Terrorists are quite sneaky in their efforts to gain access to and attack our critical infrastructure, including utilities. Learn to recognize the signs of suspicious activity so that you can report it to the proper authorities. For more, check out these tips sheets:

• Recognize the Signs of Terrorism-Related Suspicious Activity
• Suspicious Activity Reporting Indicators and Behaviors
  

Contrary to popular belief, winter ice and snow with the accompanying slipping and sliding on roadways, don’t lead to the largest number of traffic accidents. Surprisingly, more fatal driving accidents occur in the summer months than in any other season, says EMC Senior Risk Improvement Specialist Scott Peterson. In fact, the three deadliest holiday weekends — Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day weekends — fall within the 101 most deadly days on the road, the dates between late May and early September.

To learn more about summer driving hazards, check out the article in EMC Insights.

The coliform bacteria sampling plan templates have been updated to include the revised total coliform rule requirements as well as to include the groundwater rule requirements that had previously been in a separate plan.  There are several templates available, to accommodate the various sampling frequencies and source water types.  The DNR website has both .doc and .pdf versions, in fillable format.  If you’d like a Word document that’s able to be modified, please ask your water supply contact in the field office or WS operations section, and it will be emailed to you.

The American Society of Civil Engineers has released their 2017 report card of the condition of the nation’s infrastructure, including drinking water. 

The drinking water report card’s  overview states:  “Drinking water is delivered via one million miles of pipes across the country. Many of those pipes were laid in the early to mid‐20th century with a lifespan of 75 to 100 years. The quality of drinking water in the United States remains high, but legacy and emerging contaminants continue to require close attention. While water consumption is down, there are still an estimated 240,000 water main breaks per year in the United States, wasting over two trillion gallons of treated drinking water. According to the American Water Works Association, an estimated $1 trillion is necessary to maintain and expand service to meet demands over the next 25 years.”

Under the 1996 reauthorized Safe Drinking Water Act, the DNR is required to publish an annual report of the status of its public drinking water program.  The 2017 report is available on their website.  

The report was compiled by the staff of the DNR, using data collected in 2017 from all active public water supplies in the state.  The report contains a summary of the program, a description of the requirements that systems must meet, the year’s violation statistics, and the list of the systems with each health-based standard or major monitoring or reporting violation incurred during the year.  

The photographs in the report are from Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund projects, primarily those that were completed during the year.  The maps depict the public water supply system universe in Iowa and the locations of the systems that incurred the health-based standards and major monitoring and reporting violations.  The maps are also separately listed on the website.

Iowa had 1,841 active public water supply systems in 2017. Of those systems, 95.8% were in compliance with all health-based drinking water standards, and 80.8% were in compliance with all major monitoring and reporting requirements. There were no waterborne disease outbreaks or deaths attributed to the drinking water at any active public water supply in Iowa during the year.

The United States produced 83.5 million tons of Portland cement in 2017, and imported even more. With concrete increasingly becoming the building material of choice, more employees are exposed to significant hazards.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports:

• Lost workdays in the masonry fields are 2.5 times greater than for other construction activities.
• Concrete workers report four times more lost workdays for skin problems than other construction workers.

Skin burns are just one of the common hazards associated with concrete.  Dry cement contains calcium oxide that, when exposed to water, creates calcium hydroxide with a pH of 12-14. Contact with corrosive cement over periods of time make it likely that a burn will happen. Be sure to wear eye protection – full-cover goggles or safety glasses with side shields to protect against blowing dust (the moisture in the eyes will mix with the dust, making it caustic), splattering concrete and other foreign objects.

Once the eyes or the skin areas have been directly exposed to wet concrete, immediate steps should be followed to slow the burning process:

• Remove any contaminated clothing, being careful not to touch unexposed areas. Promptly rinse clothes in clean water.
• Gently brush any dry chemicals off the skin and flush the affected area with clean running water for at least 20 minutes. To help neutralize the alkalinity, add vinegar or a buffer to the water (a fact proven by a study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons). Vinegar and similar weak acids help neutralize the alkaline substance 15 minutes faster than using water alone, the study found.
• If the eyes are involved, rinse eyes with clean water for 20 minutes.
• Seek professional medical attention immediately if the burn is more than 3 inches across, very deep, or covers the hands, feet, face, groin, or a major joint. Delaying treatment can mean the difference between a mild burn and a severe burn.
• Provide the medical personnel with a product Safety Data Sheet, which explains the skin hazards of concrete exposure and first aid procedures.

Remove all jewelry, watches, belts, etc., because the wet concrete can become trapped against the skin.

If your clothing becomes saturated, change it. Wet clothing will transmit alkalinity via a “hygroscopic” process, in which the fabric molecules actually become charged and will intensify the skin burn. Workers need to be especially careful when removing gloves, boots, and other work clothes so as not to contaminate other skin areas.

Mark your calendars for this year’s IAMU Natural Gas Operator Qualification Workshop taking place August 29 – 30, 2017 at the IAMU Office and Training Complex.  This year’s workshop will cover a multitude of topics and offer many qualification opportunities.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop provides public gas employees the chance to learn more about the gas industry, while also gaining proficiency in skills that can be used in servicing their hometown gas customers.  It is designed for employees who administer, supervise, and work in public natural gas systems.  New operators, or operators needing a refresher on skills, should plan to attend this workshop.

The annual exhibit show and dinner will also take place at IAMU, giving participants a chance to check out the latest offerings from product reps.

For more information and to register here.