IAMU will hold its 25th Annual Water and Wastewater Operator’s Training Workshop on November 19-21, 2019. As we prepare for this yearly training that brings together municipal water and wastewater operators from around Iowa, we are asking for presentation proposals. The presentations must provide educational content and must not be sales pitches for specific products or services because members will be receiving continuing education credit for their time at the workshop.

If you are interested in presenting, download, complete, and return the Call for Presentations Form to smarsh@iamu.org.

If you have any questions about the Call for Presentations Form or the workshop, please contact Steve Marsh at 515.289.1999 or by email at smarsh@iamu.org.

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.

Trench safety is important – no make that crucial. Commit to protecting all workers in trenches – not just next week, but every week
 
To prevent trench collapses and save lives:

• Slope or bench trench walls,
  
• Shore trench walls with supports,
  
• Shield trench walls with trench boxes
  

 
For more on trench safety, visit. www.osha.gov/trenching
 
To download a poster promoting trench safety, click here.
 
#slope.shield.shore.alive  #safetrenches

This two-day workshop, to be held July 31 and Aug. 1 at the IAMU office, is designed for city and utility clerks, as well as other utility and municipal administrative staff to better understand municipal law requirements, particularly those related to water and electric utilities, as well as dealing with customers. Individuals may attend one or both days.

• July 31 – 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. with reception to follow Topics include: general municipal law, state government 101, open meetings/records, public bidding & procurement, customer complaints
  
  

• August 1 – 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Morning will focus on water utilities. Topics include: water system 101, disconnections, payment agreements, liens, offsets, rate making, and bonding Afternoon will focus on electric utilities. Topics include: electric system 101, disconnections, payment agreements, rate making, service territory, and landlord tenant issues.
  
  

Space is limited so get signed up early. To register, click here.

Iowa Participants:
Alton Municipal Utilities, Bedford City Municipal Gas, City of Bloomfield, Brighton Municipal Gas System, Brooklyn Municipal Utilities, Cascade Municipal Utilities, Clearfield Natural Gas Company, Coon Rapids Municipal Utilities, Emmetsburg Municipal Utilities, Everly Municipal Utility, Fairbank Municipal Gas, City of Gilmore City, Town of Graettinger, City of Guthrie Center, City of Hartley, Hawarden Municipal Utilities, City of Lake Park, Lenox Gas System, Lineville Municipal Natural Gas System, Lorimor Municipal Gas, City of Manilla, Manning Municipal Natural Gas, City of Mapleton, Morning Sun Municipal Natural Gas System, City of Orange City, City of Preston, Remsen Municipal Utilities, Rock Rapids Municipal Utilities, Rolfe Municipal Gas, Sac City Municipal Gas Company, City of Sabula, Sanborn Municipal Gas Utility, Sioux Center Municipal Gas, City of Tipton, City of Wall Lake, Wayland Municipal Gas, Wellman Gas System, West Bend Municipal Gas, Whittemore Municipal Utilities, Winfield Municipal Gas and Woodbine Municipal Natural Gas.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health law, all employers have a duty to “provide a safe workplace free from serious hazards.” But what happens when your workplace is hazardous by its very nature and those hazards cannot be eliminated?

Utility line workers face arc-flash hazards, electrocution hazards, fall hazards, crushing hazards, and heat and cold hazards; it’s a long list. Although these hazards are present and deadly, OSHA requires that employees be provided with and trained in protective measures.

In 2015, when the 1910.269 and 1926 Subpart V standards were updated, significant changes were made that increased employee safety by spelling out provisions for safe operating procedures and specific training requirements. 

• All employees covered under 1910.269 and 1926 Subpart V must be trained in and familiar with safety-related work practices, safety procedures, and other safety requirements that pertain to his or her job assignments [1910.269(a)(2)(i)(A)].
  
  
• Each employee shall also be trained in and familiar with any other safety practices, including any other applicable emergency procedures (such as pole-top and manhole rescue), that are not specifically addressed by this section but are related to his or her work and are necessary for his or her safety [1910.269(a)(2)(i)(B)].
  
  
• OSHA’s intent for these standards are that training must be provided in areas not covered by .269 but are related to their work and are necessary for employee safety. This wording remains the same under the training subsections of 1910.269, Power Generation, Transmission & Distribution and 1926 Subpart V, Power Transmission & Distribution.
  
  
• OSHA also made changes to paragraph 1910.269(a)(2)(viii), which states that the “employer shall ensure that each employee has demonstrated proficiency in the work practices involved before that employee is considered as having completed the training required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section.”
  
  
• De-energizing equipment or lines for protection; proper use, inspection, and maintenance of electrical personal protective equipment, rubber goods and insulating tools; minimum approach distances to energized lines or parts; and working in enclosed spaces are all included in both 1910.269 and 1926.950’s listed safety-related work practices. OSHA does not consider an employee to be qualified unless there is documentation of his or her demonstrated task proficiency. Also, to certify the training and qualify the employee, it’s extremely important to document information about the instructor or the method by which the employee received the training.

Both 1910.269(a)(2)(iv) and 1926.950(b)(3) state that “The employer shall determine, through regular supervision and through inspections conducted on at least an annual basis, that each employee is complying with the safety-related work practices required by this section.” (Italics and bold added for emphasis.) Understanding and complying with the regular supervision requirement is easy but what about the annual required employer inspection? This regulation ensures that:

• You, the employer, have the proper and adequate safeguards for employee protection.
  
  
• An employee understands the relevant safeguards, including safety-related work practices.

Safety-related work practices start with documented job briefings conducted at the jobsite, with the input of each person at that site, and by discussing the hazards of that particular job, that particular site, and our particular working group. Inspections conducted means just that – go to the jobsite and see what is happening. Talk to supervisors and employees; have frank conversations about safety, hazards, and what could be done better to make sure everyone is working to his or her potential.

In an “employer annual oversight conversation” with a couple of highly respected electrical guru-types, much wisdom and advice was shared. The end to the conversation went like this: “Margret, if a manager is indifferent when it comes to safety, typically employees will follow the safety rules that are easy and convenient and generally have the attitude of ‘just make sure we don’t get caught not following the safety rules.’” To determine whether or not a manager supports safety ask the following questions:

1. Do you attend all safety meetings?
   
   
2. Do you plan and participate in safety training classes?
   
   
3. Do you regularly observe crews on the jobsite?
   
   
4. Have you developed an annual safety meeting schedule?

If they can’t answer “yes” to all of the questions, then not only do they not have a bonafide safety culture, they’re on the path of someone getting hurt.

Can YOU answer YES to each question?

The latest edition of IAMU's Toolbox Talks - Make Your Own Oil Spill Clean-up Kit 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.

Are you aware of the new requirements for community water systems serving a population greater than 3,300?

Check out the new fact sheet to find out more about the requirements to conduct a risk and resilience assessment, update your emergency response plan and certify completion to the U.S. EPA by established deadlines. The fact sheet also provides answers to some of your frequently asked questions.

View the fact sheet here.