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More Paperwork!!!

Posted By IAMU, Tuesday, July 28, 2015

 

by Jim Wolfe, IAMU Electric Services Coordinator

The word documentation echoes through the buildings, streets, and jobsites of our utilities and city departments. Job duties have shifted from grabbing the stuff you need for the day and heading out to filing reports, working with metering and billing software, inventory management, budgets, and safety compliance. People that previously spent most of their time in the field have a lot more administrative duties now and this creates paperwork. Some of this trickles down to the people out in the field and isn’t always accepted as a positive thing. Why is this my problem? We only have a couple employees, so is this really necessary? Don’t we do enough paperwork?

Job briefings seem to fall into the “things that I dislike” folder for many of us. “You hired me to do a job and now I have to waste time reminding myself and others what to do every day. I’m not a child.” There are times when we don’t like to do what someone else tells us to. Change is tough for people to embrace, especially when changes add another step to a task. As individuals, we have to look at the benefit of this add-on instead of how much of an inconvenience it’s supposedly going to be.

Earlier this month APPA’s Mike Hyland published a blog explaining the benefits of job briefings in the workplace. There were lots of great examples included that illustrated how briefings can look and interesting ways to make them more acceptable at work. Everyone wants to be safe and work safe, but we all need reminders daily. Mike had some great points about how a briefing will shift a workers focus onto the task at hand and help them perform better. Addressing the hazards will give the worker a head start to avoiding and controlling those same hazards. This won’t only benefit new people in the field. Experienced workers find themselves getting complacent when not reminded about responsibilities and dangers related to their jobs.

How do I get my people to do this? Job briefings are a requirement based on OSHA, NESC, and numerous safety manual rules and regulations. This is a huge reinforcement for this practice, but a more personal approach may be needed to gain acceptance. Many of our member utilities take pride in the work that their people do to keep their operations efficient and safe. If they take a few minutes out of the day to insure that everyone knows what is going on by performing a briefing they will continue to be safe and efficient. A reminder of how our wages, benefits, and our well-being affect others in our lives and the loss of one or all due to an accident can turn things upside down might be a motivator.

I don’t always like to be told what to do. People say, “Be careful”. “Ya, I know”, I may say and then move on to the task. This has gotten me in trouble due to the attitude that I know what I want to do instead of what I should do. I’ve broken things, hurt myself and possibly affected other people with this attitude in the past. After the dust cleared, the damage was done or the injury was realized, there was no benefit in skipping the small task of reminding myself of the hazards of the job. Instead of saying, ”what a waste of time”, I should have said “ they want me to go home in one piece today.” The 5 minutes that I saved just cost me 2 hours in the emergency room.

Try to get employees to take ownership in this important responsibility. Get them involved with creating a program instead of handing out a sheet and informing them that “this is what I want from now on!” Others have been creative in insuring that the briefing form doesn’t end up being a 5 second item that a long pencil line through 20 boxes will complete. Feel free to take ideas from the following examples found in the link to create or improve your current practices. http://appanet.files.cms-plus.com/PDFs/33-%20RP3%20Safety_final.pdf. One of my former supervisors reminded us the no one ever planned to fail, but lots failed to plan. Briefings are part of the job just as loading tools up or filling the fuel tank before you head out. It is more paperwork in an already busy day, but it might save lives limbs and your well being.

Tags:  Electric  Jim Wolfe 

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Copper Theft Problems Continue

Posted By IAMU, Wednesday, July 8, 2015

  

by Jim Wolfe, IAMU Electric Services Coordinator

Copper theft continues to be a problem across the nation. There are no exceptions to where a thief will strike next. Homes, businesses, and utilities are vulnerable to thieves who have as it appears nothing to lose by taking major risks for a free payday. This issue is hitting the news again and continues to hit consumers in the pocketbook.

New York City has seen the effects of this in their mass transit system. Since 2013 there have been nearly 100 copper heists from major subway and train lines. In May, thieves stole more than 500 feet of copper cable in 12 different locations along 2 of their subway routes. This caused a huge disruption in the subway system and left tens of thousands of passengers stranded during their morning commute. The culprits also damaged tracks and rail equipment. Another transit authority in New York State reported that last December a theft of copper left 40 trains stranded after signal cables were stolen from a rail station. Amtrak has transitioned to a copper coated cable that has limited value when scrapped, but admits that theft still costs them at least $100,000 per year.  This all ends up costing transit companies millions per year and drives up the cost of fares that the law abiding public must pay.

Home burglaries have also been on the rise. Unoccupied properties are at the greatest risk. Properties in foreclosure are targeted due to the fact that the banks that own the properties may not be located near the area and cannot look over the property. As soon as it becomes evident that the property is no longer being taken care of, thieves move in and start removing plumbing and wire. Copper lawn décor is another easy score. Utility property is very vulnerable due to the fact that it is also unattended.

Iowa is no exception to the problem. Numerous thefts have occurred and have affected electric reliability. Thieves continue to steal grounds from distribution poles, transformers, and substation equipment. One theft in a North Central Iowa substation 2 years ago resulted in the loss of power to 900 customers and damages in the amount of $42,000 to customer and utility equipment. This also raises a huge safety concern for individuals that service and maintain electrical systems and the public that may come in contact with an energized piece of equipment.

 

MidAmerican Energy has recently begun to paint their copper grounds inside of their substations and on the perimeter fence grounding cables (see photo). They have contacted law enforcement in these areas and notified all recyclers of this campaign. In the two areas where this was done, they have not had a theft occur since this practice was started. 

In October 2013, Iowa utilities teamed up with Crime Stoppers to combat this problem. A hotline was created for individuals to report this type of crime. Once Crime Stoppers receive a tip, local law enforcement is contacted to investigate the possible crime. If the perpetrators are caught, the tipster can be eligible for a reward. IAMU, Alliant Energy, Iowa Association of Electric Coops, and MidAmerican Energy have all been active in supporting this program. We all want employees of these entities to be as safe as possible and are also focused on the well-being of the customers that they serve. Utilities strive to keep their rates as low as possible and provide their customers with reliable service. Educate your customers about the benefits of keeping a watchful eye on utility equipment and to report any suspicious activity right away. Even if they report something that isn’t a crime, at least you know that they are watching. IAMU has materials available such as posters and table top brochures that explain the Crime Stoppers program and list the number to report a crime. Please contact us if you would like materials to promote this program. Have a safe July and keep your eyes on your utility.

Tags:  Copper Theft  Crime Stoppers  Electric  Jim Wolfe 

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2015 APPA National Convention

Posted By IAMU, Friday, June 19, 2015


by Jim Wolfe, IAMU Electric Services Coordinator

I had the opportunity to travel to Minneapolis this year for the 2015 APPA National Conference & Public Power Expo. This was great due to the fact that it was not a very long drive from Ankeny. Many representatives from our member utilities also made the trip. This was my first National Convention and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. My position requires me to focus on safety and training issues and not necessarily on major items that public utilities have to deal with every day.

There was a lot of conversation about how public power has changed and will continue to evolve around the nation. These changes come in the forms of new technology, customer service issues, workforce demographics, regulatory compliance, and a host of others. Time, money, knowledge, and forward thinking people will be the deciding factors that will allow utilities to get on the bus or be run over by it.

One of the major topics that many presentations touched on was the challenges created by renewable energy. For years, electric utilities have been the only game in town when it comes to serving and selling electricity. The costs of renewable sources were extremely high and the technology was not very reliable. The last surge in fuel prices drove many companies, investors, and private individuals to jump over these hurdles and make it feasible. We have seen this happen in the past two years and many of you are finding that you may not be the only power supplier that your customer will rely on. Solar and other technologies have become cheaper and been incentivized by state and federal governments.  This has been embraced by individuals and companies to enable them become environmentally consious and reduce their energy costs. The challenges that utilities face will be dealing with lost revenue, service rules, metering and a list of others. One of the common messages throughout the week was that utilities must not ignore what is here or what is right around the corner.

There were a lot of great programs explaining the roles of boards and councils that govern utilities. There were programs that explained the electric business from start to finish and others that focused on financial matters that decision makers face as members of councils and boards. Utilities should attempt to give these people some sort of tutorial to explain their responsibilities. Lack of knowledge creates decisions that might not be best for the business. Legislative and regulatory issues were also among the topics covered.

Public powers role in the nation was the main takeaway from the convention. The electric utility is often the quiet business that exists in the center of town that continues to operate without fanfare, publicity, or help from outside sources. To gain or retain support from current and future customers, you must promote the value of your utility. There are a variety of things that customers directly and indirectly benefit from public power. Keeping customers engaged about what it takes to operate a utility can help them understand how the utility benefits its customers with economic development, reliable power, excellent customer service, and a solid cornerstone of the community.  To reinforce this point, Don Miller from Carlisle Utilities received an award at the convention for his service to the utility and the community.  This is a great example of how Iowa utilities go above and beyond and wonderful to see one of our members recognized.

It was a very good experience and I was able to speak to a lot of people with the same goal. Whether attendees had 500,000 customers or 500 back at their home utility, they still strive to do what is right for their public power utility and create a reliable and low cost product.

Tags:  2015 National Convention  APPA  Jim Wolfe 

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A Busy Month at IAMU

Posted By IAMU, Friday, June 19, 2015
by Jim Wolfe, IAMU Electric Services Coordinator

The month of May has come and gone extremely fast at IAMU. This month has been full of workshops and events involving all departments. As always, weather was challenging at times, but overall, things went very well.

The annual Overhead Distribution Workshop was held on the 13th-15th at IAMU. There were 48 attendees from utilities around the state. The first day of our workshop was dedicated to fall protection for electric utility workers. This subject has been in the spotlight for a long time due to the changes in OSHA regulations that mandate fall protection while climbing poles and structures and the use of arc tested harnesses and lanyards while using aerial devices. We had tons of support from some of the major companies that manufacture and supply this equipment to workers in this field. Attendees were able to demo different brands of equipment and learn how to properly adjust and use the equipment. A demonstration was also given regarding the importance of harness and lanyard use and inspection. I would like to thank Process Marketing Group for their harness presentation, Cahoon Sales for representing Buckingham Products, Capital Safety for representing DBI SALA, and Bashlin.

Day two of the workshop turned very soggy. The committee was force to move things inside and with help from Ken Rieck of McCaskey, we were able to continue with the program. There was a break in the weather that allowed everyone to spend the afternoon on the field for a very accelerated program. A number of different stations were set around the field. We also had great last minute help from Kriz-Davis and Cahoon Sales with their stations. Energy Solutions was able to showcase our recently completed transmission switch and provide some hands on training and Shaver Mfg was able to demo a skid loader mounted pole puller. Attendees were able to operate aerial trucks at a few of the stations that were supplied by Altec, ABM, ETI and Winterset Municipal Utilities. It is wonderful to have support from these great people so that our attendees can use the latest equipment on the market. The day concluded with a reception at the Best Western in Ankeny. The reception was sponsored by Wesco, Utilities Plus Energy Services, Resco, Power Line Supply, Moehn Sales, Irby, Holophane Lighting, G&L Clothing, Fletcher Reinhardt,  Evans, Lipka & Associates, Border States, Energy Solutions, McCaskey Co., ABM, ETI and Kriz-Davis.

Day three concluded with round table topics and a short discussion about the ongoing emerald ash borer issue. To finish out the day, we invited Dave Swanson with ITC/ULC to share a very important message about focus, attitude and safety on the jobsite.

I want to thank everyone from the Electric Safety Committee for all of their help during the workshop and for time spent preparing. Special thanks to their utility organizations for allowing them to be a member of the committee.

On a different note, we are still taking orders for the OSHA Electric Distribution, Transmission, and Generation Manual in a printed or electronic version. Please contact me at jwolfe@iamu.org or call our office at 515-289-1999 to request  a copy. Have a safe start to your summer!

Tags:  Electric  IAMU  Jim Wolfe 

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