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Disaster Preparedness
By Gary Ganson, CIH, CSP
The beginning of a new year is as good a time as any to remind us how
important it is to be prepared for disasters large or small.
Multiple types of disasters must be taken into consideration in order to ensure
your drilling business and your employees are properly prepared. These include
disasters related to weather, earthquakes, epidemics such as the flu and
terrorism.
Regardless of what kind of disaster, the priority is always to make sure
preparations have been taken to ensure first, the safety of all employees and
second, the security of the surrounding areas. This means making sure in the
event of a disaster that nothing has been left behind or unsecured that could do
additional harm including hazardous liquids, such as fuels that could
contaminate soil, or objects that could become airborne.
The first thing a company does to prepare is to create a written plan. The plan
should be created around those disasters most likely to occur in the region(s) in
which the company is operating.
The elements of a disaster preparation plan include the following:
Conduct a risk assessment for the area and determine what the hazards
are for a potential disaster to occur.
Focus on life-saving measures such as knowing the route to the nearest
hospital, CPR, and First Aid training.
Identify equipment needs such as tie-down supplies, food and water,
additional clothing, shelter needs for workers, routes of escape, or spill
supplies.
Emergency contact phone numbers for each location.
Next, you have to communicate that plan to your employees. That could be
through formalized training or on-the-job training while employees are
working—so long as the workers are familiar with how to conduct pre-task
planning.
Quick links
Prior to every project and every daily assignment, it is good practice for all crews
and individual employees to understand the importance of reviewing what they
are challenged with at each drilling project and every associated task. They
need to ask themselves, “what are the hazards and how do I prevent myself
and others from being injured.” This includes disaster planning.
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Also, plan for communication concerns. While crews sometime work in remote
locations, and mobile communication devices are typically carried by everyone,
towers, lines or even weather can damage or interfere with the electronic signals
and prevent mobile phones from being of service. Old systems such as CB
radios and walkie-talkies carried in a response kit have been useful devices
when mobile phones are not functioning.
Each employee should have a copy of the disaster plan and there should be one
at every work site. If the disaster preparedness plan requires special equipment
such as tie downs, absorbent material, personal protective equipment or cover
for employees, that equipment should be readily accessible, or even better,
carried on the truck or trailer.
Employees should also go through some method of disaster preparedness
exercises. This can even be done as a table-top style exercise, but it is better to
do the exercises in the field.
The last thing you want to hear or say to yourself is, “I wish I had planned better
and been prepared.” Taking the time and some simple steps to think through a
potential disaster is time well spent. The outcomes include never having to
implement the plan, which is not a bad thing, but the positive outcome is that if it
does happen, you were ready and your employees went home safely after the
event to work another day.
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Gary Ganson, a certified industrial hygienist and certified safety professional, is
national practice leader/director of industrial hygiene services for Nova
Consulting Group Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri.
Global Trends in Research Journal Publishing and Peer
Review
By Wiley Exchanges
More than 80 delegates attended Wiley’s 2015 Australian executive seminar in
November 2015. Among them were editors, librarians, and society executives
representing some of the country’s leading research journals and institutes.
The theme of the day was “Global Trends in Research Publishing” and the
wide-ranging agenda promised to deliver insights and global perspectives on
publishing, practical information and case studies, and an excellent opportunity
to network.
The day kicked off with an overview of global trends by Wiley Senior Vice
President for Society Services Andy Robinson. Taking a long-range view of
research journal publishing, Robinson described the key trends to watch in the
next five years and highlighted in particular the potential of “hyperconnectivity”
and mass collaboration in a globalized and digitally advanced landscape. Daniel
Johnston of the peer review website Publons described his vision for “speeding
up science through rewarding peer review” and joined a lively panel on peer
review, with contributions from editors Mike Bull of Austral Ecology and Frank
Bongiorno of History Australia, and Wiley’s own Melbourne-based ScholarOne
expert, Martha Rundell. There was an engaging debate about peer reviewer
recognition as well as peer-review efficiency and the importance of mentoring for
prospective reviewers.
On the topic of “Raising the Global Profile and Impact of Your Journal” Wiley
Chief Marketing Officer Clay Stobaugh led the audience on a journey through
Wiley’s proprietary customer experience framework, and offered some practical
tips on how to increase attention, influence, and impact. Click here to read
more.
Slides from the day are all available here.
Wiley publishes NGWA’s Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation® and
Groundwater®.
Keeping You in the Know
IRS Extends Deadlines for Providing Notice of Coverage
and Filing Notices
Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter reports the IRS on December 28, 2015 issued Notice
2016-4, which extends certain deadlines for Affordable Care Act reporting.
Specifically, the IRS has extended the deadlines for forms 1094-C and 1095-C
(as well as forms 1094-B and 1095-B for providers of health coverage).
In part, Notice 2016-4 provides that applicable large employers (ALEs),
generally employers with 50 or more full-time employees, now have until March
31, 2016, to furnish to employees Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health
Insurance Offer and Coverage. Coverage providers, including self-insured
employers, have until March 31, 2016, to provide Form 1095-B to individuals.
The previous deadline was February 1, 2016.
ALEs also now have until May 31, 2016, to then file with the IRS copies of the
1095-C forms, along with the 1094-C transmittal form. The previous deadline
was February 29, 2016. If filing electronically, the new deadline is June 30, 2016
(previously March 31, 2016). Coverage providers have the same extension to
file 1094-B.
Summary of New Deadlines
For General Employers
Previous
Deadline
New Deadline
Furnish 1095-C to Employees
2/1/2016
3/31/2016
File 1094-C Transmittal Form and 10952/29/2016
C Forms with IRS (Hard Copy)
5/31/2016
File 1094-C Transmittal Form and 10953/31/2016
C Forms with IRS (Electronic)
6/30/2016
For Coverage Providers + Self-Insured Previous
Employers
Deadline
New Deadline
Furnish 1095-B to Employees
3/31/2016
2/1/2016
File 1094-B Transmittal Form and 1095-B
2/29/2016
Forms with IRS (Hard Copy)
5/31/2016
File 1094-B Transmittal Form and 1095-B
3/31/2016
Forms with IRS (Electronic)
6/30/2016
Click here to read Notice 2016-4.
2015 NGWA Groundwater Expo and Annual Meeting
Ranks 10th All-Time in Attendance
The 2015 NGWA Groundwater Expo and Annual Meeting drew attendees
from 30 different nations, in addition to the United States, December 15-17 in
Las Vegas.
The 67th Expo drew 4886, making it the
10th largest Expo ever. Here is the
breakdown of attendance:
2275 contractors (seventh largest attendance)
1331 manufacturers
628 suppliers (seventh largest attendance)
467 scientists and engineers (sixth largest attendance)
185 others.
“We used the event’s later week as a motivator to our efforts,” said NGWA
Chief Executive Officer Kevin McCray, CAE. “Our sales team worked hard to
bring more than 300 exhibitors to the floor, and our marketing team worked hard
to get customers to the show floor. Another year of outstanding continuing
education options from our Learning and Knowledge staff added to the upbeat
mix.
“In an industry that does not experience much dramatic change year-to-year,
NGWA has elected not to be complacent, but to always evaluate and innovate
with velocity. We have useful exhibitor and registrant input gathered during and
after the event. We evaluate each and every comment, adopting change where
we can make the total experience the most rewarding for all involved. The Expo
is our most public demonstration of what is a much larger and continuous effort
on behalf of all of the groundwater professions.”
The Expo’s 304 exhibitors occupied 78,200 square feet of exhibit hall space.
There were 27 first-time exhibitors.
“There are almost no words to describe how pleased and excited I am about the
success of the 2015 Groundwater Expo,” said Vickie Crosby, NGWA advertising
and exhibit sales director. “Even though I remained optimistic throughout the
year about the final outcome, I was admittedly concerned about the dates of the
Expo with it being the week before Christmas.
“However, any doubt or concern was quickly dispelled after seeing the crowd of
folks in the exhibit hall visiting our exhibitors. Hearing the many positive
comments shared by the exhibitors was what I needed in order to know that all
was well.”
Held in Las Vegas for the second consecutive year, the Expo offered a diverse
collection of educational offerings with nine professional development
categories. Many of the educational sessions were standing-room only and
featured lively discussions.
The NGWA Activity Area in the exhibit hall provided 30-minute offerings for
attendees to learn skills applicable to their job.
The National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation
Fundraising Auction was held in the exhibit hall for the first time and raised
$29,225. The Foundation has now raised half a million
dollars—$521,608—over the last 14 Fundraising Auctions.
If you missed hearing a particular speaker or wish to review a session, the
recordings will be available by mid-January in the NGWA Event and
Education Recordings Archive.
Make your plans now to join us for the 2016 Groundwater Week, December 6-8
in Las Vegas!
NGWA Debuts New Logo at Groundwater Expo and
Annual Meeting
The NGWA logo and brand has undergone a significant transformation, which
was launched at the 2015 NGWA Groundwater Expo and Annual Meeting.
The new logo strives to maintain the iconic and recognizable mark identity while
simultaneously moving the brand forward. It was designed by Andrew Laitinen, a
graphic design student from the Columbus College of Art and Design who
interned with NGWA last summer.
Chief Executive Officer Kevin McCray, CAE, said the refreshed logo is reflective
of a changing industry and association.
“Consistent with other changes adopted over the past few years to apply
groundwater as one word, the revised logo deemphasizes our use of ‘ground
water’ versus ‘groundwater’ without the expenditure of legal fees to amend
the Association’s name by removing the space between ‘ground’ and
‘water.’
“The design also emphasizes NGWA is ‘the’ association for groundwater and
our focus is groundwater. NGWA is The Groundwater Association.”
In conjunction with its rebranding efforts, NGWA ushered in its new strategic
plan listed below and announced at the 2015 NGWA Groundwater Expo and
Annual Meeting.
NGWA member value proposition
As the leading advocate for the groundwater professions, NGWA serves
you, the professional who provides, protects, manages, and remediates
groundwater, and those who contribute toward those outcomes. NGWA
conveniently and promptly delivers a broad and extensive range of
resources to help you succeed through relationships, leading edge and
emerging practices, and credible sources of new ideas and solutions.
NGWA vision
NGWA’s vision is to be the leading groundwater association
advocating the responsible development, management, and use of
water.
NGWA goals
NGWA and its members will use its outstanding scientific and technical
leadership, knowledge, and resources to pursue innovation, model best
practices, and improve the business climate for the groundwater industry.
NGWA will be a credible, valued resource on significant and timely issues
that impact the groundwater industry and public access to safe,
sustainable groundwater.
Our community will grow and benefit from the participation of all
groundwater professionals.
Through NGWA’s efforts, the public will be confident there is a
sustainable groundwater resource for domestic, municipal, industrial,
ecological, and agricultural uses.
NGWA values
We believe the whole of NGWA is greater than the sum of its parts.
We share a commitment to the informed, responsible, and sustainable
use of groundwater.
We are a community of professionals who value diverse perspectives,
and sharing and learning from experience and research.
We are responsive to our members’ needs and interests.
NGWA three-year strategic plan
Goal A: NGWA and its members will use its outstanding scientific and
technical leadership, knowledge, and resources to pursue innovation,
model best practices, and improve the business climate for the
groundwater industry.
Strategy 1: Increase government and other water-related
organizations’ and organizations that interact with groundwater
users understanding of NGWA’s capabilities, and effectiveness
with respect to groundwater management.
Strategy 2: Reach consensus and understanding of
“sustainability” and “resilience” as applied to groundwater.
Strategy 3: Reduce scientific and technical uncertainties related to
groundwater management.
Goal B: NGWA will be a credible and valued resource on significant and
timely issues that impact the groundwater industry and public access to
safe, sustainable groundwater.
Strategy 1: Increase from the 2014 NGWA benchmarks member
participation in grassroots (local) efforts.
Strategy 2: Increase use of an articulated and unified NGWA/water
industry message on safe and sustainable groundwater.
Strategy 3: Increase access to policymakers.
Goal C: Our community will grow and benefit from the participation of all
groundwater professionals.
Strategy 1: Increase participation.
Strategy 2: Increase the value of NGWA membership.
Strategy 3: Build upon the value brought by the diversity of
professions represented in the membership.
Goal D: Through NGWA’s efforts, the public will be confident there is a
sustainable groundwater resource for domestic, municipal, industrial,
ecological, and agricultural uses.
Strategy 1: Increase public awareness of sustainable groundwater.
Strategy 2: Increase water conservation and efficiency.
World Resources Institute Ranks World’s Most WaterStressed Countries in 2040
Using an ensemble of climate models and socioeconomic scenarios, the World
Resources Institute scored and ranked future water stress—a measure of
competition and depletion of surface water— in 167 countries by 2020, 2030,
and 2040.
WRI found 33 countries face extremely high water stress in 2040. It also found
Chile, Estonia, Namibia, and Botswana could face an especially significant
increase in water stress by 2040. This means businesses, farms, and
communities in these countries in particular may be more vulnerable to scarcity
than they are today.
Fourteen of the 33 likely most water- stressed countries in 2040 are in the
Middle East, including nine considered extremely highly stressed with a score of
5.0 out of 5.0: Bahrain, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Israel,
Saudi Arabia, Oman and Lebanon. The region, already arguably the least watersecure in the world, draws heavily upon groundwater and desalinated sea water,
and faces exceptional water-related challenges for the foreseeable future.
With regional violence and political turmoil commanding global attention, water
may seem tangential. However, drought and water shortages in Syria likely
contributed to the unrest that stoked the country’s 2011 civil war. Dwindling
water resources and chronic mismanagement forced 1.5 million people, primarily
farmers and herders, to lose their livelihoods and leave their land, move to urban
areas, and magnify Syria’s general destabilization.
The problem extends to other countries. Water is a significant dimension of the
decades-old conflict between Palestine and Israel. Saudi Arabia’s government
said its people will depend entirely on grain imports by 2016, a change from
decades of growing all they need, due to fear of water-resource depletion.
The U.S. National Intelligence Council wrote water problems will put key North
African and Middle Eastern countries at greater risk of instability and state failure
and distract them from foreign policy engagements with the United States.
Click here to read more.
Tools from NGWA
NGWA Develops Site to Access Groundwater Market Data
in United States
To assist researchers, NGWA has compiled groundwater market data from
each U.S. state to facilitate significant measures of groundwater use and endmarket segments available from a variety of U.S. government sources.
The categories to select from for each state are: commercial, domestic,
industrial, irrigation, livestock, mining, public supply, and thermoelectric.
NGWA has developed this site as experimental and will update and refine the
site over time as use warrants. Click here to access this data site.
Online Education Calendar
Learn at Your Desk with These Education Opportunities
As an NGWA member, you can attend a wide variety of online educational
sessions. These complimentary offerings usually home in on two to three key
points and run 30 to 60 minutes in length to fit into your busy schedule. Currently
on the lineup are:
January 6, 2-2:30 p.m. ET
2015: NGWA’s Year in Review presented by CEO Kevin McCray, CAE,
and CFO Paul Humes, CPA
January 13, 1-1:30 p.m. ET
Attracting Students to Groundwater Professions presented by Cliff
Treyens
February 3, 1-1:30 p.m. ET
Advancing Groundwater Through Collaboration presented by Cliff
Treyens
Be sure to check the schedule regularly for updates, as new offerings are added
on an ongoing basis. Please also remember that although free to members,
connections for these online sessions are limited and preregistration is required.
Professional Jobs Board
Entry level civil/environmental engineer, Arcadis. Click here to learn more
about this opportunity.
Assistant professor, University of Wyoming–Civil and Architectural Engineering,
Laramie, Wyoming. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
Water resources engineer, Delaware River Basin Commission, West Trenton,
New Jersey. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
Need a job? Need a candidate? Click here to access the NGWA Career
Center, where you can view job openings, view resumes of qualified
professionals, or anonymously post your resume.
National Ground Water Association
601 Dempsey Road, Westerville, Ohio 43081 USA
Customer Service
customerservice@ngwa.org
800 551.7379 (614 898.7791 outside the United States)
8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday
fax 614 898.7786
© 2016 by the National Ground Water Association. All rights reserved.
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any damage or loss resulting from inaccuracies or omissions.