by Jim Wolfe, IAMU Electric Services Coordinator
The month of May has come and gone extremely fast at IAMU. This month has been full of workshops and events involving all departments. As always, weather was challenging at times, but overall, things went very well.
The month of May has come and gone extremely fast at IAMU. This month has been full of workshops and events involving all departments. As always, weather was challenging at times, but overall, things went very well.
The annual Overhead Distribution Workshop was held on the 13th-15th at IAMU. There were 48 attendees from utilities around the state. The first day of our workshop was dedicated to fall protection for electric utility workers. This subject has been in the spotlight for a long time due to the changes in OSHA regulations that mandate fall protection while climbing poles and structures and the use of arc tested harnesses and lanyards while using aerial devices. We had tons of support from some of the major companies that manufacture and supply this equipment to workers in this field. Attendees were able to demo different brands of equipment and learn how to properly adjust and use the equipment. A demonstration was also given regarding the importance of harness and lanyard use and inspection. I would like to thank Process Marketing Group for their harness presentation, Cahoon Sales for representing Buckingham Products, Capital Safety for representing DBI SALA, and Bashlin.
Day two of the workshop turned very soggy. The committee was force to move things inside and with help from Ken Rieck of McCaskey, we were able to continue with the program. There was a break in the weather that allowed everyone to spend the afternoon on the field for a very accelerated program. A number of different stations were set around the field. We also had great last minute help from Kriz-Davis and Cahoon Sales with their stations. Energy Solutions was able to showcase our recently completed transmission switch and provide some hands on training and Shaver Mfg was able to demo a skid loader mounted pole puller. Attendees were able to operate aerial trucks at a few of the stations that were supplied by Altec, ABM, ETI and Winterset Municipal Utilities. It is wonderful to have support from these great people so that our attendees can use the latest equipment on the market. The day concluded with a reception at the Best Western in Ankeny. The reception was sponsored by Wesco, Utilities Plus Energy Services, Resco, Power Line Supply, Moehn Sales, Irby, Holophane Lighting, G&L Clothing, Fletcher Reinhardt, Evans, Lipka & Associates, Border States, Energy Solutions, McCaskey Co., ABM, ETI and Kriz-Davis.
Day three concluded with round table topics and a short discussion about the ongoing emerald ash borer issue. To finish out the day, we invited Dave Swanson with ITC/ULC to share a very important message about focus, attitude and safety on the jobsite.
I want to thank everyone from the Electric Safety Committee for all of their help during the workshop and for time spent preparing. Special thanks to their utility organizations for allowing them to be a member of the committee.
On a different note, we are still taking orders for the OSHA Electric Distribution, Transmission, and Generation Manual in a printed or electronic version. Please contact me at [email protected] or call our office at 515-289-1999 to request a copy. Have a safe start to your summer!
Day two of the workshop turned very soggy. The committee was force to move things inside and with help from Ken Rieck of McCaskey, we were able to continue with the program. There was a break in the weather that allowed everyone to spend the afternoon on the field for a very accelerated program. A number of different stations were set around the field. We also had great last minute help from Kriz-Davis and Cahoon Sales with their stations. Energy Solutions was able to showcase our recently completed transmission switch and provide some hands on training and Shaver Mfg was able to demo a skid loader mounted pole puller. Attendees were able to operate aerial trucks at a few of the stations that were supplied by Altec, ABM, ETI and Winterset Municipal Utilities. It is wonderful to have support from these great people so that our attendees can use the latest equipment on the market. The day concluded with a reception at the Best Western in Ankeny. The reception was sponsored by Wesco, Utilities Plus Energy Services, Resco, Power Line Supply, Moehn Sales, Irby, Holophane Lighting, G&L Clothing, Fletcher Reinhardt, Evans, Lipka & Associates, Border States, Energy Solutions, McCaskey Co., ABM, ETI and Kriz-Davis.
Day three concluded with round table topics and a short discussion about the ongoing emerald ash borer issue. To finish out the day, we invited Dave Swanson with ITC/ULC to share a very important message about focus, attitude and safety on the jobsite.
I want to thank everyone from the Electric Safety Committee for all of their help during the workshop and for time spent preparing. Special thanks to their utility organizations for allowing them to be a member of the committee.
On a different note, we are still taking orders for the OSHA Electric Distribution, Transmission, and Generation Manual in a printed or electronic version. Please contact me at [email protected] or call our office at 515-289-1999 to request a copy. Have a safe start to your summer!
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