Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania Celebrates Grand Opening of Leading-edge Employee Training Center
sarah...@nisource.com
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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14, 2016 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Sarah Perry Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania Communications (724) 884-6731 sarah...@nisource.com |
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Simulators, mock town, hands-on training designed to meet the needs and build the next-generation of utility company employees
CANONSBURG, Pa. – Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, a subsidiary of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), today opened a modern, centralized training facility for employees who operate and maintain its natural gas distribution system.
The $10 million, 22,000 square foot facility is the first of four leading-edge training centers that NiSource companies will build and operate in its service territory by 2018. Other facilities are planned in Ohio, Massachusetts and Virginia.
“With a changing workforce and changing technology, training the utility worker of today is much different than training was just a few years ago,” said NiSource Vice President of Training Mark Chepke. “Building these new centers is one way we’re being responsive and evolving our training. Our single-best asset is our workforce and this is an investment in their future.”
The new center features modern, innovative teaching environments designed to train new employees, employees transitioning into higher-skilled positions and for current employees enhancing their skills. In addition to serving company employees, the center will be used for coordinated training with local emergency responders on responding to natural gas emergencies.
Hands on, Controlled Environments
One of the main features of the center
is the outdoor “Emergency Response Safety Town” – a mock neighborhood
of mini-homes and businesses complete with underground utilities and meters
– where instructors can create and control various emergency training
scenarios, including a natural gas leak simulation. Instructors will also
use this area to teach other critical skills like line locating and marking;
leak detection and corrosion monitoring; and re-establishing gas service.
For more information regarding the training
center, the talented people leading the company’s training and how the
center benefits employees and the communities the company serves, visit
http://www.columbiagaspa.com/training.
Other features include:
· Simulator Area. Training simulators will be used as a way for employees to experience various work activities in a controlled and safe environment. For example, a slip, trip -and-fall simulator will teach employees how to avoid falls, which are the leading cause of lost-time injuries at NiSource and most utilities. It also includes an excavator simulator and health and safety simulators.
· Hands-on Labs. Areas designated for hands-on instruction and practice. The “service lab” contains a variety of gas appliances, allowing employees to learn how to safely relight equipment and to identify improper operation. The “street crew” lab allows employees to practice laying new distribution pipelines, operate valves, and responding to emergency situations. The “measurement and regulation” lab allows employees to practice maintaining system meters and regulators using compressed air.
· Demonstration Areas: Trainers will gather equipment and material from across the company to use in demonstrations. This will include understanding the operation of older equipment still in service and the new equipment used to replace it. Due to the age of our distribution system, over time materials and installation practices have changed. Through the demonstration area, employees will learn how to recognize and replace obsolete equipment.
· Excavator School. A designated outdoor space where excavator operators can practice maneuvering the heavy equipment in a safe, controlled environment, and a complement to the classroom simulator.
· Fire Safety Training Area. A controlled outdoor area to practice fighting natural gas fires in monitored exercises. Trainers are able to start and stop the controlled fires with specially designed valves while other instructors stand alongside students as they extinguish the fire.
In designing the new training centers,
NiSource incorporated best practices for employee training from utilities,
companies in other industries, trade schools, labor unions and law enforcement.
About Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania delivers
clean, affordable and efficient natural gas to approximately 423,000 customers.
With headquarters in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, it is one of NiSource’s
seven regulated utility companies. NiSource (NYSE: NI) is one of the largest
fully-regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately
3.5 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers through
its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. More information about
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania and NiSource is available at www.ColumbiaGasPA.com
and www.nisource.com.
Sarah M. Perry
Senior Communications & Community Relations Specialist
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania & Maryland
Cell: 724.884.6731
Office: 724.416.6313
Sarah...@nisource.com