Blog Archives

Communications Corner: 3 Tips for email subject lines

9/21/2022

How much thought do you put into your email subject lines? Those brief few words can make all the difference in whether someone opens the email.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Keep it short and to the point. A Marketo study found subject lines containing four words received the highest average open rates (18.26%).
Use numbers when possible. People’s brains are attracted to numbers.
Use power words to build trust. Think words like results, safety, official, secure, studies show, professional, etc.

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Register for Governor's Safety and Health Conference

9/21/2022

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Registration is open!

November 1-2, 2022
Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel

Join us in Des Moines for two days of conversation on how best to protect Iowa workers. Network with colleagues, make new contacts, and continue your growth as an OESH professional.

Register Now

Early Bird Registration Ends in Just 2 Weeks

$275 Early bird registration before October 1, 2022
$295 Registration on or after October 1, 2022

Vendor Space is Available

When was the last time hundreds prospective customers poured through your doors at once? As a vendor at the 51st Annual Iowa Governor’s Health & Safety Conference, your business will have the opportunity to network with hundreds of safety professionals from across the state of Iowa.

$450 Early bird registration before October 1, 2022
$500 Registration on or after October 1, 2022

Exhibitor space is limited. Register online today!

More Info

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Upcoming: Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) Workshop

9/21/2022

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This workshop is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). OCED Principal Deputy Director Kelly Cummins recording this video which does a great job of explaining the role of the office and these workshops.

The DOE is interested in hearing about how demonstration projects will improve the resilience, safety, reliability, availability, and environmental performance of rural and remote energy systems throughout the country. These workshops are an opportunity to hear from people like you about energy challenges you are facing and the types of projects that can improve your energy systems.

These workshops will:

Provide a detailed overview of the ERA program to interested stakeholders
Collect feedback from stakeholders on drivers, challenges, and potential impacts of demonstrations
Offer a forum for stakeholder networking in preparation for the funding opportunity announcement

Before sharing this opportunity with your rural and remote stakeholders, please watch the video linked in the first paragraph. It really does a great job of explaining the new DOE Office and the role of the workshops. If your coalition represents rural communities and is interested in attending, we also encourage you to register and share your feedback. Let me know if you have any questions.

The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $1 billion to improve energy systems in rural or remote areas of the country with fewer than 10,000 people, and OCED is seeking input as it shapes this new ERA program in preparation for a future funding opportunity announcement.
There are three upcoming ERA workshops (list below) and your stakeholders may interested in joining one at the locations below.

Workshop focusing on the Western U.S. is set for October 12-13, 2022 in Golden, CO. Register here.
Workshop focusing on the Eastern U.S. is set for October 25-26, 2022 in Little Rock, AR. Register here.
Virtual workshop is set for November 1-2, 2022. Register here.

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IAMU Accident Investigation Workshop - October 6th

9/21/2022

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The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities’ Safety Services will be holding an Accident Investigation workshop on Thursday, October 6, 2022. The workshop will be 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

This workshop is designed to give basic working knowledge to those conducting accident investigations in the workplace. Employers, supervisors, lead employees or anyone that is part of a safety committee are encouraged to attend. The workshop will include discussion on how to develop a safety and health management system, how to lead an accident investigation, how to conduct effective interviews and how to write the report.

*A certificate of completion will be given to participants upon confirmation of participant’s full attendance

Who Should Attend?
Employers, Clerks, Administrators, Managers, Supervisors, Lead Employees, Safety Committee Members

Cost:
$100 per IAMU Member participant
$125 per Non-IAMU Member participant

Questions?
Contact Margret Meade at mmeade@iamu.org or (800) 810-4268.

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

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IMU to build local solar farm in unique partnership

9/21/2022

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Indianola Municipal Utilities announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Sandhills Energy to build a state-of-the-art solar generation facility that will produce five percent of the utility’s electricity. Per the partnership, Sandhills Energy will own and maintain the equipment, while IMU will retain ownership of the land.

"Sandhills Energy is excited to work with a forward-thinking utility in IMU,” said Raki Giannakouros, Executive Vice President for Sandhills Energy. “In a volatile utility market, the solar project will provide stability and day one savings that are projected to increase over time as wholesale energy rates rise.”

There will be no increase in cost to IMU’s customers, and they will see no changes to their bill. Solar-generated electricity will simply become part of the overall power mix.

“This is a unique opportunity for a city the size of Indianola to offer solar to our customers at competitive rates, without bearing the construction and maintenance costs ourselves,” said IMU Board of Trustees Chair Lori Smith. “We’ve been working towards this for a while, and we’re excited to explore the possibilities of solar for the community of Indianola.”

The state-of-the-art system will feature First Solar Series 6 photovoltaic (PV) panels. First Solar is the largest domestic manufacturer of PV panels, and their patented thin film technology provides a host of benefits, including superior snow shedding, higher shade tolerance and an industry-leading degradation warranty.

IMU’s new solar generation facility will be co-located with the water plant at 1602 S. K Street, on about 25 utility-owned acres. Environmental stewardship is a priority; the installation will sit atop low-height pollinator habitat maintained by Sandhills Energy. Its 4.1-megawatt capacity will generate up to 6.5 million kilowatt hours of IMU customers’ electricity every year, and seasonality will be only a minor factor, as IMU’s new solar arrays will be able to reliably generate electricity even when partially covered by snow.
It will also help lower costs over time. By tapping into renewable solar energy, IMU will be able to offload about 10 percent of the peak demand load in summer and up to 40 percent in winter. Put simply, that’s energy the utility doesn’t have to buy from the grid when it costs the most. Since IMU’s cost to purchase electricity is based on historical usage, lowering peak usage will create substantial savings up front, and reduce the utility’s cost to purchase and bring power to Indianola in the future.

“As IMU moves to diversify its power mix, solar is an important component,” said IMU General Manager Chris DesPlanques. “Our goal is to become carbon neutral, and this is a significant step forward.” IMU and Sandhills Energy are tentatively scheduled to break ground in June 2023. The solar generation facility is expected to be online before the end of 2023.

Headquartered in Omaha, Sandhills Energy is a Midwest renewable energy corporation with over 2 GW of wind, solar, and storage in development. With an office in Iowa, Sandhills Energy understands the importance of local collaborations. The company delivers innovative, precision-developed projects for local partners, and are always eager to utilize local subcontractors to maximize the local economic benefit of its facilities. Learn more at sandhillsenergy.com.

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EMC Insights: 5 Practical Ways to Avoid Lifting Injuries

9/21/2022

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Although most lifts don’t cause immediate injury, the continual strain on the body from frequent lifting takes a toll. Check out these 5 steps you can take to protect your employees and your company from on-the-job lifting injuries.

Click here to read the EMC Loss Control Insights article.

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Utility Pole Climbing Workshop: October 26 - 28, 2022

9/14/2022

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The Utility Pole Climbing Workshop will take place October 26 - 28 at the IAMU Training & Office Complex. This workshop will focus on the fundamentals and technique of climbing. Training will be a combination of classroom & hands-on.

Who Should Attend:
This workshop is beneficial for anyone that is interested in learning how to climb. Apprentices in Module A of the IAMU Electric Line Maintainer Program are encouraged to attend.

Apprentices will receive 8 Overhead OJT hours for attendance.

What to Bring:
Class attendees will be required to bring their own PPE equipment, including:

Hard hat
Safety glasses
Safety-toe boots
Leather gloves
Climbers
Body belt
Fall protection strap
Alternate strap
Clothing suitable for weather conditions

Registration is OPEN
**The workshop will be limited to 10 registrants**

For additional information regarding the workshop, including online registration, brochure, agenda and schedule, please click HERE.

If you have any questions, please contact Jared Masker at jmasker@iamu.org, or (712) 249-8601.

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IAMU Accident Investigation Workshop - October 6th

9/14/2022

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The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities’ Safety Services will be holding an Accident Investigation workshop on Thursday, October 6, 2022. The workshop will be 9:00 to 1:30 p.m.

This workshop is designed to give basic working knowledge to those conducting accident investigations in the workplace. Employers, supervisors, lead employees or anyone that is part of a safety committee are encouraged to attend. The workshop will include discussion on how to develop a safety and health management system, how to lead an accident investigation, how to conduct effective interviews and how to write the report.

*A certificate of completion will be given to participants upon confirmation of participant’s full attendance

Who Should Attend?
Employers, Clerks, Administrators, Managers, Supervisors, Lead Employees, Safety Committee Members

Cost:
$100 per IAMU Member participant
$125 per Non-IAMU Member participant

Questions?
Contact Margret Meade at mmeade@iamu.org or (800) 810-4268.

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

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EMC Insights: Overhaul Your Safety Program to Reduce Risks

9/14/2022

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Keeping workers safe and costs under control requires preventive practices and safe behaviors. Follow these steps to enhance your workplace safety program to help reduce claims and keep your workers safe.

Click here to read the EMC Loss Control Insights article.

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Grant Funding Update: Iowa Grid Resilience Fund

9/14/2022

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IAMU is working closely with the officials at the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) on developing what will become the Iowa Grid Resilience Fund. IAMU has had initial discussion with members about this program, and it seems that there will be a high amount of interest in this program. To learn more about the program, please see a short summary created by IEDA.

Some recent updates to this program:

At the very earliest, the application window will open for this grant by Early Q2, 2023
There will likely be a cap on each grant award. It’s possible this cap is in the neighborhood of $590,000
They will likely fund 10 projects per year, for 5 years, so this program will be competitive
Helping underserved areas, or contributing to workforce development will be highly weighted in the selection process
- IEDA will likely make their grant scoring matrix public
It’s possible that starting a project before the grant window is open would disqualify the project

If you are considering a project for this program, or have questions, please check in with Jeff Gorrie: jgorrie@iamu.org.

The goal of this U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) formula grant program, part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is to support the efforts of States and Indian Tribes to improve the all-hazards resilience of the electric grid and prevent outages. These grants offer a unique opportunity to advance the capabilities of States and Indian Tribes, and their communities, to address not only current, but future resilience. The State of Iowa is slated to receive an annual allocation of $5,917,777 each year for five years, a portion of which must be set aside for small utilities.

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