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In-person · Bakersfield, CAElectrical safety training in Bakersfield, CA
Bakersfield sits in the middle of California's oil patch, and the same county now hosts some of the largest solar and battery storage plants in the country. We train the electrical crews who keep steam floods, pump jacks, inverters and battery yards running, at your facility or in an in-person class we set up in Bakersfield when you ask.
California runs its own OSHA-approved state plan. Private employers here are inspected by Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), California Department of Industrial Relations, not federal OSHA. Every class is live, on the 2027 edition of NFPA 70E, and taught by a Certified Safety Professional. California electrical safety training requirements →
Among the teams we have trained in the last year
Four ways to train your Bakersfield crew
Crews we train in and around Bakersfield: oil and gas production, solar and battery storage, wind, agriculture and food processing, healthcare and public agencies, defense and aerospace.
What the class covers for Bakersfield crews
Oilfield electricians move between pump panels, motor control centers and cogeneration switchgear in heat and dust. We cover risk assessment for outdoor gear where labels fade and conditions change.
Solar arrays produce voltage whenever the sun is up, and battery containers hold energy after the breaker opens. We teach dc hazards, verification and lockout for the large plants in eastern Kern.
Collector substations and medium-voltage feeders fall under Title 8's High-Voltage Electrical Safety Orders. We tie the class to the observer, approach distance and grounding rules California spells out.
Carrot, citrus and nut plants run conveyors, refrigeration and wash lines in wet areas. Our classes target the maintenance techs who reset and troubleshoot that equipment every shift.
Bakersfield at a glance
Cal/OSHA (state plan covering public employers)
PG&E; Southern California Edison in eastern Kern
CSLB C-10 contractor; DIR-certified electricians
BFL
Pacific
California: what applies to your crews
Enforcement: Cal/OSHA
California's state plan covers private employers as well as the County of Kern, city departments and school districts. Oilfield and plant work falls under Title 8, where the Low-Voltage Electrical Safety Orders cover 600 volts and below and the High-Voltage orders take over above that. Serious injuries, including hospitalizations, must be reported to Cal/OSHA within 8 hours.
Licensing: contractor and worker
Electrical contractors in Kern County hold a C-10 license from the CSLB. The electricians they employ must hold DIR Electrician Certification Unit certification, while in-house plant and oilfield electricians are qualified by their employer.
Where NFPA 70E fits
NFPA 70E is a consensus standard, not a Cal/OSHA rule. Kern employers use it to show how they meet the Title 8 Electrical Safety Orders, and their Section 3203 Injury and Illness Prevention Program should name shock and arc flash among the hazards it controls.
Bakersfield's electrical work environment
Oil still shapes the work. Chevron runs the Kern River field about seven miles northeast of town, Midway-Sunset stretches about 20 miles along the Temblor Range from Maricopa toward McKittrick, and California Resources Corporation's Elk Hills field sits about 20 miles west of Bakersfield. Much of this heavy oil comes out with steam, so the fields depend on generators, cogeneration plants, pump motors and miles of field distribution.
The energy mix is shifting toward carbon storage and renewables. California Resources agreed in February 2024 to merge with Aera Energy, and its Carbon TerraVault venture with Brookfield is permitting CO2 storage at Elk Hills. Across the Tehachapis, Terra-Gen's Edwards & Sanborn project spans 4,600 acres of private land and Edwards Air Force Base, and Arevon's Eland project pairs 758 MWdc of solar with 1,200 MWh of storage.
Agriculture and public employers fill out the payroll. Kern County ranks among the top agricultural counties in the nation by value, and Bolthouse Farms employs about 1,500 people locally. The County of Kern, Kern High School District, Dignity Health, Adventist Health and Kern Medical are the city's largest employers, while Edwards AFB and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake anchor defense work to the east.
Oil fields, solar plants and storage in Kern County
Kern's electrical work splits between century-old oil fields on the west side and new renewable plants in the Mojave. Both draw on the same Bakersfield contractor and maintenance workforce.
| Site | What is there | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Kern River Oil Field Chevron | California's third-largest field, about seven miles northeast of Bakersfield, developed with steam flooding. | Operating |
| Midway-Sunset Oil Field Multiple operators | Largest oil field in California by oil in place, with cogeneration plants supplying steam for heavy oil recovery. | Operating |
| Elk Hills Oil Field California Resources Corporation | 47,000-acre field about 20 miles west of Bakersfield and CRC's largest holding. | Operating |
| Carbon TerraVault I (26R) storage CRC and Brookfield joint venture | CO2 storage vault at Elk Hills that received California's first draft EPA Class VI permits in December 2023. | Planned |
| Edwards & Sanborn solar and storage Terra-Gen | 875 MW of solar and 3,287 MWh of batteries on 4,600 acres, completed in early 2024. | Operating |
| Eland solar and storage Arevon Energy | Two phases totaling 758 MWdc of solar and 300 MW / 1,200 MWh of storage, with power contracted to Southern California public utilities. | Operating |
| Tehachapi Energy Storage Project Southern California Edison | Grid battery project commissioned in 2014 in the Tehachapi wind area. | Operating |
| Edwards Air Force Base US Air Force | The Air Force's main flight test center, east of Bakersfield near Rosamond and Mojave. | Operating |
PG&E, Edison and the Tehachapi renewable corridor
PG&E serves Bakersfield and most of the valley floor, while Southern California Edison serves much of eastern Kern County, including the Tehachapi wind and solar areas. Many oil producers also generate their own power and steam in field cogeneration plants, so oilfield electricians often work on generation equipment as well as distribution.
As of 2016, Kern produced nearly a quarter of California's in-state renewable energy. The Tehachapi Energy Storage Project came online in 2014, and since then multi-gigawatt-hour battery yards like Edwards & Sanborn and Eland have followed. Each one needs substation, inverter and battery technicians who understand both ac and dc hazards.
Who we train in Bakersfield and Kern County
Field electricians and contractors at Kern River, Midway-Sunset, Elk Hills and the smaller west side fields.
Operations and maintenance techs at Edwards & Sanborn, Eland and other plants in the Mojave.
Turbine and collector system technicians working the Tehachapi Pass wind farms.
Maintenance staff at Bolthouse Farms and the packing, cold storage and processing plants around Bakersfield.
Facility engineers at Kern Medical, Dignity Health and Adventist Health, plus County of Kern electricians.
Contractor crews supporting Edwards AFB, China Lake and the Mojave Air and Space Port.
Also serving
Questions from Bakersfield employers
Can you train an oilfield crew that rotates on and off shift?
Do you cover dc hazards for solar and battery sites?
We are a Kern County public agency. Does Cal/OSHA cover us?
Our electricians hold DIR certification. Is that enough to work energized?
Does finishing the class make someone a qualified electrical worker?
What the people in the room say
“Virtual can never replace hands-on, but the engagement from our instructor and the class made it feel more engaging than some in-person courses I've taken.”
“Probably one of the most useful safety courses I've ever attended. Rick genuinely cares about people and their well-being.”
“This is the 2nd arc flash training course I've taken and the class was amazing. I feel like I'm leaving the training safer than before I took this class.”
Train your Bakersfield crew on the 2027 edition.
Onsite within a few days, or private live virtual as soon as tomorrow. Need it fast? Call (813) 725-0999.