Whether you have an existing Facebook page for your utility or are thinking of getting started on the social media platform, you want as many local followers as possible so that your posts have the most reach possible in your community. Buy how do you get people to follow you?
 
Here are few ideas:

• Add a link to your page from your website and in your email signature block. You can either include the page URL or use the Facebook icon and add the URL link to the image to call more attention to it. You can also add the URL to utility bills with a call to action to follow your Facebook page.
• Use the FLC formula. Follow, like, and comment (FLC). Go to local pages – maybe the city’s page, school district’s page, or the page of some other local group with a large following. Follow, like, or comment on posts and followers’ comments. Studies show that when you FLC, those individuals or groups often follow you back.
• Create shareable content. Think funny, informative, appealing, innovative, beneficial – anything that followers might share on their Facebook pages. If one follower with 1,000 Facebook friends shares your post, that gets your utility in front of many people who might then follow your page as a result.

Member Services Assistant
​
The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) currently has an opening for a member services assistant. ​

Registration is open!
 
Location: the IAMU Training & Office Complex.
 
Who Should Attend?
All personnel responsible for responding to reports of natural gas leaks, investigating leaks, classifying leaks, determining if emergency conditions exist, determining leak repair priority and repairing leaks.
 
Additional information, brochure and online registration can be found HERE
 
IAMU updated payment options:
When registering for an IAMU event online you will be required to pay with a credit card or ACH transfer. 
The “Bill Me” option will no longer be accepted.
 
If you prefer to pay by check you may request a registration form be emailed to you if one is not provided online by contacting Ashley with IAMU at 515-289-1999 or email [email protected]. 
 
Once IAMU receives the completed registration form and payment you will be registered for the event and an email confirmation will be sent.​

​If you have any questions, please contact Nick Vandegriff, IAMU Gas Services Compliance Specialist at [email protected], or (641) 919-8411.

In IAMU’s member communities, water facilities are critical infrastructure and are often among the largest consumers of energy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating the Power Resilience Guide to include more information, tools, and case studies on implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies at drinking water and wastewater utilities.

EPA is hosting two, two-part virtual workshops this summer to engage drinking water and wastewater utilities, water associations, state and federal agencies, and other stakeholders on the current practices, opportunities, and challenges in increasing energy efficiency measures and utilizing renewable energy to increase power resilience at water utilities. The first workshop for Energy efficiency at Water Utilities has passed, however there are great resources here on this workshop.

To register for the upcoming workshop on Renewable Energy At Water Utilities, click here.

For more information please view these documents:

• Flyer
  
• Agenda

OSHA has long recognized the potentially fatal hazard of working in excessive heat and you are probably aware of OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention Campaign. This is an educational program designed to address the hazards of working in hot environments and requires that employers develop a written plan incorporating specific steps that must be taken for employee safety in those conditions. Heat conditions can change rapidly and management commitment to adjusting heat stress controls is critical to prevent heat illness.

We now have a program template that can be customized to address your specific working conditions and the steps you will take to prevent heat-related illnesses. An individual at the worksite should be responsible for monitoring conditions and implementing the employer's heat plan throughout the workday. A recording is also available to provide basic heat stress education for both employers and employees.
The Heat Stress / Illness Prevention written program is available HERE.  Please note, you must log into the website with your member credentials to access this content. For help accessing your account, please contact Josh Trout at [email protected] or (800) 810-4268.
​
To access the webinar, click HERE.

Aaahh, July in Iowa, there is nothing quite like it. We’ve hit the heat and humidity time of year. With temperatures expected to reach over 100 degrees in some parts of the state this weekend, you may want to arm your customers with energy-saving tips to keep their homes as comfortable as possible without causing spikes in energy consumption.
 
Here are a few suggestions that you may want to post on your social media or provide to local radio stations to include on-air or local newspapers to include in the next issue. These tips below come from energy.gov. When looking for content, be sure to use information from credible, unbiased sources (think website extensions with .gov, .org., or .edu).
 

• Install window coverings to prevent heat gain through your windows during the day.
• Set your thermostat at a temperature you find comfortable and that provides humidity control, if needed. The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
• Turn off ceiling fans when you leave the room. Remember that fans cool people, not rooms, by creating a wind chill effect.

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 for 2022 at the IAMU complex.  Please click HERE or visit the IAMU website for available dates. 

September 27th - 29th (Re-Certified class)
October 25th - 27th (Re-Certified class)
November 14th - 18th
December 13th - 15th (Re-Certified class)

Mobile Crane Operator Certification/Examination Class Schedule:
 
Class Day
Times
Classroom/Exam

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 8 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 ([email protected])
Phone:  (800) 810-4268

Back injuries account for nearly 20% of all injuries and illnesses in the workplace, affecting more than 1 million workers annually. Check out these tips to prevent back injuries in the workplace.

​Click here to read the EMC Loss Control Insights article.

​When it comes to communications, a key element to being effective is to be consistent. Many organizations use a style guide when communicating to their customers.
 
A style guide lays out how you will treat elements of writing when they appear. It can cover things like when to capitalize, when to abbreviate, how to refer to something on a second reference, whether to use a numeral or spell out a number, whether something should be italicized or put in quotes, and more.
 
There are various style guides available to use – such as the AP Stylebook or Chicago Manual of Style – that detail out how to style just about anything when it comes to words and punctuation. You don’t have to get into everything, but you may want to be consistent on a few basics such as when to use numerals or numbers and how you will treat specific words relevant to your utility or city such as how to refer to something on the second reference. Not everyone in an organization will be consistent so when it comes to public communications, you might want to consider making someone the point person to review everything before it’s distributed externally. 

This one-day workshop will provide an overview of a wide range of management and human resource type topics, and is designed for municipal utility personnel including general managers, superintendents, utility clerks and anyone who is responsible for the supervision of utility staff.  Opportunities will be provided to ask questions in advance of the workshop and throughout the presentations.

Representative topics to include:

• Intro to Employment Law
• Managing Attendance & Poor Performance
• Discipline & Discharge
• Harassment & Discrimination for Managers

​Please click HERE for registration and additional information.