact of the Week: Who Actually Gives You the CE Mark?
, | September 23, 2026| Post by: LBIES Staff

Random Engineering Fact of the Week: Who Actually Gives You the CE Mark?

Here’s a CE Mark fact that occasionally causes an engineer to stare suspiciously at us for a few seconds: For most machinery, nobody “gives” you the CE Mark. Yep. There isn’t a mysterious CE headquarters in Brussels where a stern engineer examines your machine, stamps a giant APPROVED across the paperwork, and ceremoniously hands you [...]
Ask Lewis Bass: Does Adding a Robot Change an Existing SEMI S2 Evaluation?
September 9, 2026| Post by: LBIES Staff

Ask Lewis Bass: Does Adding a Robot Change an Existing SEMI S2 Evaluation?

From the Desk of Lewis Bass Welcome back to "Ask Lewis Bass," our ongoing series where we answer real-world questions from engineers, panel builders, OEMs, and compliance teams working through the challenges of industrial electrical safety and equipment compliance. This week we're tackling a question we receive surprisingly often from companies building custom industrial control [...]
OSHA NRTL Recognition Is Not Field Evaluation Body Accreditation
, , , , , | August 26, 2026| Post by: LBIES Staff

OSHA NRTL Recognition Is Not Field Evaluation Body Accreditation

For decades, confusion has surrounded the relationship between OSHA’s Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory program and the field evaluation of unlisted electrical equipment. Some authorities having jurisdiction, equipment owners, and contractors have assumed that an organization recognized by OSHA as an NRTL must also have been evaluated and approved by OSHA to perform field evaluations. That [...]
Introducing the Lewis Bass AHJ Finder: Find the Right Building Department Contact Faster
August 12, 2026| Post by: LBIES Staff

Introducing the Lewis Bass AHJ Finder: Find the Right Building Department Contact Faster

If you have ever tried to determine who to contact about an electrical field evaluation, unlisted equipment, permitting question, or inspection requirement, you probably already know the problem: finding the right Authority Having Jurisdiction can sometimes be surprisingly difficult. A city website may have separate pages for building, electrical inspections, permitting, planning, and community development. [...]
An Open Invitation to Building Department Officials Regarding Unlisted Equipment in Their Jurisdiction
, , | July 29, 2026| Post by: LBIES Staff

An Open Invitation to Building Department Officials Regarding Unlisted Equipment in Their Jurisdiction

Every day, building departments and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) across the United States make important decisions that directly impact the safety of workers, facilities, and the public. Those decisions are not easy. They require balancing code compliance, public safety, limited resources, and an ever-growing variety of electrical equipment entering the marketplace. At Lewis Bass International [...]
Ask Lewis Bass: A Question About UL 508A Control Panels
July 15, 2026| Post by: LBIES Staff

Ask Lewis Bass: A Question About UL 508A Control Panels

From the Desk of Lewis Bass Welcome back to "Ask Lewis Bass," our ongoing series where we answer real-world questions from engineers, panel builders, OEMs, and compliance teams working through the challenges of industrial electrical safety and equipment compliance. This week we're tackling a question we receive surprisingly often from companies building custom industrial control [...]
Random Engineering Fact of the Week: Why the Emergency Stop Button Isn’t Always “Big and Red Enough”
July 1, 2026| Post by: LBIES Staff

Random Engineering Fact of the Week: Why the Emergency Stop Button Isn’t Always “Big and Red Enough”

Here's a fun one that surprises even experienced machine builders. You can install the biggest, brightest, most obvious emergency stop button you've ever seen... and it can still contribute to a failed SEMI S2/S8 evaluation. Wait... what? During a SEMI S2/S8 assessment, engineers don't just verify that an emergency stop (EMO) device exists. They also [...]
This Month in Electrical Safety: May/June 2026 Edition
June 17, 2026| Post by: LBIES Staff

This Month in Electrical Safety: May/June 2026 Edition

As we move through May and into June 2026, electrical safety continues to evolve across the United States. New code adoption efforts, increased OSHA focus on electrical hazards, expanding electrification initiatives, and growing attention to equipment labeling and worker training are shaping the way facilities manage electrical risk. Manufacturers, facility operators, contractors, and safety professionals [...]
Field Evaluation Services in Oregon: Why Lewis Bass Is Approved to Help
June 3, 2026| Post by: LBIES Staff

Field Evaluation Services in Oregon: Why Lewis Bass Is Approved to Help

If your company has unlisted electrical equipment in Oregon, there is good news. Lewis Bass International Engineering Services is approved by the State of Oregon to perform field evaluations and field labeling services on qualifying equipment. That may sound like a small administrative detail, but for manufacturers, semiconductor facilities, research laboratories, machine builders, integrators, and [...]
Spot the Non-Compliant Machine
| May 20, 2026| Post by: LBIES Staff

Spot the Non-Compliant Machine

Walk through enough factories and you start to notice something strange about electrical safety problems: the dangerous machines rarely look dangerous. Most of the time, the issue is subtle. A missing field evaluation label.An incorrect disconnect.A blocked emergency stop.A mystery SCCR rating nobody can explain during the inspection. And suddenly an entire production schedule is [...]