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 23 – 25
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 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 and to register, please click HERE.

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
  

60 minutes will be spent on symptoms of alcohol abuse; 60 minutes will be spent on the symptoms of drug/controlled substance abuse.

*A Certificate of Completion will be emailed to participants upon confirmation of participant’s full attendance to webinar.

Who Should Attend?
Employees and supervisors involved with CDLs and/or gas operations.
 
Webinar Time and Length:
Tuesday, July 9, 2019 – 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019 – 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
 
Cost:
$45 per IAMU Member participant
$70 per Non-IAMU Member participant
 
Questions?
Contact Paul Kittelson at pkittelson@iamu.org, or (800) 810-4268.

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

*Webinar information will be sent upon registration.*

IAMU recently sent out a salary survey to our water members. IAMU often gets requests for salary information, so we developed a short survey to collect basic starting salary information for water and wastewater system employees (electric and gas ones were done earlier this year). Although no two systems are the same and there are many other benefits to consider, the survey numbers will give members a starting point when evaluating their wages.
 
Once we have the information compiled, IAMU will share it with members by posting it on the IAMU website and providing it upon request.
 
If you have any questions or didn’t receive the survey in your email inbox, please feel free to contact Jill Soenen at jsoenen@iamu.org or by phone at 515.289.1999.
 
Please have your survey completed by June 3. Everyone who completes the survey will be entered in a drawing for a $100 gift card.

Great Food! Great Prizes! Great Fun! Great Live Music!
 
Water and wastewater members, make plans to attend the 8th Annual Shrimp & Bingo Scholarship Fundraiser to benefit students in the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Water Environmental Technology Program.
 
The fundraiser will be held starting at 5:30 p.m., Aug. 24, 2019, at the FFA Enrichment Center on the DMACC Ankeny Campus. The evening begins with a social hour, followed by a shrimp feast at 6:30 p.m. Bingo will be held after the dinner.
 
Sponsorship opportunities and tickets are available. Click here for sponsorship and ticket information.
 
For more information, contact Dennis Hayworth at 515-256-4925, dahayworth@dmacc.edu.

From Julie Sievers, Senior Environmental Specialist, DNR Field Office 3 - Spencer

Any time a water system has a main break or depressurization event, there are two goals – to always protect the public health and safety and to restore normal water service. These two goals, in the order listed, must always be the focus. In 2016, the Iowa Main Break Guidance was updated to incorporate the changes from revised American Water Works Association (AWWA) Standard C651-14. 

Recently, EPA Region 7 advised Iowa DNR staff to require acute (immediate) public notice for water systems with manganese levels above 0.3 mg/L (ppm) due to recent health studies. In response, a committee was formed to update the Iowa Main Break Guidance. This committee included representatives from the Iowa Section of AWWA, Iowa Association of Water Agencies, Iowa Rural Water Association, Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities, and Iowa DNR Water Supply Operations, Water Supply Engineering, and Field Offices. 

Revisions to the Iowa Main Break and Depressurization Guidance were completed earlier this month. The major revisions include the use of bottled water rather than boil water advisories for systems with elevated or unknown manganese levels, and advice for customers to not drink or cook with colored water. This document has been approved and is now being implemented. A copy of it is available on the Iowa DNR Public Notice webpage.  Look for the “Main Break and Depressurization Guidance” section in the lower right side of the webpage.

To be prepared, systems are encouraged to sample for manganese at their Source Entry Point(s) so they know the manganese levels in their system. If the manganese levels are unknown and the system has an incident that necessitates an advisory, the advisory will be a bottled water advisory. Systems with known low levels of manganese (less than 0.22 mg/L), nitrate (less than 7 mg/L as N), and nitrite (less than 0.7 mg/L as N) will issue a boil water advisory. It is very important for operators to know the levels of these three contaminants in their systems when they call the DNR for assistance, especially if they call after hours.

The guidance includes specific information about the four categories of main breaks, guidance about repair of each, when boil or bottled water advisories are recommended or required, and specific information when bacterial sampling is recommended or required following depressurization events. Included in the guidance are templates for a main break log, a communication plan including boil and bottled water advisory templates, and a one-page summary of the procedures for each main break type.

Watch for training opportunities about the guidance and contact your Iowa DNR Field Office with specific questions.

The latest edition of IAMU's Toolbox Talks - Choosing the Right Welding Electrode is now available.  Click here to download it.

Other Toolbox Talk articles are available here.

If you have a Toolbox Talk idea, please send it to Margret Meade.

IAMU’s Annual Golfin’ Fore Safety is just a month away! If you haven’t yet registered, now is the time. Don’t have a foursome? No worries. We can pair you up with others.
 
This year, Golfin’ Fore Safety will be held June 24 at Bos Landen Golf Club in Pella, Iowa.
 
For more information or to register, click here.
 
Proceeds from the event go toward purchasing materials and equipment for the IAMU Training Field.
 
If you’re an associate member and are interested in helping to sponsor the event, IAMU has several options available.

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities Safety Services department 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 for 2019 at the IAMU complex (unless otherwise noted).  Please click HERE or visit the IAMU website for available dates.

June 10-14
June 24-28
August 19-23
October 7-11
December 9-13
 
Mobile Crane Operator Certification/Examination Class Schedule:
 
Monday & Tuesday
9:00 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:

• Registration for all dates is open
• 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.

Cancellation Policy:
IAMU will issue a full refund for a registration cancellation up to 30 days prior to class date.  Cancellations within 30 days of class date will result in a refund less a $50 cancellation charge per registration.

If unable to attend, IAMU will allow a registration to be transferred within the same organization for the registered class date at no additional charge.

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

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

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities’ Safety Services will be holding a Drug & Alcohol Employee/Supervisor Training webinar. The webinar will address the following:

• The effects of drugs and alcohol on the body
•  How to know if someone is on drugs
•  Suggestions for what an individual can do about it

60 minutes will be spent on symptoms of alcohol abuse;
60 minutes will be spent on symptoms of drug/controlled substance abuse

*Certificate of Completion will be emailed to registrants after the event*
 
Who Should Attend?
Employees and supervisors involved with CDLs and gas operations
 
Presenter:
Paul Kittelson, IAMU Safety Services
 
Webinar Time and Length:
July 9th - 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
or
July 30th - 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
 
Cost:
$45 per IAMU Member participant; $70 per Non-IAMU Member participant
 
Webinar instructions and information will be sent to the registrant’s email.
 
To register for the July 9th webinar, please click here.
 
To register for the July 30th webinar, please click here.