Steve Wilson posted on August 05, 2010 08:35
I attended the Illinois Non-Transient, Non-Community recertification class yesterday at Kishwaukee College. The instructor was Wayne Nelson, a training specialist from the Illinois Rural Water Association, who has been an operator since the 70's and he has been with IRWA for the last 16 years. The things he's seen and done really put things in perspective.
I Sure Learned A Lot
The class covered the things in the Illinois Adminstrative Code that are required for NTNC operators. In Illinois, NTNC operators are allowed to use the Operator Basics Training CD to complete their recertification, but some have asked for a more traditional class, and this is the 2nd year for the one-day recertification workshop.
The class covered workplace safety, chlorine safety, confined spaces, proper reporting and sampling, cross connections, emergency preparedness, source water protection, and math. The operators in attendance were from either schools or industry, it was an interesting mix.
What was great about the class, was that Wayne has 30+ years of experience operating water systems and assisting water and wastewater operators, so he had a real life example of what can go wrong for every piece of the class. It really hits home when you realize how many things are taken for granted, and how many operators get in a hurry and say, "I'll just take this short cut once", and its the last thing they do.
More To Come
Wayne handed out the complete set of slides and notes to the class and he's given me the ok to share some of it with you, so in the next couple of weeks, look for some really interesting and common sense tips, as well as some examples of what can happen if you aren't informed and prepared. As Wayne said, you can't make this stuff up, the truth is stranger than fiction sometimes.
If anyone is interested in a copy of the Operator Basics CD, email us and we can send you a copy free of charge.