The wrong time to learn about chemical reactions is when you have a spill or accidentally mix incompatible chemicals. Some chemicals, when combined with others, will release poisonous gases or explode violently. How to know which chemicals should never be mixed or even stored near others? Read and understand Section 10: Stability and Reactivity of the chemical’s Safety Data Sheet. For a quick overview of stability and reactivity properties download the Center for Chemical Process Safety’s publications:

Reactive chemistry incidents can happen anywhere!

Dangerous chemical reactions at home!

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities will be holding mobile crane certification and examination classes for digger derrick, service truck, and mobile crane operators.  OSHA’s updated crane standard REQUIRES that operators of lifting equipment be trained, evaluated and tested in order to obtain certification.

Background Information:
Although the new standard, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC, specifically exempts the digger derrick and the operator from meeting the requirements of the standard, the exemption applies only when it is used for work within the provisions of the power generation, transmission and distribution standards, or for construction work within the telecommunications standard.  The exemption does not apply if the digger derrick is used for lifting materials or to operate in working environments outside the scope of the standard because the equipment is essentially being used as a mobile crane.  For example, unloading materials from a truck, lifting a motor from a pump house to assist your water department, or providing assistance to any other city department will mean that the exemption no longer applies.  When equipment is used as a mobile crane, all provisions of the standard apply, including the operator certification rule.  OSHA also now requires that an operator be certified in specific areas when they operate equipment outfitted with a boom and winch and able to lift at least 2,000 pounds.  This includes service trucks in your public works, or water departments.

The new standard has very specific operator requirements, one being to obtain operator certification from an independent testing organization accredited by a nationally recognized organization.  OSHA’s updated crane standard, 1926.1427 in Subpart CC, requires that for a testing organization to be considered accredited to certify operators, it must be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency based on that agency’s determination that industry recognized criteria for written testing materials, practical examinations, test administration, grading, facilities/equipment and personnel have been met.  IAMU is an Accredited Assessment Center through the National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER).  We are authorized to conduct both hands-on assessments and practical examinations which are part of our Mobile Crane Operator Certification Program.  Additionally, we are offering Qualified Hand Signal Person and Qualified Rigger programs (available at a future date).

Who Should Attend:
Digger derrick and service truck crane operators who do not currently hold a mobile crane operator’s certification.

What Do These Classes and Certification Consist Of:
Classes will be a week long, requiring classroom instruction, an on-line exam that has a 80% pass requirement, a practical exam for certification of mobile crane, and then finally a short class and practical exam for the signalperson and rigging qualifications. Students who pass the written and practical exams receive nationally recognized certification from the National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER).

Where Do These Classes Take Place:
IAMU Training and Office Complex
1735 NE 70th Avenue
Ankeny, IA  50021

When Will Classes Be Held:
Dates have been scheduled to be held at the IAMU complex.  Please click HERE or visit the IAMU website for available dates.

December 14-18, 2020
January 18-22, 2021 (Registration coming soon)
February 22-26, 2021 (Registration coming soon)

Mobile Crane Operator Certification/Examination Class Schedule:
 
Monday
9:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Classroom

Tuesday
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Classroom

Wednesday
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Classroom/Exams

Thursday
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Practical Exams

Friday (if needed)
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Retake Exams
Class/Exam
Examination retakes are $100 and may be taken during any scheduled exam date.

Additional Notes:

• There is a maximum of 12 participants per class session.
• Lunch will be provided Monday through Thursday.
• All participants will attend classroom days. Exams will take place on the Thursday of each class session. Depending on the number of participants, Wednesday evening and Friday may also be used for exams.
• Each participant will need to create an account with NCCER before class; step-by-step instructions are included with the study guide.  Please bring your account number with you to class.

For additional information about the classes and online registration for each event, click HERE .

Questions?
If you have any questions in regards to the classes, or requirements, please contact:

Margret Meade, IAMU Safety Outreach Coordinator (mmeade@iamu.org )
Phone:  (800) 810-4268

Communication is key in any relationship, including with customers and employees. Be smart with how you approach communications so your efforts are as effective as possible.

Here is a list of six common, and completely avoidable, mistakes that many people make. 

1. Not dedicating a budget to communications  -- You need to determine how much money you have to spend and what various communication components will cost for the entire year so you don’t run out of funds. You don’t want that really cool, high-tech January video to eat up your entire budget for the year and leave you with no money for monthly posters or a regular newsletter.
2. Not repurposing your content in multiple ways to reach as many people as possible – People often need to see and hear a message repeated in various media multiple times for the message to stick and cause individuals to take action. You can take one “article” and use it is several ways – social-media posts, posters, postcards, emails, etc.
3. Not branding your utility or city with a logo – You should want your community to recognize anything you do as being part of your utility or city. To make sure that happens, give your city or utility its own identity with a unique look/logo. Then, prominently display the name and logo on everything you do.
4. Inconsistent schedule – The “hit and miss” method rarely works. People need information on a consistent basis. Determine how often you’ll distribute content and in what formats.
5. Not connecting print and Web – Paper and electronic communications are not mutually exclusive. It’s quite the opposite; the two types of media can and should work together. Include Website addresses and Quick Response (QR) Codes on posters and flyers to direct people to more information online. Use email to send out tip sheets or small posters that people can print and post.
6. Not using free resources – There is a ton of credible content out there – if you just look for it. Local, state, and national non-profit organizations and government agencies offer tip sheets, infographics, videos, and more. Most of the time, you can find this content on the Websites of these organizations and agencies.

Don’t make these six communication slip-ups. Take time to map out what you’ll cover, when, how, and with what resources; and your communication efforts will be effective with less effort.

It’s that time of year again! Time to review, and correct if necessary, your OSHA 300 log entries and post the completed and certified 300A form. Make sure that each 300 log entry has a corresponding 301 form that has the required information entered.

This year, we are providing free and unlimited access to the OSHA 29 CFR 1904 Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses webinar. You may view that webinar at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh-M4wKq7UA . Please contact Margret Meade at 515.210.6617 or at mmeade@iamu.org with any recordkeeping questions that you may have.

To find continuing education opportunities, please view the “Training Calendar” at programs.iowadnr.gov/opcertweb/    Training events where Iowa DNR staff will make presentations are listed below.  See the listing on the appropriate date on the Training Calendar for registration instructions.  Look at the calendar often, as there are new opportunities posted throughout the week.

• December 9, DNR Surface Water Operator Training, virtual. 6 hours CEU WT.  Registration. 
  
  
• December 16, DNR/IAMU/EPA Drought Workshop, virtual. 3 hours CEU, WT or WD.  Registration. 
  
  
• December 17, DNR/IAMU/EPA Water Loss Workshop, virtual. 3 hours CEU, WT or WD.  Registration. 

Even with all of the electronic communication options out there these days, email can be as effective as ever, as long as you follow best practices.
 
Thanks to the fact that email has been around for more than two decades now, researchers have had plenty of time to study how people use and respond to email and have identify certain factors that influence its success (success meaning that people open the emails and do with it what the sender intended).
 
Here are some considerations that many communication experts accept as best practices.
 
Subject Lines

• Keep character counts to a minimum – 50 characters or less.
• Use between six and 10 words.
• Capitalize The First Letter In Every Word.
• Personalize the subject line with the recipient’s name if you can.
• Don’t reuse the same subject line. Even if you resend the same email as a follow-up, use a fresh subject line.
• Punctuation isn’t necessary. (Don’t worry about it.)

 
Content

• Keep content to 100 to 200 words, with a strong call to action to click through to more content (on a landing page or website or in an attachment).
• Make sure the message is consistent with what’s included in the subject line.
• Use one idea per paragraph.
• Break up blocks of copy with headlines and images.
• Rely on bulleted list to summarize, but make sure bullets are short. Each bullet should be only one line.
• Use an easy-to-read font such as Arial or another sans serif option in 10- to 11-point size.
• Don’t simply copy and paste content from Microsoft Word or Google Docs into an email. Word and Docs are rich-text editors and contain hidden code that could cause formatting issues. Import the content as plain text and/or write the text directly into the email. On important emails or ones that you send to many people, always send a test message to yourself and a few others before sending the email to everyone so you can make sure it is properly formatted.

Deadline for Mortgage, Rent and Utility Assistance: December 4th

Governor Reynolds announced an additional allocation of CARES Act funds to support Iowa renters and homeowners at-risk of eviction or foreclosure due to a COVID-19-related loss of income. The Iowa Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention program has now been allocated a total of $37.4 million, with approximately $8 million remaining available. The deadline to apply for rent and mortgage assistance as well as utility assistance through the Iowa Residential Utility Disruption Prevention program is Dec. 4, 2020. 

“At no fault of their own, many Iowans are struggling to pay their bills as a result of lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Gov. Reynolds. “Today’s announcement bolsters the Iowa Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention program, which is helping Iowa homeowners and renters make their rent or mortgage payments. Our team will continue to assist Iowans in accessing this critical assistance as the Dec. 4th deadline approaches.” 

“Nearly 11,000 renters and 500 homeowners have received assistance with their rent or mortgage payments and another 2,800 have applied for utility assistance to date,” said IEDA and IFA Executive Director Debi Durham. “Our goal is to assist as many Iowans that have been impacted by COVID-19 and are at-risk of eviction, foreclosure or utility disruption as possible.”

The programs are funded through federal CARES Act funds, which requires that all funds be expended by Dec. 30, 2020. 

To be eligible for either program: 

• Must have a documented COVID-19-related loss of income on or after March 17, 2020. 
• Household income at the time of application may not exceed 80% median family income, which varies by county and household size and is included in the applications.
  
  Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Program
  The program provides current renters and homeowners who are at-risk of eviction or foreclosure due to a COVID-19 loss of income with rent or mortgage assistance for up to four months. The total maximum in assistance per household is the lesser of $3,200 for rental assistance and $3,600 for mortgage assistance or four months actual rent/mortgage payment amounts. Payments are made directly to landlords and mortgage servicers and applied to the applicant’s account.  
  
  The state has allocated $37.4 million of federal CARES Act funds to the Iowa Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention program to date.  
  
  Residential Utility Disruption Prevention Program
  The program provides eligible households with up to $2,000 towards electric, natural gas and water bills if they are at risk of disconnection due to an inability to pay due to a COVID-19 related loss of income. Payments are made directly to utility providers and applied to the applicant’s account. 
  
  The state allocated approximately $14.5 million of federal CARES Act funds for utility assistance programs.
  
  For a full list of eligibility requirements and to apply for either program, visit iowahousingrecovery.com through Dec. 4, 2020.
  

You want your customers to read, understand, and put into action the information that you provide them. If you only put out the message once, though, the likelihood that many people will see it – let alone read it and do something with it – may be wishful thinking.

To better guarantee that your communications are effective, put them out there again and again – in different ways and in different places.

How does this work?

Take one 150- to 200-word article on any given topic.

• Use the article in its entirety in a newsletter and/or on your website.
• Create a poster or flyer using a portion of the content. Hang up the poster in your office and ask other community gathering places to do the same (e.g., the library, the rec center, grocery stores and restaurants that have community bulletin boards, etc.).
• Use a snippet (such as one tip or piece of information) in an email and link to more information about the topic online.
• Post a piece of advice from the article or a topic-related question (to spur discussion) on your social media sites.
• Find a topic-related testimonial from a customer and weave in facts from the original article. People love to read about others and can see themselves in the article, making it more relevant to their lives.

If you use one article in these five ways, your chances of reaching more of your customers, and making the message stick with them, are much greater. You may want to try this strategy with national observances and important seasonal topics (e.g., using space heaters or carbon monoxide issues).

Iowa households experiencing a loss of income related to COVID-19 may be eligible for utility debt relief under the Iowa Residential Utility Disruption Prevention Program. The program, funded by the federal CARES Act, was announced October 9, 2020, by Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority and provides eligible households up to $2,000 toward unpaid electric, natural gas, and water bills between March 17 and October 31, 2020.

The deadline to apply has been extended to Friday, December 4, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. Payments through the program will be made directly to utility providers and applied to the approved applicant's account.

Learn more about the available assistance, eligibility guidelines, how to apply, and required documentation, along with program frequently asked questions.

IAMU welcomed a new staff member on November 16, Sandra Jordan, (Sandy), is a Safety Professional with over 15 years of experience in construction and manufacturing. She grew up in Iowa and attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a BA in English accompanied by a Teaching Certification for secondary education. She also attended Kirkwood Community College in their Agricultural department, and then earned her COSS (Certified Occupational Safety Specialist) through the same educational institution. She is currently working on her MBA, which will have a concentration in Human Resources when she finishes in 2021. Sandra is also an Outreach Trainer for OSHA in Construction, facilitating both 10 & 30 hour courses. She holds extensive experience in writing and implementing safety programs, classroom and hands-on safety training, performing on-site risk assessments and behavioral safety audits, as well as safety data and accident investigation/root cause analysis in her passionate endeavor to reduce accidents and injuries for Iowa’s workers. Sandy met her husband at 13 years of age and they have been married for almost 35 years. They have no children of their own, but love and spoil 3 large dogs and “about” 6 cats! Sandy is committed to the safety profession and to excellent customer service. The excitement of being part of creating successful safety cultures and beginning a new chapter in her career is evident in her positive attitude.