NECA Safety Education Training Center

Helping to Ensure Worker’s Come Home Safe

By: Kelley White

“One of the biggest challenges we struggle with on a regular basis – and this is the for the entirety of everyone involved – is time,” says Luetgert. “The demands of our work are real and there are deadlines, and at the same time the contractors and the union all have to balance to make the times for the training and for men and women to come in and take the training.”

All aspects of the organization, including workers and trainers, have to stay as up to date as possible in order for customers to be reassured they are getting the best possible outcome for their work. “For example, the work on the power grid has drastically changed throughout the whole smart grid process, so the trust, the union, and the contractors are constantly having to relearn the new technology and then pass that training along,” says Luetgert. “One of the other big challenges is not only facilitating the training but getting members to be there so that there are enough people to perform the work for the customer.”

Despite a varied curriculum, some of their classes, like Directional Drill Training and the basics, have a high demand and significant attendance rate. “Directional drill is basically a horizontal drilling process that is installing various facilities for utilities, with virtually no signs to the public,” says Luetgert. “They run through a series of sophisticated controls on one end to the machine where there are people on both sides, directing it underground so you can’t see it and there won’t be much damage compared to the old ways of doing things with an open trench.”

Recently, IBEW 196 has acquired a crane for their new class, EICA Crane certification. “We’re really excited about this certification and we’re training our members as quickly as we can to be certified to safely operate cranes installing or lifting equipment,” says Luetgert. “We just purchased a crane in the last couple of months and we’re putting on our first class in December. We’ve got six or seven trainers throughout the organization so we can begin to proctor our own crane certification right in Genoa. The partnership has been working on this for several years to get to a level where we could not only afford it but have facilities to safely do it as well.”

As for location, Genoa was a natural choice for the organization due to the community’s willingness to integrate the training facility into the fabric of the town. “Genoa welcomed us,” says Luetgert. “We looked at property in many different locations and we were very fortunate the realtor we were using helped us find it. Even the first public hearing I was a part of some years ago –it was evident they were going to work with us.”

IBEW is celebrated throughout all 14 counties, with members and loved ones proudly sporting IBEW apparel and walking IBEW banners in parades. “The entire organization is very proud of their work,” says Luetgert. “We also have the pride of having the best, most skilled workforce and we’re very excited to be a part of something now where we are large enough to facilitate all these things that have been in the works for several years. We’re really gaining ground quickly.”

Even now, IBEW is actively seeking new training courses to provide their members with, keeping up with modern demands. “We are pursuing third party attachments,” says Luetgert. “With everyone upgrading to 5G, there is a tremendous amount of antenna work throughout the city and suburbs, so the larger providers are constantly evolving in different ways in order to do that. All-in-all, these devices are being placed all over our 14 counties at a rapid pace. The third party attachment work includes not only installing it, but installing it safely – sometimes in very high places. The entire smart grid as a whole is evolving very rapidly.”

It’s easy to overlook the people who do the kind of vital work that keeps fundamental infrastructure running. Even more, it is easy to misunderstand the level of danger they face each and every day so that communities may have things like high-speed internet at their fingertips. IBEW Local 196 sees these tradesmen for the value they own and works diligently to make sure they are safe so that after every day, they may come home.

Genoa Area Chamber Of Commerce