Utility Industry Training: General Education
EnergyU Course Library
Use these utility industry training courses as part of new employee orientation, and to train and test personnel on how the energy delivery industry works, specifically when it comes to electricity, natural gas, HDD, and cross bores.
- 17 courses and assessments
Courses
- UGE-0101 Utility Basics
Course Description
This course reviews the characteristics of natural gas and electricity.
Objectives
- Describe natural gas characteristics.
- Discuss the natural gas distribution process and safety concerns.
- List electricity characteristics.
- Explain the electricity distribution process and safety concerns.
- UGE-0102 Energy Industry Dynamics
Course Description
The goal of this course, Energy Industry Dynamics, is to provide the participant with a view of the energy industry from a business perspective.
Objectives
- Describe the energy industry historical milestones.
- Discuss the dynamics of the energy industry.
- Explain how energy companies generate revenues.
- Identify industry and company challenges.
- List how to respond to customer billing questions.
- UGE-0110 Horizontal Directional Drilling
Course Description
Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is a trenchless form of excavation that provides an environmentally sensitive and efficient method of installing utilities in areas where conventional trenching isn't feasible, or service impact is undesirable. Typical HDD applications include airports, railroads, highways, harbors, rivers, wetlands, preserves. This course discusses safety practices that should be followed during HDD operations.
Typical HDD applications include: airports, railroads, highways, harbors, rivers, wetlands, and preserves.
Objectives
- List the advantages of using HDD over other trenchless technologies.
- Discuss predrilling preparation requirements.
- Explain the HDD process.
- Identify HDD equipment.
- Describe general safety procedures in the use of HDD equipment.
- Recognize and react to abnormal operating conditions (AOCs) that may be encountered during the HDD process.
- UGE-0115 Preventing Utility Cross Bores
Course Description
Utility cross bores are considered hazards in waiting and a nuisance to society. News headlines tell us all too often how dangerous utility cross bores are. Natural gas explosions, electrocutions, power outages, and damaged communication lines are all hazardous disasters resulting from sewer contractors clearing out unknown cross bored sewer lines.
So, what can be done to prevent utility cross bores from happening and to avoid such hazardous threats to our society? Review the course for some answers to this troubling question.
Objectives
- Identify utility cross bores and the threat for certain hazardous events.
- Describe industry concerns for trenchless pipeline installation procedures.
- Discuss useful resources in the prevention of utility cross bores.
- Recognize practices and procedures that mitigate and prevent utility cross bores.
- Explain cross bore prevention best practices.
- UGE-0200 Customer Contact
Course Description
Good customer relations are key to a utility company's success. This course will take a look at different ways to increase customer satisfaction by focusing on communication skills, appearance, and conflict resolution.
Objectives
- Discuss the importance of good customer service.
- Summarize the characteristics of a professional appearance.
- Identify important aspects of the service order.
- Describe how to properly handle appointments.
- Indicate good and bad communication styles.
- Explain the best way to deal with unhappy customers.
- List steps to ensure customer satisfaction.
- UGE-0301 Conducting Effective Tailgate Meetings
Course Description
Working safely should be the expectation of every leadman and crew member. Holding tailgate meetings and using the T.A.I.L.G.A.T.E. meeting form is one of the "tools" the leadman and crew members can use to hold a job briefing.
Objectives
- Describe an effective tailgate meeting.
- Identify items that should be discussed at a tailgate meeting.
- Complete a tailgate form.
- UGE-0401 Excavation Safety
Course Description
This course covers underground safety during excavation.
Objectives
- Discuss best practices.
- Explain how OSHA standards apply to excavation safety.
- Describe One-Call requirements.
- Identify excavation hazards.
- List backfill, composition, and restoration requirements.
- UGE-0501 Protecting Our Wetlands and Waterways
Course Description
This course discusses regulations, regulatory agencies, and issues relative to the protection of wetlands and waterways.
Objectives
- Define the characteristics of a protected wetland or waterway.
- Determine which wetlands and waterways are protected.
- Recognize which regulatory agencies manage and regulate water resources.
- Describe precautions that must be taken to protect a wetland or waterway during any type of construction activity.
- Identify accepted waterway protection practices.
- UGE-0601 Fatigue Awareness and Mitigation for Controllers
Course Description
There are many factors that induce fatigue in control room operators. This course addresses these factors, their effects on operations, and how to identify and minimize them.
There are many factors that induce fatigue in control room operators. This course addresses these factors, their effects on operations, and how to minimize them.
Objectives
- Recognize worker fatigue.
- Identify the effects of fatigue.
- Describe good practices for mitigating fatigue.
- UGE-0611 Fatigue Awareness and Mitigation for Controllers: Management Strategies
Course Description
PHMSA regulations on control room management and human factors include procedures for fatigue mitigation, education, and training. There are many factors that induce fatigue in control room operators. This course addresses these factors, their effects on operations, and how to minimize them.
Objectives
- Explain shift-work fatigue.
- Identify its effects.
- Discuss how to apply good fatigue management and mitigation practices.
- UGE-1190 Railroad Right-of-Way Worker Safety
Course Description
Occasionally, workers are required to work on or near a railroad right-of-way (ROW). To keep yourself and your co-workers safe, you need to understand rail hazards and follow safety procedures when performing ROW work.
Objectives
- Identify terms and special employee roles related to railroad ROW work.
- Explain procedures for working on railroad ROW.
- Describe safety precautions for railroad ROW work.
- Recognize and react to emergency situations.
- UGE-2301 Combustion and Ventilation Air
Course Description
This course provides information about gas and air mixtures, and combustion and ventilation air. This is important because appliances that are not ventilated adequately can kill. To protect the public, you must understand the need for adequate ventilation and combustion air.
Objectives
- Define the basic terms related to combustion air.
- Identify the differences between complete and incomplete combustion.
- List the problems that could occur from incomplete combustion.
- State the causes of carbon monoxide (CO).
- Describe the requirements of adequate combustion air.
- UGE-2311 Pilot Lights
Course Description
This course discusses pilot lights and electronic ignitions systems, and describes inspection procedures for both.
Objectives
- Describe the differences between nonautomatic pilots, automatic pilots, and electronic ignition systems.
- Discuss the three types of automatic pilot burners.
- State the three types of flame sensors for automatic pilots.
- Explain the two types of electronic ignition systems.
- List the steps for testing an automatic pilot ignition and an electronic ignition system to verify they are operating correctly.
- UGE-2312 Gas-Air Adjustment
Course Description
This course discusses gas-air adjustments and how they impact efficient burner operation. To better understand burner operation, the seven components of a burner and the three factors affecting flame characteristics are examined. Additionally, steps to correct undesirable flame type are described.
Objectives
- Identify the components of a typical gas burner.
- Describe the factors that affect the characteristics of a flame.
- Recognize burner problems caused by improper gas-air adjustment.
- Discuss how to correct burner problems caused by improper gas-air adjustment.
- UGE-2313 Venting
Course Description
This course discusses the purpose, design, and different types of vents for gas appliances. Additionally, the safe installation of vents and checking the venting system before establishing gas service are covered.
Objectives
- Discuss the four purposes of venting.
- List the six factors that affect venting system design and operation.
- State the different types of vents and their use.
- Describe the proper installation of vents and vent connectors, in accordance with applicable code requirements.
- Explain the procedure for a vent check.
- UGE-2321 Pressure Checks to Establish Gas Service
Course Description
This course introduces the topic of gas delivery pressure and explains how to use pressure testing equipment to ensure that we establish residential service at the correct pressure.
Objectives
- State the possible causes and results of over and under pressurization.
- Describe the most common instruments used to measure gas pressure at the inlet riser and the advantages and drawbacks of each instrument.
- Explain how to use company specific pressure measurement instruments to check inlet pressure when establishing gas service.
- UGE-2322 Establishing and Disconnecting Gas
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to establishing and disconnecting residential service.
Objectives
- List the verification requirements for establishment or disconnection of gas service.
- Discuss how to perform the required checks necessary for the safe establishment or disconnection of gas service.
- Describe when a shut-in test is required, the purpose of a shut-in test, and how to perform a shut-in test.
- Explain how to light up or shut off gas.
- State when and what must be documented during the establishment and disconnection of gas service.
