AVO Offers Help With Arc Flash

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Steve Foutch, vice president of sales and operations at AVO Training Institute, sat down with Water Online Radio for this live interview from the show floor at WEFTEC 2011 in Los Angeles. Foutch provides insight on AVO’s safety training program and the dangers of arc flash in wastewater treatment plants. Listen or read on to learn more.

Todd Schnick: We’re back, broadcasting live from WEFTEC 2011 in Los Angeles. I’m Todd Schnick, joined by my co-host, Todd Youngblood. Todd, you ready for day two?

Todd Youngblood: I am absolutely ready for day two. I was ready for day two right after day one ended, as a matter of fact.

Todd Schnic: It was an exciting day. I’m looking forward to today. We’re off to a great start today. We’re joined by the vice president of sales and operations for AVO. Welcome to Water Online Radio, Steve Foutch.

Steve: Thank you very much, gentlemen.

Todd Schnick: It’s great to have you. Thanks for joining us. Before we get underway, why don’t you take a second and tell us a little about yourself and your organization?

Steve: AVO Training Institute is located in Dallas, TX, and we offer safety training and arc flash analysis across the world.

Todd Youngblood: Steve, when I think of wastewater treatment plants, on one hand I think, “Shoot, that’s technology that’s been around forever. It’s easy. Anybody could do it.” But I know better than that. I know there are all kinds of nuances and technical knowledge and dangers out there. What is the biggest danger you see in wastewater treatment today?

Steve: The largest danger that they have right now is arc flash. As we know, it can kill people. We know it can cause severe injury. It is an OSHA regulation that treatment plants must achieve arc flash compliance with their employees and with their contractors.

Todd Youngblood: How well known is this arc flash danger? I know in an industrial environment, it’s common. You don’t really hear a lot about it in the wastewater treatment world.

Steve: You don’t hear a lot about it, but more and more we’re seeing incidents. We just had a report of one last week in the northeast where a company out there severely injured an individual.

Todd Youngblood: Is that OSHA-driven, or driven within the industry, or is that your role? How are people learning about the danger itself and then what to do about it?

Steve: It is OSHA-driven. It’s driven under their general mandates. It is backed up by the NFPA70E standard. The new 2012 standard is now out. We have an engineering department that is pursuing getting everybody’s arc flash done and the labeling completed.

Todd Youngblood: That is a core competency of you guys, something you focused on primarily?

Steve: Yes it is. We have been in business 50 years, doing electrical safety training and maintenance training. From there we’ve spun off this engineering division to help accomplish the arc flash completion.

Todd Schnick: Okay, Steve, we’re out of time. It was great to have you. Before I let you go, share with the audience how they can contact AVO and learn more about the work you’re doing.

Steve: You can contact AVO by going to www.avotraining.com. We can pick it up from there on the webpage and get a hold of you by phone or email.

Todd Schnick: Steve, it was a real pleasure having you. Thanks for joining us.

Steve: Thank you much, gentlemen.