Independent. Impartial. We provide access to information to empower sustainable, local, wastewater decision making.
Our Purpose
To provide education which increases public awareness of the link between clean drinking water, safe recreational waters, environmentally sustainable surface and groundwater with watershed based, best management practices related to appropriate wastewater systems, technology, treatment and management.
Download a copy of the OSHA Pocket Guide to Protecting Yourself From Hearing Loss here!
AGAIN - Upon receipt of payment you should receive a confirmation email and then a follow up with your student credentials and class URLs within 12 hours - a reminder this is because we have students throughout North America and overseas.
Payment buttons are located BELOW each class description
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Payment MUST be received beforehand.
WasteWater Education 501c3 requires payment prior to releasing each Class access link. Students have 90 days to demonstrate participation, and fulfillment of required tests or assignments. All such requirements must be fulfilled before a final Certificate of Completion can be issued. If payment is made and the attendee is unable to take the classes within this time frame a credit toward future classes, will be noted. A refund may be considered subject to Board approval. NO Refund will be given after 180 days. • A 6 month payment credit option is available for any amount over $99 - see PayPalCredit for information. (a Certificate of Completion will be issued by WasteWater Education 501c3 upon successful completion of ALL class requirements.)
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DPOR's Continuing Professional Education Requirements for renewals
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. OSHA considers electrocution one of the ‘fatal four’ prime causes of workplace fatalities and serious injury.
OSHA considers electrocution one of the ‘fatal four’ prime causes of workplace fatalities and serious injury.Are your workplace practices written down? Are you prepared?
Areas to be covered referencing OSHA best practices:
Areas to be covered referencing OSHA best practices:
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 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.
COMING SOON 2024VA – 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 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? When should you consider ONLY hand digging? 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.
COMING SOON 2024VA – 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?
Safety Procedures: Basic primer on personal safety best practices both as an employer and as a single business owner. UPDATED
Areas to be covered will reference:
Temperatures across the country are heating up. Will your employees be exposed to the summer heat, either by working outside or in non-climate-controlled buildings? If so, your company needs to consider ways to prevent heat illness among employees and stay compliant with any applicable occupational safety and health laws. This webinar will provide a discussion of the following topics to keep you cool and compliant. 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 hot weather?
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.
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?
As an active participant in programs and presentations of the OSU Climate Change Outreach Team, and in view of severe weather events from recent years, STS 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.
As the business owner, you become liable for ensuring your 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 the law as it relates to liability and insurance for both septic service and portable sanitation providers against:
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.
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.
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.
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 may be, will ensure both safe working conditions, protection for your self and the property owner. Are you asking the right questions? Do you have a site preliminary check list? What is the time line for completion?
This class also 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:
Whether it’s for 12 or 200 - how you install 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.
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 procedure 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 expand on previous year’s best practices and options for official onsite inspector certification.
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.Taught by Paul Finnel - past manager of the WebSoil Program at NRCS.
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 - and invaluable tool for assessment and troubleshooting onsite systems. See http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm
*And SoilWeb – an online tool developed by UC Davies
This class is both for service providers and installers.Taught by Paul Finnel - past manager of the WebSoil Program at NRCS.
A 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 US 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.
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. Compliance with OH Code
In this class you will learn the difference between cement and concrete and how they are used. A brief history of concrete will be presented showing that concrete is the oldest building material still being used today. The class will also provide the learner with a brief overview of current issues in the industry, including associations, Certifications, and ASTM standards applicable to precast concrete.
a) Getting organized Reviewing the design, the location, the grade, the layout, the elevation. Is this a new, replace or repair visit? Reviewing the site. Do you see potential problems now and for the future? How easy will it be to service this system? Assessing the site, soils, conditions BEFORE choosing and hiring equipment. Assessing the landscape view - (i.e the problems with slopes and walk out basements, snow plowing sites etc.) Protecting the site and why. Equipment staging for hauling, digging, lifting, leveling. Pipe choices, staging, handling.
b) SAFETY - THINK FIRST! As a service provider you are the responsible person on site. Tank delivery, clearance, trenching, confined space, types of tanks and the various installation guides, leveling and setting the bed.
c) Watertightness, repairing and inspecting risers, filters and inspection ports. Checking for integrity of existing boots, seals and mastics. ASTM standards.
Microbial Induced Corrosion (MIC) shortens the life span of concrete products. Unfortunately, there are some incorrect myths about the cause and effect. What systematic events lead to the colonization of bacteria that causes this corrosion. The impact and severity of this corrosion will be explained, and the actions necessary for the prevention of MIC will be presented. Concrete corrosion can be prevented. Attendees will be invited to present their own experiences.
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. Compliance with OH Code
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!
In this class we will review the reasons these systems have been installed and the special challenges of servicing.
In this class we will review the reasons these systems have been installed and the special challenges of servicing.
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.
Rationale: A competency in basic math is essential to be sure the system is working correctly and can be professionally serviced.
To be covered: Local and State requirements, Servicing, inspecting, installing, safety, sizing.
In conjunction with SSPMA [Sump and Sewage Pump Manufacturers Association] a 6 CEU course specifically for septic service providers - Each class (1 CEU) may be taken as a stand alone option. To be covered: Local and State requirements, Servicing, inspecting, installing, safety, sizing.
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:
Many 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. 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) will help 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 will be able to develop a guide to effective management 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 Sara Heger - Onsite Sewage Treatment Program in the Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota has created H2OandM.com. This recorded demonstration is approved for 2 OH CEU hours. 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.
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:
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 FEE REIMBURSEMENT
WasteWater Education 501c3 requires payment prior to releasing each Class access link. Students have 90 days to demonstrate participation, and fulfillment of required tests or assignments. All such requirements must be fulfilled before a final Certificate of Completion can be issued. If payment is made and the attendee is unable to take the classes within this time frame a refund, or credit toward future classes, will be considered subject to Board approval.
Course Cancellation/Rescheduling:Course Cancellation/Rescheduling: Some courses may be cancelled or rescheduled due to low enrollment/registration or other reasons.
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.
OUR PURPOSE:
To provide education which increases public awareness of the link between clean drinking water, safe recreational waters, environmentally sustainable surface and groundwater with watershed based, best management practices related to appropriate wastewater systems, technology, treatment and management.
PO Box 792, Traverse City, MI 49685-0792 | Tel: 231 233 1806
info@wastewatereducation.org ©2019
WasteWater Education
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