November 6-8, 2024

IP Casino and Resort, Biloxi

WEDNESDAY, November 6 – WORKSHOPS

(Not included in Attendee Registration)

(Lunch not provided on this day)

DAMAGE INVESTIGATION
TRAINING – $150

8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Instructor: Roger Cox
ACTS Now Inc.

OK, you’ve had a damage, now what? Whether you are the utility owner/operator, excavator or the locator of record; the one thing you’ll have in common now is a need for a quality damage investigation. Just determining the facts about the damage is not enough. The objective of this workshop is to teach the participant how to conduct a quality damage investigation. If the investigation doesn’t determine clearly why the damage occurred, it is likely to reoccur. Additionally if the investigation itself is not clear, concise and complete, you are more likely to be responsible for damages and/or fines even if you were not responsible for the damage.

Attend this workshop and learn what makes a photograph a good photograph, learn the value of telling the story of the damage with sketches and photos and presenting your findings with credibility. This workshop is for anyone who has ever been involved in a damaged utility line and tried to identify who was “at-fault” instead of gathering the facts.

UTILITY LOCATOR
TRAINING – $250

8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Instructor: Bob Nighswonger
Utility Training Academy

Who Should Attend? Not only is this skills training workshop a great introductory session and a valuable career-building tool for the novice line locator, the workshop was designed to challenge and expand the knowledge base of even the most seasoned of pros of the art of underground line locating and marking.

Classroom Training and Field Instruction: This two-fold training workshop begins with a live classroom training session with comprehensive animated slide presentations, lively discussions, and a supporting workbook loaded with reference materials and classroom activities. The classroom session is followed by a Hands-On instruction performed outdoors where a variety of conventional and not so conventional equipment is placed in the hands of the workshop participants in efforts to build “equipment friendly” users of line detection equipment. You may bring your own locating device or one will be provided.

COMPETENT PERSON
TRAINING – $150

8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Instructor: Ruben Mendez
Humphrey & Samarang

OSHA requires that a “Competent Person” be on your construction or maintenance site whenever workers are exposed in an excavation.
Applied to trenching or excavation operations, the Competent Person (CP) must have specific training and be knowledgeable of the requirements of the standard, soils analysis and use of protective systems. In addition, the CP must have authority to take immediate corrective measures to eliminate unsafe conditions. TrenchSafety’s Competent Person Training Program is designed to help you meet OSHA’s training requirements.
Registration includes an instructional workbook, a wallet card and certificate indicating successful completion of the class.

UTILITY MAPPING WITH GIS
TRAINING – $150

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Instructor: Dan Bigman
Bigman Geophysical LLC

Using mobile GIS applications to build a geospatial database of assets in real time has powerful implications for reducing damages, improving the efficiency of utility locates, and streamlining decision-making. This workshop will cover the basics of mapping utilities with GPS and GIS through a practical application at the facility. First, the students will create a new project, create relevant feature classes such as gas, power, meters, manholes, etc. and assign appropriate feature types to each such as points, lines, and polygons. Next, the class will journey outside the classroom to collect actual data using a mobile GIS app. The students will build the database of assets at the facility while walking the grounds. They will also learn to document assets and locate marks. Finally, the class will reconvene inside the classroom to learn how to generate map outputs that can be used as deliverables for clients/managers, or which can be provided to locators prior to arriving on-site.