December 2020
1. Which of the following is included but not limited to confined spaces?
A. Vessels
B. Tanks
C. Vaults
D. Trenches
E. All of the above
2. Entering a permit space can prove fatal for an employee when the oxygen level is ____________?
A. Below 19.5 percent
B. Above 23.5 percent
C. Exactly 20 percent
D. Both a and b
3. Any employee can enter a permit required confined space to carry out necessary repairs or maintenance.
A. True
B. False
4. Which of the following is NOT a confined space that requires a permit?
A. A space that contains a hazardous or potentially hazardous atmosphere.
B. A space that contains a material that can smother someone who enters.
C. A space that contains a material which can engulf someone who enters.
D. A space that contains walls that converge inward or floors that slope downwards & taper into a smaller area which could trap or asphyxiate an entrant.
E. A space that is designed for continuous employee occupancy.
5. What steps must an employer take after determining that the workplace has permit required confined entry areas?
A. Develop and implement a written program
B. Verbally inform all supervisors in the affected areas of the requirement of OSHA’s program
C. Notify those in charge of medical files for affected employees
D. All of the above
6. What does the acronym IDLH stand for with respect to confined spaces?
A. Instant Death Lurks Here
B. Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health
C. Integrated and Differentiated Level of Hazards
D. Inflammability Detection Level Hazard
7. Atmospheres that contain a flammable component above what percent of its Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) are considered hazardous for confined space entry?
A. 10 percent
B. 7.5 percent
C. 5 percent
D. 2.5 percent
8. OSHA mandates that an Entry Supervisor sign the Entry Permit before an employee begins work in a confined space.
A. True
B. False
9. An attendant can enter a permit space to help the employee inside the confined space without being relieved by another authorized attendant.
A. True
B. False
10. The retrieval line attached to the chest or full body harness worn by authorized entrants should be attached to:
A. Both their shoulders
B. Their hips
C. The center of their backs near shoulder level or above their heads
D. Arms and legs
11. When an employee is working in a confined space more than five feet deep, the other end of his or her retrieval line must be:
A. Securely attached to a fixed point
B. Held at all times by the attendant
C. Connected to a mechanical device
D. None of these
12. At least one member of the rescue team must be certified in basic first aid and CPR.
A. True
B. False
13. In an emergency, in the absence of a trained rescue team, an attendant must:
A. Enter the permit space and try to save the entrant
B. Attempt a non-entry rescue
C. Pray and hope that the entrant survives
D. None of the above
14. How many gallons will a pump pumping 650-gpm produce in 24 hours?
A. 15,600
B. 39,000
C. 93,600
D. 936,000
E. 9,360,000
15. How many hours will it take to fill a 400,000 gallon wet well if the flow is
250 GPM ?
A. 16.6
B. 24.6
C. 26.4
D. 26.6
E. 28.6
Switch from In-person to Virtual Training
With social distancing guidelines and travel restrictions becoming the norm, opportunities for in-person training are becoming limited or non-existent all together. The switch from in-person to virtual training has been seamless for some, and more difficult for others. Whether this will be the “new norm” or a temporary pause, many organizations are pivoting to online training and conference events, and participants are learning to adapt, as we all learn from this new experience together.
Online training can take many forms: scheduled, live-stream webinars, on-demand pre-recorded training sessions, virtual conferences or events, or perhaps a hybrid of delivery methods.
Scheduled Webinars
These live-stream events are typically 1-2 hours in length and cover a range of topics pertaining to wastewater operations and safety. They can be fee-based or free of charge, and most require advance registration. They often use chat boxes, Q&A, and surveys to keep participants engaged. DEP has been compiling a list of scheduled webinars presented by organizations, and emailing to certified operators every 2-3 weeks, as well as posting on the DEP website (DEP website under Additional Material, Approved Online Training Resources).
On-Demand (Pre-recorded) Virtual Training
Some operators find it difficult to attend scheduled webinars because of work demands, connectivity issues, or falling prey to distractions in their remote environment. Others find it hard to keep track of training in 1-hour chunks and would rather attend a longer, more in-depth session. For these operators, on-demand training may be a better solution.
On-demand classes are offered by private or professional organizations and are usually fee-based. They consist of pre-recorded sessions that include methods to verify attendance, such as periodic quizzes or electronic tracking of attendance built into the training platform. Many operators already use on-demand classes for their safety and H.R. training.
Benefits of on-demand classes are that you can take the class according to your own schedule, start and stop the training as-needed, and the software will track your progress and generate a certificate upon completion. Disadvantages are that sessions are fee-based, they require self-discipline to complete, you do not have a live host available to answer questions, and formats that rely heavily on reading material can be dry.
The DEP has a list of pre-approved on-demand wastewater and safety training listed at the bottom of the spreadsheet sent to operators. You may apply to DEP for TCHs if you find an on-demand class that is not included on the list.
Virtual Conferences
Many of us relish the comradery, networking opportunities, and information sharing at conferences, not to mention the evening socializing that has become an annual tradition. While not a substitute for in-person meetings, virtual conferences have come a long way and often include interactive components to facilitate engagement with other participants, such as small-group breakout sessions, panel discussions, vendor tours, and networking events. They also have a lot going for them in terms of accessibility and cost savings.
This is the season for Water & Wastewater conferences, with major events occurring almost every month:
- Maine Rural Water Association (MRWA)’s 40th Annual Conference & Trade Show, “Celebration of Success” December 9-10, 2020 , link: MRWA.
- New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA)’s 2021 Annual Conference, “Water for Life, Advocate, Act, Be the Change”, January 26 & 28, February 2 & 4, link: NEWEA.
- Maine Water Utilities Association (MWUA)’s 95th Annual Conference and Trade Show, “Learn from the Past and Prepare for the Future” will be on February 3rd and 4th, 2021. MWUA is potentially planning a hybrid conference (some in-person sessions, some virtual sessions and some pre-recorded sessions), depending on COVID 19 restrictions, link: MWUA.
- Maine Water Environment Association (MEWEA)’s 2021 Annual Spring Conference will team with JETCC’s North Country Convention (NCC), date TBD, link: MEWEA.
For those who are not comfortable with technology or lack accessibility, it is still possible to take old-fashioned correspondence courses for advanced training and Training Contact Hours (TCHs), where you receive in the mail an actual, physical book, worksheets, and quizzes to complete with pencil and paper. Imagine that! Pre-approved correspondence courses are listed on the Virtual Training Spreadsheet emailed by DEP to certified operators.
Make sure to get a Certificate of Completion from the provider for all virtual training to submit for TCHs. If there are several operators participating together with one computer screen, please provide an attendance sheet signed by the supervisor or chief operator to verify all participants completed the session.
Questions? Contact Judy Bruenjes at judy.k.bruenjes@maine.gov.
Recently the Board of Environmental Protection approved an Administrative Consent Agreement (ACA) with a town facility for effluent parameter violations. The violations were caused when the facility was unable to meet the national categorical standards for the type of facility. The limits were not water quality based and the violations did not result in any water quality impacts. The town tried different treatment methodologies, but none were found to consistently meet the effluent limits. The corrective actions include a schedule to make facility changes that will significantly reduce the discharge, reevaluation of other treatment options including probable elimination of the discharge, and a fine of $17,000.00 with all but $10,000 suspended.
This facility was a very unique case. The ACA was necessary due to the number and severity of the effluent limit violations, putting the facility in long term significant non-compliance (SNC). Facilities with consistent and/or severe limit violations, that reach the criteria for SNC are subject to greater scrutiny by both the State DEP and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA is pursuing a national strategy to reduce SNC, more information on that initiative can be found by following this link https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-compliance-initiative-reducing-significant-non-compliance-national-pollutant. The State of Maine is already below the national SNC goal, which is a great achievement for all the regulated discharges and the DEP. However, we have facilities moving in and out of SNC on a regular basis, maintaining our excellent track record requires all of us to be diligent.
Prior to deliberation by the Board, all Water Bureau ACAs are published for public notice for 30 days, you can find items open for public comment aby following this link https://www.maine.gov/dep/comment/index.html.
If you have any questions about this action or about the Department’s compliance and enforcement policy, please contact Pam Parker at 207-485-3038 or pamela.d.parker@maine.gov.
Everyone that is enrolled in the DMR-QA program should have submitted their completed NPDES Permittee Data Report Form (pp 10-12 of the DMR-QA announcement package) and PT provider graded results to the DMR-QA Coordinator. The due date for this to be submitted was November 20th.
Permittees that have not submitted their data packages to DEP will be contacted by the DMR Coordinator this week to ask for a copy of the missing material.
The results that we have processed so far for DMR-QA study are very encouraging, the number of Non-acceptable results appears that it will be lower than in previous years.
If your facility received any Non-acceptable results you will need to perform a corrective action investigation to attempt to determine the cause of the Non-acceptable result. Once the investigation is completed, and any necessary changes are made to procedures, equipment etc, you will need to order a blind re-test PT sample for all parameters with Non-acceptable results.
Results of passing re-rests along with a brief summary of the corrective action step must be submitted to the DMR-QA coordinator by January 15th, 2021.
If you have any questions about the DMR-QA program, or need to update your contact information, please contact the DMR-QA coordinator at Brett.A.Goodrich@maine.gov or call 207-287-9034.
1. E. All of the above
2. D. Both a and b
3. B. False
4. E. A space that is designed for continuous employee occupancy
5. A. Develop and implement a written program
6. B. Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health
7. A. 10 percent
8. A. True
9. B. False
10. C. The center of their backs near shoulder level or above their heads
11. C. Connected to a mechanical device
12. A. True
13. B. Attempt a non-entry rescue
14. D. 936,000 gallons
650 gal/min X 1440 min/day = 936,000 gal in 24 hours
15. D. 26.6 hours
400,000 gal / 250 gal/min = 1600 min
1600 min / 60 min/hr = 26.6 hr
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