Category: STL USA news

Training GWO onsite

Training GWO onsite has been a real lifeline during lockdown.

Training GWO onsite over the last couple of months has meant we’ve been able to keep courses ticking over and also help out our customers, many of whom had technicians who would have otherwise not been able to work. At a global level it’s a key priority for STL to deliver flexible training solutions for our clients and this has certainly been put to the test recently. For some time STL have prioritised gaining accreditation to deliver onsite courses and this will soon be augmented with a blended course option mixing online with face to face training. STL are committed to offering customers solutions that work with their needs and training GWO onsite forms a key component of this. Onsite GWO courses run much the same as courses staged at our location in Texas and Iowa. The course format comprises the main onshore modules for GWO BAsic Safety Training and GWO BAsic Safety Training Refreshers. This includes the modules First Aid, Fire Awareness, Manual Handling and Working at Height.

Practicalities of training GWO onsite

The course curriculum follow is exactly the same and technicians have to demonstrate all the skills and knowledge required in each module. Where the course differs, and some would say is improved, is that the technicians train practical elements in the environment they will be working in. This means working at height is usually run on a turbine allowing for the most realistic training your ever likely to get. other course elements such as the first aid and fire are conducted in a classroom or suitable meeting room on the wind farm or close by.

Bringing the course to you

Your technicians and your turbines will already have PPE and safety systems installed. Our trainers are comfortable working with all the commercially available devices. We do however bring with us a small selection of kit in case anything is needed. We also travel with all the equipment needed for both First Aid and Fire Awareness. Having run 30+ onsite courses our logistics and well practised and getting equipment and our trainers to locations in even the remotest parts of the USA on time to ensure courses run smoothly.

What about the weather?

Given that training for working at heights is outdoors the weather can also be a factor. For this reason we keep the course programme flexible for the training week, fitting in the practical elements when the conditions allow. However, we will train to the weather conditions that technicians would be expected to work within. It adds to the realism of the course and let’s face it not everyday is going to be sunny and warm.

How do I book training GWO onsite?

Booking is simple, like all of our GWO training courses. Simply contact us and let us know how many technicians will be attending the course and where the course location is. Onsite training is delivered on a ratio of one instructor to four technicians and we can send up to three instructors for a course if required. Due to the logistics involved we ideally required 2-3 weeks notice to set-up an onsite training course, apart from this the rest is simple.

What about costs?

All of STL USA’s GWO courses are charged on a per technician basis, this is exactly the same onsite as it would be at one of our training centers. For onsite we do charge an additional fee for instructor travel and equipment logistics plus a small daily subsistence fee for instructors accommodation. However, this is nornally far cheaper than it would be to send a group of techs to a course at one of our sites, when you consider flights, hotels, car rental and daily expenses.

For those companies who have the facilities and capacity to run onsite it really is the perfect flexible training option.

To find out more and to book a course click the link below.

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Join the STL USA team.

Would you like to join the STL USA team?

We have three opportunities to join the STL USA team. We’re currently recruiting for two trainers and a back office role at STL USA as we continue to grow across the country.

About STL USA

STL USA has been operating in the USA since 2015, with two main training facilities located in Texas and Iowa. Part of the Safety Technology group of companies headquartered in the UK and with operations across Europe, STL USA extends the knowledge and experience built up over 20 years in wind energy delivering training and safety solutions for the largest global companies. STL USA is exclusively focussed on delivering GWO training across a range of standards to technicians working across the country. Thousands of techs have passed through STL USA training courses and the company ambition is to to grow rapidly in the coming years in line with the huge growth the wind sector is experiencing in the USA.

Job description: GWO Training Instructor x2

Location: Texas, flexible

Subject to an initial training period of 2-3 months depending on competency and experience. The training instructor will be expected to deliver company training programmes within the specified training procedures and accredited standards, for GWO. This includes a number of theory, discussion and practical elements across the modules; fire awareness, first aid, manual handling and working at height. The nature of GWO training is very practical and the instructor is therefore required to be able to demonstrate a number of course elements in a simulated wind turbine environment, therefore requiring a level of climbing competency and fitness.

The key tasks include:

Carry out company and Accredited training programmes and provision of training procedures as required.
Complete training documentation and records as required
Develop and improve training equipment and facilities as appropriate in line with the Technical Director.
Maintain training facilities and training equipment
Carry out product inspections, maintenance and re-certification of products.
Assist with the organisation and participation in exhibitions when required
Liaise with partner companies, specialist suppliers and organisations as required.
Implement effective health and safety including, writing, updating and following risk assessments, safe systems of work and company procedures.
Act as Fire Marshalls and First Aiders, and implement the company Health and Safety practices at all times.
Provide effective support and communication to customers and other team members especially internal sales administration, sales and directors.
Maintain company systems and procedures including enquiries, quotations and quality and training procedures. Auditing and review of customer feedback.
Carry out other duties as requested by the company such as site inspections, onsite training, overseas training and audits.

Experience:

The role would suit somebody already working in wind energy, ideally in a supervisory role, safety role or with suitable turbine experience. GWO certifications are an advantage but anyone with a teaching/training background and the relevant working at height experience would be considered. It goes without saying the person must be comfortable working at height.

Salary and benefits: To be discussed (in line with market rates)

Job description: Office Administrator

Location: Texas, flexible

Responsible for the booking, administration and logistics of all training courses. Working with the Lead Trainer and VP USA and other members in the wider group company the Office Administrator is responsible for maintaining administrative policies and procedures, customert service and some basic finance duties.

The key tasks include:

Follow the 3 pillars or responsibility for training Admin, Facility Booking/Trainer Booking/Customer Scheduling and Admin
Upkeep of the USA training calendars
Organising trainer allocation
Ensuring all accredited practices are adhered to in terms of training admin and customer support following course booking, in relation to joining instructions, medical or dietary requirements (following medical guidelines for Doctor sign off if any specific boxes are ticked) and certification on completion of the courses
Data entry and continual communication with Training Manager/Sales Manager/Technical Director on courses and staffing
Liaise with the Inspection Manager on scheduling of trainer training courses from the skills matrix
Assist in audits internal/external bodies.
Raising customer invoices via Quickbooks
Booking and admin of lunches for training candidates and trainers
Booking of trainer accommodation and travel to onsite training
Archive all information necessary for annual auditing process
Audit training folders to ensure all documents for courses are completed, in particular onsite
Carry out other duties as requested by the company

Experience:

The role would suit somebody in an existing administrative position, comfortable multi-tasking with a keen attention to detail.

Salary and benefits: To be discussed (inline with market rate)

If you’re interested in joining us please contact us via the link below or email us at info@safetytechnologyusa.com

We’re back in business

We’re back in business. Training at our core locations will begin again in June.

It’s awesome to be back in business. The truth is we never really went away as we’ve been able to continue supporting customers with GWO training at their sites via our onsite training services. But, getting back into our main training facilities will be a welcome change and we look forward to seeing techs on our courses.

As part of our reopening strategy we will be adhering to strict social distancing. This includes capping courses to no more than 6 attendees, ensuring desks are 6 feet apart in classrooms, wearing gloves and masks for practical exercises.

Suffice to say we take the safety measures seriously and will ensure that we have adequate supplies of PPE available at all times. Where special requirements are needed we will work with our customers to ensure, where possible, that these are implemented.

If you’d like to talk about how we can support your GWO training and you’d like more information get in touch.

The state of wind energy in lockdown.

With many of us in wind energy in lockdown this weeks post speculates on where we’re heading.

So what is the state of wind energy in lockdown? So let’s get this out of the way the wind is still blowing, turbines are still turning and I have to say that most people I’m speaking with are continuing to operate, albeit under strict distancing guidelines. Of course a lot of us are classed as essential workers so we’ve had to adapt quickly to this situation. For STL USA in particular this has meant moving courses to an onsite format where we can but of course not every customer has access to a turbine or tower to conduct a training course.

On this note I’d like to give a major shout out to the guys at Cotech who’ve let us use their training facility in Houston whilst ours is shut.

The GWO have played their part by quickly developing a new partial online course for Basic Safety training refreshers. This course allows for 100% delivery online over the space of a few days via a virtual classroom format. The course is built around interaction and requires both instructors and technicians to demonstrate a series of actions within the curriculum as well as theory elements to gain the 6 month interim accreditation.

This is an exciting development for STL USA as we’ve been eagerly awaiting the launch of an online, blended course format to broaden our course offering across the USA. We’ve also spent some of our lockdown time accelerating our plans to bring the GWO ART course to the USA. This is something we’re particularly keen to have sit alongside our standard GWO safety training courses.

Our wider outlook for wind is still very positive despite the current lockdown. Wind energy is proving itself to be a cost effective source of energy generation and with numerous new developments in the pipeline including the major offshore farms we still believe well end 2020 in an upbeat mood.

The second half of the year will see us looking further afield from our traditional mid-West base in the “wind corridor”. The next stage of our growth will be focussed on the offshore market, our longer term goal is to begin delivering GWO Sea Survival from a strategically located training center by the end of 2020. This is about 4-6 months behind our initial plan but hey Covid-19 came along so we hope you’ll forgive us.

All that’s left for us to do is say a big thank you to all our people who have worked tirelessly during this difficult time, for our clients patience and to the wider wind community for hanging in there.

If you’d like to talk about how we can support you GWO training get in touch.

Beat the GWO refresher backlog

You can beat the GWO refresher backlog with STL USA.

There’s a big GWO refresher backlog building right now. To tackle this we are building a roster of technicians who require GWO refresher training so we can manage course places and allocate these on the basis of those closest to their expiry dates.

Adding your technicians to the roster is very easy.

Add you contact details
Add your technicians and their certification expiry dates
We will contact you to allocate a training place before certs lapse

You can join the roster here:

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March news round up

Welcome to the March news round up.

I promised myself i would write this news round up without mentioning the C-word, but I don’t think that’s going to be possible. Covid-19 has dominated March and looks set to have an impact on the wind sector for the next few months. We are lucky as a business to be able to continue, albeit on a reduced basis, training during this crisis. We’ve taken significant steps to mitigate risks for our trainers and course attendees during the outbreak. This has meant the closure of our training facilities and a move to 100% onsite training until we feel we it is 100% safe to reopen the centers.

March started so differently

At the very start of March we were packing up after attending the AWEA O&M conference in San Diego. It was a great conference, we met up with clients and connected with new potential clients across the week. The weather was great and we had a small opportunity to enjoy some of the Southern California coastline. What a difference 30 days make! We moved quickly to ensure we could react to our client needs but most importantly to ensure the safety of our people and our attendees.

Moving onsite

The big story of the last 30 days has been our transition to 100% GWO onsite training. We regularly run training courses for customers at their wind farms but we’ve never had to run 100% of our courses in this fashion. The safety advantages are obvious, less interaction between people and less travel for course attendees. As training centers have closed across the country demand has grown exponentially. A big thank you to all the STL USA team for stepping up as in many cases we’ve been the last resort for clients.

Looking ahead

One thing is for certain this outbreak won’t last forever. When we come out of the back of this there will be a number of challenges that we will have to cover. Firstly there’s going to be a major backlog of refresher training that will need to be completed, second it’s likely there will be a rush of new hires. These will likely have been postponed during the lockdown. It’s going to mean a lot of training is required in a short space of time. To tackle this we’re working with all our customers to create a schedule for refreshers starting in May, we’re committed to running these back to back for as long as required so nobody’s certs lapse. It’s important we do this as lapsed certs require the tech to complete a full training course, keeping them out of the field for a full 5 days. We are working on a way for you to log your techs and their expiry dates into a schedule so we can then provide you training options, more to follow…

Stay Safe Everyone.

In the meantime if you want to add technicians to our refresher schedule you can get in touch below.

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GWO training during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak

GWO training during the Covid-19 outbreak will be available as two options.

During the outbreak it’s vital that we continue to provide safety services to our clients in the renewable energy sector. STL USA are taking every step to ensure GWO safety training is conducted in a clean and secure environment that minimises the risk to our attendees and employees. We are continuing to offer two training options for wind technicians.

Update March 26th, 2020.

All training courses will be restricted to a maximum of 6 people, 5 trainees and 1 trainer.

Onsite training

STL USA are the only company accredited by the GWO to offer GWO onsite training in the USA. This means we can attend a customer site to perform the full GWO Basic Safety Training course. This requires the use of a turbine and a facility that can double as a classroom for a maximum of 10 people. Onsite training requires a ratio of 1 instructor to 4 technicians and during this time we are capping all courses at a max of 8 technicians plus 2 instructors. For a class of 4 the course will run as normal, for a class of 8 attendees will be split into 2 groups and the second group will run on a reverse schedule of the first to minimise contact.

We are able to service locations across North America however we will treat each enquiry on a case by case basis.

Training center

From March 31st our training centers are running a reduced timetable. Courses in Texas will start on April 20th and 27th for full GWO Basic Safety Training and in Iowa on April 27th. Courses may be cancelled or changed at short notice during this period we will endeavour to keep our customers informed of developments as we react to them in all cases.

Taking steps to stay safe

The safety of our customers and employees is always our primary concern. All steps in accordance with Federal Government and World Health Organisation guidelines have been implemented by STL USA. In addition modifications to GWO training courses have been applied which minimise the risks for everyone involved in a training course.

Anyone presenting with:

Flu like
Cough
Fever
Shortness of Breath

will not be allowed to join a training course and registration will be delayed until symptoms no longer exist and the person is medically passed fit to train.

In specific modules

During First Aid and Enhanced First Aid (including refresher) modules for when practicing CPR on a resuscitation mannequin. Training staff will continue to demonstrate correct CPR, however course participants (delegates) shall not be required to perform mouth-to-mouth on a mannequin. However, delegates must still practice establishing an airway and verbally confirming delivery and the correct number of rescue breaths (without contact between course participants mouth and the mannequin’s mouth), and otherwise complete the exercise as described.
During Working at Height initial and refresher training, all practical exercises will be performed using a rescue dummy as injured person (casualty), including the double evacuation and ladder rescues of a conscious person
During Advanced Rescue Training (Initial and Refresher), when performing practical rescue exercises where the course participants (delegates) are required to work in teams, these exercises will be carried out as single rescuer, making sure to cover planning of rescue in teams and teams communication during rescue.

The whole team at STL USA encourage you to stay safe during this difficult time.

If you would like to discuss an onsite or training center course contact us.

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STL USA Corvid-19 (Coronavirus) Guidance

When running GWO training courses the safety of our employees and our guests is our top priority.

In the efforts to contain and prevent spreading of the 2019-Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) we need all visitors and potential course participants to adhere to the following precautions.

For those scheduled or planning to attend one of our training courses, we ask for all to ensure they are not experiencing any of the following symptoms:

Flu like
Cough
Fever
Shortness of Breath

If you experience any of the above symptoms, we ask you to delay registering or participating until symptoms no longer exist. For anyone currently registered for an upcoming course, if you experience symptoms, we ask that you please contact Safety Technology Ltd for cancellation or rescheduling to a future date.

Participants that show symptoms while attending a course, may be asked to seek medical attention before continuing the course.

STL USA will enforce the recommendations given by the health authority to limit spreading of the COVID-19, and restrict attendance to include anyone who has travelled to any of the affected countries which currently include:

Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Spain, Germany, France, Thailand and Vietnam

To prevent spreading in areas with risk of COVID-19, it is recommended to:

Wash your hands with soap and disinfect with alcohol-based hand rub regularly.
Maintain social distancing (1-1.5m) and avoid crowds.
Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth.
Practice food safety during preparation, cooking and eating.
Wear a mask (surgical/medical and formed so it covers the mouth and nose) when you may come close to persons sneezing/coughing, and to persons who may have a fever.
If you experience fever, coughing or breathing problems – seek medical care.

We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your attention to this matter.

Safety Technology USA LLC

What we’re discussing at AWEA O&M safety conference.

As we get closer to heading to San Diego for this year’s AWEA O&M safety conference we thought we highlight the key areas of focus for STL USA.

This year’s AWEA O&M safety conference will be a great opportunity to connect with our friends and colleagues across the industry, discuss the topics that really matter and work out how we can collectively solve these issues together. STL USA will be exhibiting on booth 314 come and find us.

For STL USA our focus this year is on a number of key areas including; developing offshore capability, launching Basic Technical Training and working with the labour supply chain to ease the bottleneck of trained technicians entering wind.

Offshore safety training, GWO Sea Survival.

With significant developments taking place on both the East and West coast, including the Ocean Wind site, demand for offshore technicians has never been higher. This puts huge pressure on the need for GWO Sea Survival courses, located within a sensible travelling distance of the fields. Currently the market is very thin. Offshore facilities have historically been centred around the Oil and Gas sector, located around the Gulf of Mexico but this needs to change given winds development on the East and West coast. To this end STL USA are actively seeking out sites to ensure we can meet this demand from the growing sector.

Developing Technical training, GWO Basic Technical Training

We believe that 2020 will see increasing importance placed on the need for technical training in the wind sector. As demand continues to grow for trained individuals only so much can be serviced from techs moving across sectors, in-house training and labour movement. We believe that 2020 will be the year where BTT becomes a key access point for people wanted to work in wind, whether high school or college leavers or those transitioning from unrelated areas. Ensuring a consistent flow of manpower is going to be crucial and we’re lucky that this is also recognised by our partners at Texas State Technical College.

How can we move people into wind energy faster?

Recent conversations with partners and clients have led us to explore the manpower problem from all angles in recent months. We clearly have an issue in the sector, there’s not enough technicians and not really enough places to train them. These are classic teething problems of a fast growing sector and something we’re keen to address. Ideas we’ve explored include a credit based system for experienced workers at height to gain credits on GWO course for existing qualifications, a transition path covering technical course modules and safety. We haven’t got a definitive answer to this question, what we do know is that we will need to come together as a sector to address this issue. New course formats and markeing criteria will need to be developed, tested and rolled out. AWEA O&M safety conference is a perfect place to do this, we look forward to speaking with you there.

AWEA O&M safety conference will be busy, the best way to ensure a conversation with STL USA is to book a meeting slot. Just click the link below.

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Why get the STL USA newsletter

Apart from the wit and imaginative writing there’s a bunch of reasons to get the STL USA newsletter!

So why should you get the STL USA newsletter? We’ll we bring you the lowdown on some of the best news in wind energy safety, the latest developments at STL USA and so much more.

Be the first to hear about course dates and availability

GWO training is becoming increasingly popular in the USA and with limited providers it pays to know when and where you can train. After all taking technicians out of the field costs money, STL USA strive to make the process simple and painless to minimise the impact to your bottom line, ensuring your workforce is fully qualified to the GWO Basic Safety training standard.

Get updates on offers and funding opportunities for training courses

We regular run promotions on our courses and make available funding via our regional and state partners. Funding goes fast, grab the newsletter to be kept up to date on opportunities. For example a client recently had 90% of their course fee’s paid via a state funding program in Texas. Can you afford not to benefit from this?

Sign-Up and Don’t Miss Out

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