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Do it without thinking.

From our Safety Manager, Susan Dunlap.

I received this text at 4:11 am on Sunday morning: “Thank you for teaching me.”

Usually a middle-of-the-night text means bad news. But this story has a happy ending. The RUS supervisor who texted me was referring to a Red Cross CPR/First Aid class that he took at our home office on December 26, 2018. On Saturday, January 11, he used what he had learned to perform CPR on his 21-year-old nephew.

“He didn’t have a pulse,” the supervisor wrote to me. “I drug him out of the chair and started compressions and blowing air in him. I didn’t count or anything. I just did it without thinking.”

Thanks to the employee’s quick response, his nephew’s pulse resumed before emergency personnel arrived on the scene. “I was going to stay up here this weekend (on the job site),” the supervisor said. “But I think God sent me home instead.”

To this employee, I want to express my sincerest appreciation:

  1. Thank you for paying attention in CPR class.
  2. Thank you for remembering what you learned.
  3. Thank you for taking action in an extremely stressful situation.

This simple text sums up why I love my job. Let us all take the skills we learn in workplace safety training home to our families, each and every day. We want to be ready when our loved ones need us the most. And in the words of the RUS supervisor, do it without thinking.

Who is going the extra mile at work?

Most every industry has a version of a safety walk-through. But when the tone of the walk-through resembles a military inspection, the purpose of promoting safe work practices can be lost. Employees often resent the “gotcha” approach to infractions, instead of helpful suggestions to improve safety.

Part of the job is for everyone to be on the lookout for potential errors, but everyone should also take notice when they see best practices at work. Safety reports should include what the crew is doing right, along with how they can improve.

This photograph tells a great story. This crane operator is cleaning a stain on the floor of the powerhouse (with a scrub brush) during a break in his crane operating duties. No one asked him to clean up this spot. It needed attention, so he attended to it. This crane operator’s action needs to be the main focus of the next safety meeting. He exemplifies a best practice at work – let’s say thank you.

I once attended a safety meeting where there were twelve people in the room. The topic of conversation was safety glasses, one of the most important pieces of PPE on a job site. But the specifics of the safety violation made me wonder if we were missing the point. At the end of the day, a millwright was exiting the building. A safety manager wrote up a citation because the employee removed his safety glasses as he walked to his vehicle. There was no signage requiring PPE in job site parking lot, and no other crew members were familiar with this rule. Can you imagine how that employee felt about safety at that moment?

There is no question that a safety walk-through needs to uncover unsafe and potentially unsafe working conditions. If we foster a good working relationship between the employees and the safety professionals, then the employees will point out their concerns and even suggest the best corrective actions. We all need to be on the same side when it comes to safety. And we need to thank the crane operators and the other pro-active employees on our job sites for a job well done!

Living and Working on the Road

Our power generation maintenance crews often have to work on remote job sites. For some locations, there might not even be a hotel or restaurant for miles. Here are some tips on how our crews make the most of their time on the road:

  • Explore alternate accommodations. Trying to live off (and not exceed) the per diem allowance can be a challenge, but there is nothing more depressing than a cheap motel. A number of our crew members purchase campers and park them at local camp grounds. They make up for the cramped kitchens by grilling out as often as possible.
  • Bring your own pillow. Even after a full day’s work, it can be difficult to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings – it feels like restful sleep is almost impossible to achieve. Invest in yourself and buy a top-of-the-line pillow – it makes a difference.
  • Recharge during your free time.  Working away from home gives you time to do the things that might otherwise seem like a luxury. In other words, make the most of your surroundings and go fishing every chance you get!

 

Being away from home and family during the week can be stressful. RUS appreciates the sacrifices that our crews make to get the job done.

 

Be Ready for Snake Season

One of our hydro mechanics recently came across a banded water snake (also known as a Southern water snake). The mechanic opened the draft tube door to inspect the parking ledge for the runner – and realized he had some company in there. At RUS, we have a specific training module on snakes that is a required part of our new hire orientation. Making employees familiar with the types of snakes that are common to our work area, and teaching the crew what to do when they come across a snake, can keep a run-in from becoming a recordable.

Snakes are most active between April and October, when warm weather brings them out to mate. In the Southeast, the venomous snakes that our crews are most likely to encounter include rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths (water moccasins). And although most people don’t like snakes, the snake diet of insects and rodents makes them helpful to have around. We teach our crews that snakes are not aggressive, and will only bite if they are startled or feel threatened. But venomous or not, a bite from a snake really hurts!

These common sense precautions can make everyone safer:

1) Never pick up or attempt to move a snake.

2) If you see a snake, back away slowly; a snake’s striking distance is about half the total length of its body.

3) Wear leather gloves if you have to handle debris, lumber, rocks or other objects where a snake could be hiding.

If an employee is bitten:

1) Call the onsite emergency number (or 911) right away. If the bite is from a venomous snake, time is of the essence for administering anti-venom.

2) Remember the color and shape of the snake. These details can help medical personnel treat a bite.

3) Keep the bitten person calm, which slows the spread of poisonous venom. Have the person lay or sit still, with the bite level and below the heart. Cover the bite with a clean, dry dressing until medical personnel arrive.

Snakes should not be killed when they are found; many are protected as endangered species.  In the case of the banded water snake, it will flatten its body when it feels threatened in order to appear larger. This snake also emits a foul musk, and bites repeatedly, slashing sideways to tear the flesh of its attacker. Letting the snake have time to return to the water (which is what the RUS mechanic did) is the safest and smartest course of action for everyone.

Historic Hydropower

Hydropower was the first large-scale renewable energy source used in the US. Many of the hydro sites where RUS works today are well over 100 years old. While we all count on the reliability of hydropower, it is easy to forget how revolutionary the idea was in 1895 to transmit generated hydropower over cable lines to homes and businesses.

We recently ran across a book called Men and Volts: The Story of General Electric, written by John Winthrop Hammond in 1941. Hammond explained that twenty-five GE motors (newly installed in 1895) drove all the spindles in the Pelzer Manufacturing Company’s Upper Mill, which was the first cotton mill in the US to use transmission cable. Captain Ellison Smythe, the mill’s owner, showed true courage to sign a contract for electric motors instead of the mechanical rope drive that his other mill’s used. The public was skeptical – and the mill hands were convinced that the scheme would never work.

“On the day the mill started operation, a kind friend approached Captain Smythe … and offered his condolences on the failure of the electrical transmission system. ‘I’ve watched those wires all day,’ he said, ‘and they haven’t moved yet.’” The story is told that mill operatives placed pails beneath the wires, in order to “to catch the electricity that fell off.”

Those same electrical motors that successfully powered Pelzer Manufacturing quickly became a hit with other industries, including “mines, shoe factories, yarn mills, tanneries, powder mills, watch factories, and even for blowing church organs.” And Smythe did not stop there – the Pelzer Manufacturing Company’s Upper Mill was the first mill in the country to use incandescent lighting.

At RUS, we know that hydropower is renewable and reliable – and we appreciate that it is also historic. Thank you to the visionaries of 1895!

Sources – Hydro Review, October 1997, and Electrical World, March 14, 1896, as found at www.reference.insulators.info. Photo credit: https://reference.insulators.info/publications/view/?id=10261

 

Setting the Tone for Safety

How does RUS demonstrate a sincere commitment to safety? While safety policies regulate our work place, it is our actions that set the tone for safety in everything we do. RUS’s President/CEO Dan Cothran came up with a suggestion recently that sends a clear message about the company’s culture of safety.

Two RUS crew members were assigned to a welding job at a hydro facility. They needed to be re-certified in First Aid/CPR before the job started. Susan Dunlap, Director of Operations, scheduled an on-site Red Cross course for the two employees. Due to the small class size, she opened up the registration to the home office employees. When no one was free on such short notice, Dan suggested offering the course to family members (with RUS covering everyone’s training cost).

Two employees responded by enrolling their children– and that’s how Maggie and Avery came to CPR/First Aid training at Regional Utility Services. Maggie is a 26-year-old school teacher – headed off to Maryland this fall to teach high school Spanish at Barrie School. Avery is a rising sophomore who is interested in pursuing a career as an EMT.

“Their energy and enthusiasm made a great addition to our class,” said Donnie Harris, RUS welder. “And it was nice to get to know two kids who we hear so much about

at work.” After receiving her certificate, Maggie thanked RUS for providing her with the training she needed for school. “Now I have the skills I need to help someone during a crisis – at home and at school.”

RUS got the chance to demonstrate their commitment to safety – on and off the job site, at work and at home, for our employees and for our families. That’s the culture of safety that we want to always have in place.

Visit RUS at Hydrovision 2018

Come visit Regional Utility Services at Hydrovison this summer! We’ll be in booth 531 from June 26 to June 28 at the Charlotte Convention Center. Hydrovision is the largest worldwide gathering of hydro professionals – there will be 320 exhibiting companies from around the world. RUS is proud to be a part of this amazing event!

We know how busy a trade show can be for attendees, with 60 conference sessions offered in only three days. So we invite you to visit us. The RUS booth features comfortable sofas and chairs in a relaxed setting. Stop by, put your feet up, and get to know us. If you have any questions about our services, Technical Director Jerry Moody (with his 30+ years of hydro experience) will be on hand to share his knowledge and expertise.

RUS is dedicated to ensuring the future sustainability of hydro. We have successfully completed projects for Alcoa, Duke Energy, Enel Green Power, Santee Cooper, Southern Company, TVA, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and many other hydroelectric companies across the Southeast. Our RUS hydro crews provide cost-effective solutions, from water in to water out.

Look forward to seeing you at Hydrovision 2108!

Supporting Our Local Green Spaces

RUS is pleased to support Trees Coalition, a local non-profit dedicated to removing invasive species that damage trees (like kudzu, wisteria and English ivy). Danny Elder, RUS shop manager, repaired two important pieces of donated equipment for the TC work crew. Danny is pictured here with volunteer Dr. Bob Reynolds and Trees Coalition supervisor Anthony Radziewicz, along with a newly refurbished wood chipper and bush mower.

The Trees Coalition (www.treescoalition.org) is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit group located in Spartanburg, SC that was formed to educate and inspire communities to care for their trees, especially those trees planted along our city streets and walking trails. The Trees Coalition is an expansion of the Kudzu Coalition, a group that pioneered herbicide-free kudzu removal.  The non-profit organization is a mix of volunteers and paid landscapers who train and work alongside neighborhoods, churches, schools, colleges, and businesses to provide help in caring for trees. Improvements by TC can be seen at Hatcher Gardens, Glendale Shoals, and the Mary Black Rail Trail – all green spaces that are open to the public.

Thank you to Trees Coalition for all they do for Spartanburg. RUS is excited to be a partner in their mission!

Power Generation Services – RUS Fossil Division

Regional Utility Services, Inc. (RUS) is a mechanical contractor that has been supporting the fossil Power Generation industry for over ten years.

RUS provides full project solutions for our customers during plant operations and facility outages. Our team understands the challenges that fossil power plants face to meet their operational needs, and we pride ourselves on supporting our customers with turnkey solutions.

In order to exceed client expectations, RUS employs riggers, welders, pipefitters, operators and millwrights that are considered experts in their craft.  We get the job done efficiently (whether it be outage, preventative or corrective maintenance) within the demanding power plant environment. Our crews perform their assigned tasks with a “Safety First” mindset. Additionally, RUS provides preventive inspection services to identify pre-failure conditions so that scheduling can drive maintenance.

RUS is a “Balance of Plant” service provider. Our on-site inspection, repair, installation/replacement, fabrication and technical services capabilities include, but are not limited to, the following equipment:

Feeders, Coal Crushers, Ductwork, Pulverizers, Traveling Screens, Dampers, Exhausters, Slide Gates, Pumps, Fuel (Coal) Piping, Air Dryers, Process Piping, Conveying Systems, Trash Racks, Magnetic Couplings, Coal Bunkers, Boiler Feed Pipes, PVC Piping, HDPE Piping, Bag Houses, and Air Preheaters.

Here are a couple examples of the maintenance services we provide:

Pulverizer Gearbox Rebuild Services and Fuel Pipe Installation Services

Gearbox rebuild in process.

Pipe installation in a coal processing plant.

RUS also has an off-site fabrication/rebuild facility. Our off-site fabrication and rebuild services include, but are not limited to, the following:
Fabrication: Platforms, Ladders, and Handrails

Rebuilds: Pulverizer Journals, Pulverizer Gearbox (Bushing Style), and Pumps

Note: If you don’t see a particular fabrication or rebuild service listed, please ask. We may very well have the capabilities required to perform that service.

If you are in need of a contractor to perform your fossil power generation plant maintenance, give RUS a call. It would be an honor to assist your team in maintaining your plant’s efficiency and availability at its highest possible level.

Rebuilding versus Purchasing New Equipment

Power generation companies often need to get their mills back up and running as quickly as possible, without the added complication of waiting for back-ordered equipment. Keeping spare replacement parts on hand is not always feasible, and unscheduled purchases of new equipment can take a real hit to a capital expenditure budget. It might be time for your company to consider rebuilt equipment as an efficient and affordable option. Call RUS today to see how we can help you. Click below to view the latest brochure on our journal rebuild program.

RUS Journal Rebuilds