ERMUSR HANDOUT #1 06-12-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 Wd MMUA's Vernell Roberts was the victim of a mock electrical accident at the the Overhead School, but the medical evacu- ation helicopter and flight were as real as could be. retaining qualified lineworkers. MMUA has developed a cost - effective and user - friendly program to help our mem- bers develop a raw, first -year apprentice into a fully quali- fied first year journeyman lineworker in four years. nent departments within the municipal electric utility. The program is designed to help both new and established em- ployees become more proficient at their jobs by offering a more advanced and challenging curriculum. MMUA's instructor visits the utility a number of times dur- ing each year of the apprenticeship, to review the appren- Wsdent h ip course work with the student to make sure that the is keeping up with the academics. The instructor also provides the student with hands -on instruction in the technical skills that must be mastered during each phase of the apprenticeship. The program also includes participation in several of MMUA's schools each year. First -year appren- tices receive 300 hours of instruction over the course of the year. Students receive 150 hours of instruction in years two through four of their apprenticeship. Gas circuit rider program. 2011 was a very interesting year with new pipeline regulations presented with an alert no- tice early into the new year. The notice reflected several different issues, including: gas /sewer cross- bores, barricad- ing above ground gas facilities, protecting gas facilities from falling ice and snow. We now have six different cities participating in the On -site On- demand program with a total of 10 students enrolled. Students have reported that the program keeps them mo- tivated and driven during the apprenticeship process and report that it is virtually the only solution to ensure strong, consistent hands -on training during their apprenticeship development. Your MMUA gas circuit rider, Jim Ramnes, worked with the MN Office of Pipeline Safety to establish a more user friend- ly direction to facilitate most of the alert notices presented. The gas circuit rider program has proven to be a very helpful and popular service for the gas utility membership. The pro- gram is wide- ranging and flexible, with the ability to address a variety of needs such as on -site employee training, assist- ing with annual MNOPS inspections, technical operator training along and tracking regulatory changes. Member- ship evaluations of this program have been very positive. Last year Jim tackled many different subjects, including: • OQ Compliance tracking. • Approximately 50 days of on -site operator qualification training. • Visited 29 different cities with MNOPS inspections. • Travelled to every gas member. Job training and safety program. Last year MMUA electric staff finished the development of a new five -year training plan. A few of the topics for 2012 include the second Phase of Digger Derrick & Crane Operation, Underground Cable Degradation, Personal Protective Grounding and APPA safe- manual revisions. Several years ago we refocused the JTS program to place a greater emphasis on technical training to reflect the duties of the lineworker, engineering, metering and other perti- Management services and manager mentorship. This pro- gram remained consistent throughout the year. The mem- bers using the service feel it is a great asset to their future utility operation success. League of Minnesota Cities insurance Trust Regional Safe- ty Group Program. The LMCIT Regional Safety Group pro- gram grew by 2 new RSG's in 2011, for a total of 20 groups. it looks like a couple more will be coming on line in 2012. This is a scene from the City of Tyler, where MMUA coordi- nated mutual aid following a 2011 tornado. 2011 Year in Review -11