Available Class Topics:

2024 – 001a: Part One: Basic Electricity Common Sense Precautions (2 CSE $80)

As more properties have outdoor electrical service, and increasing numbers of advanced systems have electrical components, even if your role is just to service the tank - outdoor electricity can be deadly, both man made and from nature. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) considers Electrocution one of the “Fatal Four” prime causes of workplace fatalities and serious injury.

• Recognizing the limit of your ability.
• Your liability for wrongful actions.
• How to be 360º aware and anticipate electrical hazards.
• Site specific features.
• Overhead power lines and buried utilities.
• Static electricity.
• Lightning awareness.
• Residential property - homeowner wiring.

2024 – 001b: Part One: Basic Electricity Best Practices at the job site (2 CSE $80)

• Pumps, panels and components: best practices for quick disconnect prior to service work.
• ARC Flash - the basics.
• Vehicle electrics
• Best practices for recognizing and responding to a case of electrocution
• Resuscitation.

2024 – 002a: Part Two: Common Sense Work Site Safety to Avoid Personal Injury and Liability (2 CSE $80)

• Areas to be covered referencing OSHA best practices:
• Gasses present in wastewater systems with reference to enclosed/ confined spaces. Positional asphyxia.
• Don’t be the second victim.
• Hazardous / inflammable conditions.
• Safe vehicle operation with particular attention to liquid transport vehicles.
• Common sense personal hygiene.
• Line of sight safety for construction and installation.
• Basics of trenching and shoring.
• Ergonomically safe lifting techniques.
• Cell phone use.

2024 – 002b: Part Two: Common Sense Work Site Safety : Working alone -Response to Personal Injury (2 CSE $80)

• How to respond to potential life threatening situations when working alone.
• Basic First Aid until help arrives.
• Basic First Aid supply kit components.

2024 – 003a: OSHA ‘Fatal Four’ for Wastewater Service Providers – Fall Protection Safety Standards (2 CSE $80)

OSHA considers the “Fatal Four” prime causes of workplace fatalities and serious injury. The leading causes of worker death on construction sites were falls, followed by electrocution, struck by object or caught-in/between.
These “Fatal Four” were responsible for more than half (58.1%) the construction worker deaths. An interactive 2-hour class will be taught online referencing the MIOSHA Part 45, Fall Protection Safety Standard. We will review recent publicized accidents and fatalities, and latest fall protection techniques and criteria. OSHA rules for fall protection take effect at 6 feet. A quarter of all workplace injuries and fatalities involve a fall – some from less than 4 feet. Mr. Sam Lines is an Authorized OSHA General Industry Trainer.

MIOSHA has adopted major changes to its requirements for walking-working surfaces and fall protection in general industry.
The rule revisions follow OSHA’s updates to its general industry standards addressing slip, trip, and fall hazards (OSHA Subpart D, Walking-Working Surfaces) and its revisions to its requirements for personal fall protection systems (in OSHA Subpart I, Personal Protective Equipment).
The effective date of the amended General Industry Part 2 Walking-Working Surfaces is February 2, 2020.
Overview: This series talks not just about the law and regulations but about the true costs - in terms of lost work hours and income but also human life. Each of those workplace fatalities weren’t just a sad statistic or a lost employee - they were someone’s father or mother, son or daughter - and each one is being mourned and missed.
These three Class Objectives are that you should be able to:

1. Relate what you heard to a real-life situation you either have or may face.
2. Gain the confidence to speak up when your own, or others, safety is at risk.
3. Realize the many costs of a work-related accident: health, insurance, personal and financial. There were 75 MIOSHA-related deaths in 2020. 54 in 2021. 40 in 2022 - every life is precious!

These classes will cover the requirements of Part 117 as it relates to both septic service and portable sanitation providers

COMING SOON 2024 – 003b: OSHA ‘Fatal Four’ for Wastewater Service Providers – Electrical Safety Standards (2 CSE $80) We will review recent publicized accidents and fatalities, latest protection and safety best practices. Mr. Sam Lines is an Authorized OSHA General Industry Trainer. This class is a reminder to FULLY assess what you see before you start probing or digging! By law, everyone MUST contact MISSDIG, 8-1-1, at least 48 hours but no more than 10 working days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) before beginning ANY digging project. ASK the homeowner - is there anything I should be aware of? LOOK around you - has anything changed since the last time you were there? Use your cell phone - take pictures of the site so you can check them next time you’re there.

• Recognize the limit of your ability.
• Your liability for wrongful actions.
• What happens to you if you are electrocuted - It’s The Current That Kills!
• Static electricity.
• Pumps, panels, floats and electrical component safety.

COMING SOON 2024 – 003c: OSHA ‘Fatal Four’ for Wastewater Service Providers – Crush, Caught-In/Between, Trenching Safety Standards (2 CSE $80) Preliminary summary of incident: On September 12, 2019, a 38 year old Michigan laborer was caught in an excavation cave-in during sanitary pipe installation, and killed. We will review recent publicized accidents and fatalities, latest fall protection and safety best practices and criteria. Mr. Sam Lines is an Authorized OSHA General Industry Trainer.
This is particularly important when you are working a job site with other contractors. When you work alone you can protect yourself with good working practices. When you work with other contractors you need to keep an eye open for multiple vehicle traffic.
As a note, OSHA has a rule called the multiple employer citation policy. By example, on 03/22/16: A 62 year old excavator operator was clearing trees and debris related to a drain/sewer project. The operator dislodged a tree, which fell onto the cab of the excavator, killing the operator. Evaluate your work area. What hazards are present?

• Trench collapse are rarely survivable. One cubic yard of soil can weigh up to 3,000 lbs. – the weight of a small automobile – giving a worker in a trench little chance of survival when walls of soil collapse. small automobile - giving a worker in a trench little chance of survival when walls of soil collapse.

"Trench deaths have more than doubled nationwide since last year - an alarming and unacceptable trend that must be halted," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  "There is no excuse. These fatalities are completely preventable by complying with OSHA standards that every construction contractor should know."

2024 – 003d: OSHA guidelines for Blood Born, biological and parasitic safety best practices for wastewater service providers. (6 CSE $240)

Safety Procedures: Basic primer on personal safety best practices both as an employer and as a single business owner.

• Areas to be covered will reference:
• Updated CDC Guidelines
• Understanding the difference between bacteria and virus structures
• Disinfection best practices
• OSHA personal protective equipment (PPE) guidelines and preventative measures
• Legal obligations and responsibility in the safe handling of human waste
• Public outreach and communication
• Common sense personal hygiene for contact and clothing
• Developing a spill response plan
• Vectors for infection are changing, especially emerging infections, due to changing climate and weather conditions
• Projected climate changes and increased risk to service providers of exposure from insects and emerging pathogens will be examined
• Recognition of symptoms
• This class will assess known risks and evolving CDC guidelines with particular relevance to Covid 19 and Michigan specific insect born disease
• Areas to be covered will reference OSHA 1926.

2024 – 003f: OSHA Rules - PPE gear . ( 1 CSE $40)

• Personal Protective Equipment:Certification of Hazard Assessment Form 29 CFR 1910.132(d) - how to fill it out, when to amend, assessing the risk of PPE gear. Proper maintenance and replacement schedule.
• There is confusion of when federal and or state rules apply. This class will cover both manager and employee requirements - i.e who is responsible/liable in the event of failure to supply/wear proper PPE gear, failure to approve PPE gear supplied by an employee, how to prevent other companies’ employees, including drivers and contractor employees, from exposing Company employees to hazards, and how to address unacceptable contractor behavior.
• Determine which OSHA standards apply to the facility and periodically check to confirm that all required written programs, plans, training and record keeping are complete and updated as required. Utilize Company-wide best practices, but also ensure that your safety program are customized to your location as needed.
• Patrick Dennison is Co-Chair of the The Fisher Phillips Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group providing practical guidance to enable development and maintenance of effective workplace safety and health management programs.This series will be specific to wastewater service providers and portable sanitation employers and will reference:
• https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/safework And
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

2024 – 003g: OSHA guidelines for working with extreme heat: Personal Safety and health related issues . (1 CSE $40)

• Company participation in safety procedures under the Occupational Safety & Health Act (“OSHA”) can increase productivity and profitability as well as the reduction in costs associated with workplace injuries, safety complaints, and disgruntled employees. These classes will cover policy outlining procedures to be followed by management and personnel in the event of an OSHA inspection.
• Some MI service providers are single business owners or have perhaps a couple of family members as employees, but some are sizable operations with many franchises.
• There is a lamentable cavalier attitude toward safety and safety training - the ‘it will never happen to me’ mentality. But onsite wastewater service personnel are exposed to multiple safety hazard exposures, especially during winter and summer, with increased exposure from either adding a non approved layer in winter or shedding PPE gear altogether in summer.
• Travis Vance is Co-Chair of the The Fisher Phillips Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group providing practical guidance to enable development and maintenance of effective workplace safety and health management programs.This series will be specific to onsite wastewater service providers and portable sanitation employers and will reference:
• https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/heat_index/

2024 – 003h: OSHA guidelines for working with extreme cold: Personal Safety and health related issues . (1 CSE $40)

Employers have a general duty to furnish workplaces free from recognized hazards. Part of that obligation is providing employees with personal protective equipment (PPE). This leads to a series of questions, such as: What types of PPE are required/preferable during cold weather?
Winter conditions can be brutal and especially hazardous for wastewater service providers who regularly work alone outdoors.
This class will examine specific hazards, OSHA Rules and best practices for working safely.

• Patrick Dennison is Co-Chair of the The Fisher Phillips Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group providing practical guidance to enable development and maintenance of effective workplace safety and health management programs.This series will be specific to wastewater service providers and portable sanitation employers and will reference:
• OSHA.gov/DTS/Weather/Winter_Weather/Windchill






2024-003i:OSHA Rules, Employer Policies and employee best practices concerning opiod and drug use, illegal and prescribed. (1 CEU $40)

The opioid crisis has escalated dramatically in the past decade across the country, and those affected may also be some of your employees. At the same time, the marijuana legalization movement has grown, and a number of states now not only permit medical marijuana but also recreational marijuana. With the potential for more employees to be under the influence of both legal and illegal drugs, what can employers do to maintain a safe workplace? What restrictions are there for testing employees for drug use? This presentation will explore this issue.
This class explores the restrictions for conducting drug tests for employees, reviews best practices and also how to manage the results.
What are the OSHA implications regarding drug testing?
What role does the Americans with Disabilities Act play?




2024-003j:Employee Policies, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA),ADA, EEOC (1 CEU $40)

• HIPPA, work place policies and health related issues - interviewing, reporting and record keeping.
• What does it cover and when does it apply?
• Can it relate to COVID? And Covid testing and vaccinations?
• When can I bar an employee from certain activities which may be impaired by their condition - or do I have to make an allowance/accommodation?
• Patrick Dennison is Co-Chair of the Fisher Phillips Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group providing practical guidance to enable development and maintenance of effective workplace safety and health management programs. This series will be specific to wastewater service providers and portable sanitation employers




2024 – 004: Dealing with Extreme Weather Events (2 CSE $80)

As severe weather events become the norm, onsite system service providers will need to become aware of and trained for conditions which stress, damage or limit the performance of onsite wastewater systems. This class will review wet weather events, prolonged ice and snow cover, drought and heat periods as well as natural disasters. Content addresses system performance and site servicing issues following such an event as well as disaster management and emergency response participation for portable sanitation providers.





2024 – 005: Best Practices for Portable Sanitation and Service Providers in Handling ‘Sharps’ and Drug Paraphernalia (2 CSE $80)




Stop! Think! Look! Refer to your checklist!
Do you HAVE written policies and guidelines? If not start here.



• The object of this class is to be a Primer on personal safety best practices both as an employer and as a single business owner. Areas to be covered will reference: Vectors for infection and recognition of symptoms.
• First Aid best practices and health care suggestions.
• PPE guidelines and preventative measures.
• Proper disposal.
• Public outreach and communication.
• Understanding risk.




2024 – 006a: Starting and Operating a Septic Service or Portable Sanitation Business in Michigan (3 CSE $120)

With the aging demographic of onsite business owners, opportunities are created for the takeover of existing licenses or founding of new business. The how, what, where and when can be a challenge to navigate. In this class a mentoring group of master professionals will go through a checklist of best practices for starting off on the right foot.





COMING SOON 2024 – 006b: Employee Policies, Vehicle Inspections and Record Keeping (2 CSE $80) As a single business owner can you afford to be unable to work for an extended period of time? As an employer can you afford to have an employee file for Workers Compensation or sue you for injury on the job. What about lawful record keeping and licensing requirements?
Good policies are essential.
Attendees will learn how to create a personalized Safety Procedures Manual. Involving your employees in preparing a Safety Procedures Manual is both common sense and protects you from liability.

COMING SOON 2024 – 006c: Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda – Being the Responsible Party. Your Options and Obligations for Avoiding Liability and Prosecution (3 CSE $120) Part 117, Septage Waste Servicers, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451 requires that a business that pumps, transports and/or disposes of septage waste be licensed and designate a “responsible agent.”
By being designated a Michigan ‘responsible agent’ that person becomes liable for ensuring his or her business operates in compliance with both state law and prevailing local regulations. In October 2014 the headline read: “Man Sues Mom for $4 Million Over Septic Explosion.” In May 2014 the headline read: “Washington Pumper Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Dumping.” In March 2013 the headline read: “Septic professionals indicted in bribery scheme.” And perhaps the saddest of all from September 2014: “Septic Inspection Turns Deadly.” Do you have an employee Handbook? Does it protect you from liability? Will it cover your legal fees if you have to defend from a situation like this from January of 2016: “Family rescues boy who fell into Denny’s grease pit.” In the eyes of the law YOU are the responsible party - are you covered?
This class will cover the requirements of Part 117 as it relates to liability and insurance for both septic service and portable sanitation providers against:


• Loss of license.
• Criminal negligence - felony or misdemeanor?
• Employee negligence during the transport of hazardous human waste.
• Proper vehicle coverage and liability for operation.
• Vehicle maintenance: schedules and reports.
• Groundwater or surface water contamination.
• Health and safety - MIOSHA and Workers Comp.
• Accidental wrongful death or physical harm to the public.
• Environmental damage.
• Trespass.
• Loss of business records.
• Fire and theft.



COMING SOON 2024 – 006d Best Practices for Working with a Wastewater Treatment Plant (2 CSE $80)
Most service providers in Michigan no longer land apply septage. How to deliver to a WWTP, safety and best practices, manifesting and regulations will be covered in this class.

2024 – 007a: Assessing the Site for a First-Time Service Visit, or for an Established Client (2 CSE $80)

Regardless of whether this is a new or an old established client, the site assessment begins with the initial phone call. Being prepared for what site conditions exist or to be prepared to ensure both safe working conditions, protection for yourself and the property owner.
This class examines how to review the site using online tools and what additional questions this might lead you to ask the property owner. Being prepared enables a pre-visit checklist. When you pull up in front of the property there are basic, common sense observations to make before you begin work. Being 360º aware will protect your personal safety, the investment you have in your vehicles, ensure an efficient use of your time at the site, protect the client's property and, most important, cement the professional relationship you have with the customer. Good habits build great businesses.



• Areas to be covered:
• In this session attendees will create a site-specific database record using standard software and/or Smart Phone apps.
• By recording observations, soil condition evaluations, and conditions at the time of visit, over time a pattern of use, or abuse, becomes evident.
• In this class, attendees will learn how to anticipate potential hazards such as:
• Restricted access or movement on the site, tight driveways, distance to the main roadway.
• Overhead lines, low hanging tree limbs, soft shoulders.
• New structures.
• Evidence of recent underground construction or tampering with the system.
• Reported record of a malfunctioning system.
• Small children or dogs.
• This becomes an education and marketing tool to build a strong relationship with the property owner and a valuable reference tool for yourself or a new employee visiting this property for the first time.




2024 – 007b: Assessing the Site for Portable Sanitation Service and Placement (2 CSE $80)




Regardless of whether this is a new or an old established client, the site assessment begins with the initial phone call. Being prepared for what site conditions exist ensure both safe working conditions, protection for yourself and the property owner. Are you asking the right questions? Do you have a site preliminary checklist?
What is the timeline for completion?
This class examines how to review the site using online tools and what additional questions this might lead you to ask the property owner or other contractors working on the site.


• Such as:
• Will this be in use at night?
• Will my access be lit?
• Am I expected to provide lighting inside the units?
• Is the area itself well lit?
• Where is the outside electrical supply?
• What is my liability for slip and fall, a criminal act, property damage?
• What is my liabilityif I have a spill?
Whether it’s for 12 or 200 – how you place, and service, will either make you a client for life or break your business.
Assessing the site will focus on 7 main items:
Is the site safe, can I access it, can I service it, how many people/how many units, risks, invisibility, hygiene?




2024 – 007c: Checklists, Inspections and Disclosure Forms (2 CSE $80)

Service providers routinely do system inspections, both on occupied properties as part of a normal service call, but also on a property that has sat empty for an extended period of time. There are legal and ethical considerations - and development of sound policies and procedures are essential.
Utilizing checklists for all service visits is a best practice to ensure nothing is overlooked. Creating a Disclosure Statement is good business practice for many reasons. Recognizing the difference between an inspection and an evaluation will be covered, also best practices for collecting system samples for performance evaluation. This class will discuss best practices and options for official onsite inspector certification.





2024 – 007d: How to Use USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey, Google Earth Pro. (1.5 CSE $60)




In the class titled Assessing the Site, service providers were introduced to the tools available to them to look at the location beforehand, assessing best access routes, anticipating logistical problems. This class is both for service providers and installers.


• This class will allow attendees to experiment and to review an actual site using:
• Google Earth’s layers and functions.
• Web Soil Survey (WSS) provides soil data and information produced by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. It is operated by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and provides access to the largest natural resource information system in the world. NRCS has soil maps and data available online for more than 95 percent of the nation’s counties and anticipates having 100 percent in the near future. The site is updated and maintained online as the single authoritative source of soil survey information. It is an invaluable tool for assessment and troubleshooting onsite systems. See http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm
• SoilWeb – an online tool developed by UC Davies.




2024 – 007e: Soil Profiles in Michigan: A Basic Primer for Troubleshooting and Servicing Systems and Land Application Best Practices (2 CSE $80)




In the class titled How to Use Google Earth Pro, SoilWeb USDA, NRCS, and Web Soil Survey, service providers were introduced to the tools available to them to look at and assess the system location beforehand.
This class is an expansion of an understanding of soils and geology in Michigan and how this affects systems best practices.
This class is for both service providers and inspectors. Taught by Mr. Paul Finnel – past manager of the WebSoil Program at NRCS.





2024 – 007f: The Basics: An Introduction to Wastewater Treatment Processes and Microbiology for Package Treatment and Septage Receiving (2 CSE $80)




An interactive live 2-hour introduction to the absolute basics of how biological wastewater treatment systems and microorganisms operate.
This class is both for those at the very start of their careers as well as those who would just like to know more about the hidden world of microbes!
We have good health in this country because we train professionals to understand how biology and chemistry make wastewater treatment systems work.
Come learn the basics!
It's been since 1911 since the U.S. has had a major outbreak of Cholera but preventing incidences of water born illness are the central reason environmental professionals strive for excellence in wastewater system design, operation and maintenance.
Wastewater practitioners have to start somewhere on their long road to becoming a professional operator.





2024 – 008a: Understanding Conventional Systems – Tank Servicing, Cleaning and Inspecting (2 CSE $80)




How they work, what to look for, in the home, inlets, outlets, tank construction, tank issues, effluent filters, measuring and observations, inspecting the drain field; when to do borings, where, what you may find.





2024 – 008b: Understanding Conventional Systems – Treatment Fields Servicing, Troubleshooting and Inspecting (2 CSE $80)




How they work, what to look for, and different media. Inspecting the drain field; when to do borings, where, what you may find. Groundwater issues, surface water discharge and hydrologic flow. Understanding and recognizing local soils.





2024 – 008c: Understanding Conventional Systems - The Basics (2 CSE $80)




For many long-time service providers, just when you think you've seen it all, a surprise waits for you! Reminding yourself of best practices for servicing conventional systems is a good refresher, especially as there may have been changes and additions to the system since your last visit. In this class, service providers will be encouraged to share stories and experiences - including finding a tank installed backwards and having to use a chainsaw to punch a hole in a tank filled with ‘disposable wipes!’ This class dovetails with Assessing The Site.





2024 – 008d: Understanding Servicing Holding Tanks, Pump Chambers (2 CSE $80)




In this class we will review the reasons these components have been installed and the special challenges of servicing.





2024 – 008e: Understanding Servicing Mounds at Grade / Above Grade Systems (2 CSE $80)

In this class we will review the reasons for use of low-pressure mounds, guidance documents and the special challenges of servicing.





2024 – 009: PPCPs, FOG and ‘Flushables’ (2 CSE $80)




A conversation about pollutants and their impacts on system performance, special needs for servicing and disposal. Pharmaceutical Products, Personal Care Products, Pesticides, Petroleum Based Cleaning and Plasticizing Products and their effect on wastewater system performance and the environment. What to look for, basic safety precautions, legal considerations. Issues with acceptance by a WWTP.







2024 – 010: Basic Math and System Calculations (6 CSE $240)also each component can be taken as as a 1 CSE stand alone component




Rationale: A competency in basic math is essential to be sure the system is working correctly and can be professionally serviced.


• Area to be covered:PLEASE NOTE THIS CLASS IS CURRENTLY BEING REDESIGNED - THE OLD VERSION IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR 4 CSES (PLEASE EMAIL FOR ACCESS
• 1. Basic refresher course in understanding and performing calculations for area, volume, and formulas.
• 2. Gallons per cubic foot.
  • Detention time and displacement.
  • Pump efficiency.
  • Event counters and timed dosing.
• 3. Flow rate.
  • Soil loading rate.
  • Assessing bed and trench sizing.
• 4. Comparing design to “as built” specifications.
  • Measure twice – pump once! Using basic and digital measuring devices.
• 5. Pump distal head pressure.
• 6. Coefficient of friction and advanced servicing math skills.





2024 – 011: Educating the Property Owner on Best Management and Operation Practices (2 CSE $80)




Building a relationship of trust with the property owner is more than just a 'pump and go' event. Educating the public about their responsibility as an onsite system owner is compatible with your role as an environmental and public health professional. A recent study made the claim that the average adult has a 5-8th Grade understanding of science but a basic understanding of how a septic system works is essential to their performance and your ability to properly service them.
This class will cover resources available for you to develop communication skills and customize education services and messaging for the property owner to promote the reason we are all in this business - to protect public and environmental health:


• An appreciation, and understanding, of how their specific system works - using EPA Septic Smart Tools and Resources.
• Helpful tips on how to cut down on both service and electricity costs by practicing water conservation - using EPA WaterSense™.
• Drain field and system protection best practices - and understanding of basic soil biology and structures and how this affects good treatment - using resources available from NRCS.
• Seasonal issues - protecting the system and reserve treatment area in both freezing and drought conditions.
• Why there IS a reserve treatment area - explanation of Groundwater Awareness Week.
• Property use issues - i.e. home-based businesses.
• Local/state regulations for the property owner to be aware of.
• A better appreciation of what you do as a service provider.




2024 – 013: Educating the Property Owner: Online Tool for Creating a Community/Individual Septic System Owner Guide (2 CSE $10)




Residential and commercial properties rely on onsite systems to safely treat their wastewater.
Many of these systems serve clusters of homes through a shared “community” system which requires additional management and service considerations. The delivery of proper system management is a key issue to ensure cost-effective and long-term wastewater treatment for both new development and existing communities.
Community System Owner’s Guide (CSOG) helps community members and leaders understand how their system works, what management tasks need to occur on a regular basis, and how they can protect their infrastructure from premature failure. Using this tool, an engineer, septic professional, community facilitator, or educated community member is able to develop a guide to create an effective management, and service schedule, by entering basic information on the users, system, rate structures and any regional, state, or local differences in regulations that affect the management of community systems.
A team lead by Ms. Sara Heger – Onsite Sewage Treatment Program in the Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota, including Wastewater Education 501c3, has created H2OandM.com. An administration fee of $10 will be charged to oversee the CEU requirement which is to answer a 10-question quiz about the tool plus create a System Guide Template for an actual site.





2024 – 014: Never Saw That Coming! How to Recognize and Respond to Violence at the Job Site (2.0 CSE)




In any routine day, you go to work, operate the equipment, shake hands, and come home safe to your family. But what about when things go sideways? What about when you’re met at the end of the driveway by a guy with a shotgun? What about when you walk in on a domestic assault in progress? What about when someone storms into your office and pounds on your desk? What about when you start to get silent phone calls and hang ups? What about when you start to get fake call outs? What about when you walk in on a meth lab in progress?

We live in angry times where a situation can escalate at the drop of a hat. How you respond can make or break the rest of your day or, God forbid, your life. In this session we will hear from firsthand real life situations and how they handled it – and lived to tell the story.

Learning objectives.

• 1. How to recognize the warning signals from clients and employees.
• 2. When to back away.
• 3. How does this end? Coping and avoidance strategies.
• 4. When to call law enforcement.

Taught by Casey Fielder – a time of sale inspector and Alternative Wastewater Maintenance Provider in Ingham County, Michigan. He also runs and coordinates Michigan Septic, a full-service install, pumping, repair, and operating company based in the Lansing, Michigan area. Casey serves on the Board of Directors for WasteWater Education and the Michigan Septic Tank Association as well as representing Michigan on the National Association of Wastewater Technicians board.




2024 – 015: “Did You Just Click on That!!?” – Employee Best Practices for Data Protection (2.0 CSE)COMING SOON

• Your employee just had some free time and clicked on a Google Ad.
• You got an email from a client wanting to know why you sent him a bill.
• You log in to your bank account to find it’s empty.
• You can’t get past a pop up screen that is asking for $250k in crypto currency.
• Your pump system or lift station is no longer responding to remote commands.

You are experiencing a multi-billion dollar problem affecting companies of every size and this is particularly troubling for the water and wastewater sector. The bad guys are getting much clever at fooling you and your employees into making that fateful click! And it’s affecting all your devices, desktop and mobile. Learn what’s new and even old strategies that still lure the unwary and how to instill that culture of ‘don’t do it! ’into your employees, friends, and family. So the next time your lead operator wants to know why chemical XXX is now running at 200% of normal…..?

ABC News reports "of all the country's critical infrastructure, water might be the most vulnerable to hackers: the hardest in which to guarantee everyone follows basic cybersecurity steps, and the easiest in which to cause major, real-world harm to large numbers of people.” Many onsite service providers also work in the municipal field where malicious attacks are taking on a national significance.

Learning Objectives:

• • Every organization including those responsible for critical infrastructures needs cyber security awareness training. This has been proposed as a federal mandate.
• • What IS this message? IS it genuine? I clicked on it – now what do I do?
• • Learn basic cyber security awareness strategies and response.
• • Understand authentication strategies and ransomware prevention.
• • Learn the fundamentals of cyber security hygiene.
• • Don't become another unwitting victim!

Instructor: Robert Siciliano CSP, CSI, CITRMS CEO of Safr.Me and Head Trainer at ProtectNowLLC.com Robert is a security expert and private investigator with 30+ years’ experience.




---





---

Course Outline and Agenda:
The DEQ in cooperation with Waste Water Education 501(c)3 based in Traverse City, Michigan which is under the direction of Ms. Dendra J. Best, has approved these courses for Continuing Septage Education (CSE).

Course Cancellation/Rescheduling:
Course Cancellation/Rescheduling: The DEQ is not responsible for any course cancelled or rescheduled by a course sponsor. Course sponsors are strongly encouraged to notify the DEQ and those who have registered for the course in a timely manner when a course is cancelled or rescheduled prior to the date the course is scheduled to be offered. Course attendees from Michigan are encouraged to make adequate consultation with the course sponsor before registering for the course.

Additional information, you may call Mr. Matt Rockhold, DEQ, at 517-284-6540.

Questions regarding the above courses may be directed to the Director of Wastewater Education 501(c)(3) Ms. Dendra J. Best, at 231-233-1806.

These are recorded 'on-demand', interactive, distance learning events.

Credit Hours:THE COURSES MUST HAVE A PASSING SCORE OF 75% ON THE TEST TO BE TAKEN AT THE END OF THE COURSE TO BE ABLE TO OBTAIN THE CERTIFICATE, toward the continuing septage education (CSE) requirements outlined in Section 11703 of part 117. Only the CSE credits earned by the designated “responsible agent” for a given Michigan licensed septage firm will be credited to that firm.