REDUCE THE RISK OF SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOW IN WET WELLS Wet well and lift station maintenance are a frequent source of concern for most wastewater collection systems. Performing regular maintenance can be difficult due to access challenges, costs associated with shutting down pumps, and confined space entry permitting and safety issues.   Wastewater systems rely on lift or pump stations to transport collected wastewater to a treatment plant.  Lift or pump stations typically include two to three pumps for redundancy — all of which require periodic inspection and maintenance.  More often than not, a wastewater facility may only have one operable

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We are moving fast, every day, in both our personal and professional lives.  It is during these busy times when we must focus and be extra attentive of things in motion around us, including ourselves, especially when safety is the goal. Safety matters most when we are moving; there is a higher probability of things happening that shouldn’t.  People, places, equipment, vehicles and more are constantly on the move, meaning more risk for the individual. “Falls” is the number one cited job site fatality in 2015 according to OSHA1, followed by “Struck By Object.” Take a glance at OSHA’s “Top

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The Impact of Hurricane Floods on Wastewater Treatment Plants With two heavy-hitting hurricanes recently battering both Texas and Florida, wastewater treatment plants across the country can learn from what’s happening in these areas to prepare for the potential impact of flooding, storm surges, and other extreme weather on their own systems. In addition to causing billions of dollars of damage from wind and rain, storm surges and flooding from hurricanes Harvey and Irma have wreaked havoc in cities and wastewater treatment plants along the coastlines.  In Palm Beach, Florida, crews were out maintaining and repairing lift stations before, during and

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I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream It seems our three musketeers — Aaron Hood, Matt Hughes and Paul Del Favero — have a sweet tooth for double scoop waffle cones and ice cream sandwiches. (And we don’t blame them. In fact, they’re making us hungry!) At U.S. Submergent Technologies, we’re proud to call this trio part of our USST crew and to know that even when they are off the job site and taking a break, they are still practicing safety by wearing their seat belts. Way to go guys!

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Confined spaces can be deadly. Each year, a number of people are killed or seriously injured in confined spaces. This happens in a wide range of industries and includes those working in confined spaces, and those who try to rescue them. Our hearts go out to the three workers who died last weekend while working in a confined space in Key Largo, and volunteer firefighter, Leonardo Felipe Moreno, who is in critical condition after attempting to rescue one of the workers. A confined space can be any enclosed area where there is risk of death or serious injury from hazardous substances

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Florida Service Group is cleaning a wastewater treatment plant in Nassau Beach, FL.

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Safety Spotlight Why I work safe: For my family and loved ones. I want to return home at the end of my work day the same way I left in the morning.  Safety has been a priority: Ever since I can remember. What piqued my interest in safety: An incident that happened many years ago. My supervisor at the time had built a scaffold that I felt was unsafe. I refused to get on it and he fired me on the spot. Since then I have been interested in workplace safety.  Number of safety manuals I own: Five. My top

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