Recent safety checks reveal that about 20 percent of all electrical food service equipment on campus needs repair.

NIU Head Electrician Richard Eike said two temporarily-rehired electricians assigned solely to kitchen safety checks have found about one out of every five pieces of the equipment is “not up to par.”

Eike said most electrical problems are caused by “general wear and tear.” The repair work that needs to be done is mostly bad cords, bad plugs and worn interior wiring, he said.

NIU’s kitchen safety program, which was stopped mid-summer last year, began again in February after a Neptune Hall food service worker was injured by faulty wiring—the second such accident in as many years.

“We can’t have these people working in unsafe conditions. We’ve been lucky that they’ve only been getting shocked so far,” Eike said.

After the February accident, controversy arose about why and who was responsible for the program’s halt although most NIU officials endorsed the program.

The two electricians need to check all of the equipment in the kitchens even if something isn’t wrong, he said. It takes about a year to check all kitchen equipment on campus.

Stevenson, Grant and Douglas residence hall kitchens were the last checked before the program was stopped, Eike said.

Since February, the electricians have completed Lincoln, Neptune and Gilbert hall kitchens but not the Neptune bakery and the Holmes Student Center kitchen.

After finishing the Pow Wow snack bar and Blackhawk cafeteria kitchen, the two electricians, who are hired through June 30, will begin the cycle again with Stevenson and Grant hall kitchens, Eike said.

“What it boils down to is that it’s really a necessary, ongoing program that needs to be continued,” he said.

Bob Fredickson, NIU Food Service Director, said “any safety check of this kind is well-worth it.”

Beth Smalley, Grant hall food service manager, said the continuation of the safety check program is “very worth it.

“We use the equipment constantly. Proper and frequent maintenance of the food service equipment is a necessary program in order to prevent injury,” Smalley said.

The electricians cause no inconvenience when they perform the meticulous safety checks, Smalley said.

“They’re very quick with work orders. They eliminate dangerous problems. They’re a deterrent to accidents,” she said. “It’s great to know that they’re there.”