Bench grinders, pedestal grinders, and angle grinders are versatile tools that use various blades, brushes, or abrasive wheels to clean, buff, cut, or smooth material. Due to internal damage, abrasive wheels have been known to explode violently while in use. This internal damage can occur when a wheel is dropped, contact with falling material occurs, or during the manufacturing process. This is the reason that OSHA requires that a ring test be conducted on wheels before they are mounted onto grinding equipment.

The ring test is an effective method of detecting a defect in grinding wheels that are
over 4 inches in diameter. The wheels can’t be mounted during as that inhibits the
ring. The grinding wheels should be free from dust or grease buildup, and they should
be dry as water within the wheel’s porous structure also deadens the sound.

How to do the test:

1. Suspend the wheel with a tool handle or your finger through the arbor hole in the
   wheel.
2. Tap the flat side of the wheel with a light nonmetallic
   implement, such as a screw driver handle, at an
   area 45 degrees from the vertical center line on each side
   of the wheel and 1 – 2 inches from the edge of the wheel.
   (see illustration)
   
3. Rotate the wheel 45 degrees and repeat the test until the
   entire wheel has been tested.
   

The wheel passes the test if it gives a clear metallic tone (ring) when tapped at
all four points. If the wheel sounds dead (dull thud) at any of the four points, it is
cracked or damaged internally. Do not use it.

IAMU is once again offering the Electric Utility System Operation Short Course (EUSO) presented by Skip Collier of Professional Training Systems, Inc.
 
Skip is highly regarded and has an extensive background in electric utility design, construction, maintenance and operation.
 
EUSO Short Course:  July 31 – August 2
The EUSO Short Course is designed for any employee whose job performance will benefit from a basic understanding of the operations side of the business.  This includes those from legal, rates, engineering, purchasing, computer application, marketing, customer service, inventory control, finance, accounting, safety, risk analysis as well as those from generating plants.  One goal for this class is to have students leave with the ability to easily identify all of the electrical equipment they see in a substation as they walk by, along with all the equipment found on the poles in a residential area.  Non-electrical engineers are often at a disadvantage in the electric utility environment due to a lack of familiarity with technical issues.  The better you understand the utility’s product – electrical energy – and how it is created and distributed, the better you can serve the utility and your customers.  This course assumes no electrical background, and builds on the basics to provide a comprehensive understanding of the equipment and operations.
 
*Line Maintainer apprentices will receive 21 Basic OJT hours for taking the EUSO Course.*
 
Registration is open.
Registration fees for the course are below.
 
(*If you are planning on sending more than one participant from your organization, please make sure to share this with multiple departments so that you qualify for the reduced cost with the initial registration.)

• EUSO Course - $950 for a single registrant OR $850 each for two or more participants from the same utility/organization

For additional information, brochure, and registration, please click HERE.  The registration deadline for the workshop is Tuesday, July 24, 2018.

IAMU Safety Services will be holding a Drug & Alcohol Employee/Supervisor Training Webinar. This webinar will address the following:

• The effects of drugs and alcohol on the body
• Recognize the signs, symptoms, and indicators of substance abuse at the workplace
• Comply with federal DOT regulations requiring 2-hour reasonable suspicion training for supervisors

The first half of the webinar will be spent on symptoms of alcohol abuse.  The second half will be spent on the symptoms of drug/controlled substance abuse.

*A Certificate of Completion will be emailed to registrants after the event.

Who Should Attend?
Employees and supervisors involved with CDLs and/or gas operations.

Webinar Time and Length:
Thursday, June 14, 2018 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Questions?
Contact Paul Kittelson at pkittelson@iamu.org, or (800) 810-4268.

Registration is open.  For additional information and online registration, please click HERE.

Mark your calendars for the IAMU Water Distribution & Leak Detection/Line Locating Workshops.  The workshops will take place May 23 - 24 at the IAMU Training and Office Complex.

Water Distribution Training topics will include:

• Fire hydrant maintenance
• Water main tapping / HydraStop
• Water main installation / repair & fittings
  
  

Water Leak Detection / Line Locating topics will include:

• Water leak detection
• Line locating
• Trenching & shoring
•  Fittings

0.6 CEUs each day for Water Distribution.

Cost:

Early Registration (on or before May 18)

• IAMU Members - $65/day or $115 both days
• Non-Members - $105/day or $190 both days

Late/At-the-Door Registration

• IAMU Members - $75/day or $135 both days
  
• Non-Members - $115/day or $210 both days
  

Registration is open.  For more information about the workshops, brochure, and online registration, click HERE.

Mark your calendars for the Arc Flash & 2018 NFPA 70E Updates class.  This one-day course will take place on Wednesday, May 30 at the IAMU Training & Office Complex.

This course will be taught by Dave Sullivan of Sullivan Training & Consulting, LLC.  Dave has taught electrical training courses for over 25 years covering topics such as National Electrical Code updates, grounding and bonding, power factor correction, arc flash, and the NFPA 70E.  He is a member of the International Association of Electrical Inspectors and conducts trainings throughout the Midwest.
This course will cover Arc Flash and explain the rules and changes in the new 2018 NFPA 70E Codebook.  Course highlights will include:

• Short circuit hazards
• Codes and standards
• Steps to upgrade for arc flash
• Future recommendations
• Proper FR PPE
• NFPA 70E 2018 Edition

Who Should Attend:
Managers, safety professionals, water/wastewater supervisors, electric utility engineers & supervisors, designers, technicians, and all field personnel who are responsible for or who make decisions concerning electrical safety and operations. The course is conducted at a practical level and is appropriate for degreed professionals, including engineers and engineering technicians, as well as skilled craft personnel, field supervisors and non-degreed high school graduates with a general knowledge of the electric system.

Need Flexible Credit Hours / PDH?  A certificate good for four (4) contact hours will be awarded.

Where and When:
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
10:00 A.M. to 2:30 P.M.
IAMU Training Office
1735 NE 70th Avenue
Ankeny, IA  50021

Minimum 20 participants; Maximum 60 participants.

For additional information and registration, please click HERE.

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities in conjunction with Wichita State Environmental Finance Center (EFC), encourages representatives from your utility to attend an upcoming asset management workshop. As a water/wastewater system, you are responsible for meeting your customer’s expectations at the right cost while efficiently operating and managing your system. Asset Management can help you get through efficient operation and management. It includes 5 components: asset condition, customer service, asset criticality, life cycle costs, and long-term planning. The session provides participants with an understanding of what to include in an asset management plan, who should be involved and why it’s important to implement a plan. The training will provide classroom instruction as well as interactive participant exercises and discussion.
 
*5 CEU hours available for Water Treatment, Distribution, or Wastewater.

Who Should Attend?
This training would be beneficial for very small systems with populations of 500 or less, as well as Financial/Accounting Staff, Utility Directors, City Managers, City Clerks, Board/City Council Members, and Operators.
 
Cost:
$25.00  (Funding for this workshop is provided by Region 7 EPA.  Charges for the workshop are to cover lunch and administrative costs.)
 
Location:
IAMU Training and Office Complex
1735 NE 70th Avenue
Ankeny, IA  50021

Click HERE for registration and additional information.

During its 2018 session, the Iowa legislature passed a new law, SF 512. The new law, effective July 1, 2018, creates a Water Service Excise Tax (WET). Prior to the enactment of this law, the sale of water was subject to the 6% state sales tax. The WET exempts the sale of water service from state sales tax but imposes a 6% excise tax on the sale of water service.
 
Some entities that make sales of water service and other goods or services will now have to separately collect and remit the 6% excise tax on water service sales in addition to state sales tax on other goods for services. For example, if a utility that sells both sewage and water services is currently collecting and remitting state sales tax on sewer charges to nonresidential commercial customers, they will continue to collect this portion as sales tax plus any applicable local option sales tax. However, the entity will no longer collect state sales tax on the sale of water service but will collect the WET on the sales of water service.
 
For more information about the new tax and what water utilities need to do, visit the Iowa Department of Revenue’s website.

SCS Engineers is a nationwide, full-service environmental engineering company that helps electric utility companies and their partners manage the waste they produce while generating and distributing power. SCS helps you maintain compliance with changing environmental regulations so you can focus on what you do best—serving your customers. To learn more about SCS Engineers, visit https://www.scsengineers.com.

The IAMU Annual Report for FY 2017 (March 1, 2017 – February 28, 2018) is available for those who wish to review it. To access the Annual Report: Go to www.iamu.org > Sign in as a member > Go to “About IAMU” > Click on “Annual Report”
 
Note: You must be signed in as a member to see “Annual Report” under the “About IAMU” section. If you need help signing in, contact Josh Trout at jtrout@iamu.org.