💧 Water and Power · U.S. Virgin Islands
WAPA linemen began training program on St. Thomas; St. Croix sessions were scheduled for October
Official document: http://www.viwapa.vi/docs/default-source/default-document-library/09282021--wapa-linemen-begin-training-program-on-st-thomas.pdf?sfvrsn=e503c781_2
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said its linemen began a training program on St. Thomas on September 27, 2021, with sessions scheduled to continue into early 2022.
WAPA said the training was being held at the Reichhold Center grounds on St. Thomas. A similar program for St. Croix linemen was scheduled to begin October 18, 2021, at the Agriculture Fair Grounds in Lower Love.
According to the authority, the training was intended to meet regulatory operating standards and safety requirements for field personnel. WAPA said it was partnering with Electric Cities of Georgia on the program.
The authority said the training resumed work that began in 2019 to secure certification for energized, or hot-work, line personnel but was not completed after the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the program in 2020.
WAPA said courses already completed included safety meetings, groundman school and Lab A of a three-part Department of Labor-certified apprentice program. The broader training plan was to include groundman training for new employees, apprentice instruction, energized-line training, advanced lineman training, line-clearance tree-trimming certification, confined-space training, trenching and shoring, pole-top and bucket-truck rescue, meterman certification and safety meetings.
The authority said partial funding came from a $215,000 Department of the Interior grant, with WAPA providing the remaining $301,550 from savings tied to reduced overtime after a reorganization of the electric division.