CONFINED SPACE ENTRY IN THE WASTEWATER INDUSTRY Confined spaces can be deadly.  Each year, many people are seriously injured or killed while working or attempting to rescue those in confined spaces across a wide range of industries. The term “permit-required confined space” is defined by OSHA as possessing one or more of the following characteristics: Contains or has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere Has walls that converge inward or floors that slope downward and taper into a smaller area that could trap or asphyxiate an entrant Contains other recognized safety or health hazards, such as unguarded machinery, exposed

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If you were one of the 3,850 attendees at the Florida Water Resources Conference last week, you may have had the privilege of checking out the some of the FWRC Ops Challenge events.  Known as the “Olympics of the Wastewater Industry,” the Ops Challenge follows teams of four as they compete in a series of events, including Process Control, Laboratory, Maintenance, Collections, and Safety in order to secure a spot at the national competition at WEFTEC. This year, seven teams competed in the overall Ops Challenge, with clever team names such as Destin’s Positive Influents, JEA’s Fecal Matters, St. Petersburg’s

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Say Hello to Chris Jones, one of our hardworking Service Technicians here at USST.  Following in the steps of his family, Chris has a background in trades work building powerlines before joining the U.S. Submergent team, while his grandfather worked as an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Airforce.  Having just hit his one-year mark with USST, Chris is a valued member of our team with a surprising love of soup lunches and gardening.  Read on to learn more about our up-and-coming team member. Hometown:  Norfolk, Virginia. What I Do as a Service Tech II:  Run equipment, think ahead and solve

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Say Hello to Paul Stephenson, one of our hardworking Service Technicians here at USST.  A Navy veteran and former nomad turned Floridian, Paul isn’t afraid to try new things, loves a good challenge and has been with us for more than a year and a half.  Read on to learn some other surprising details about our team member. Hometown:  Nowhere in particular.  I lived all over the place and never lived anywhere for more than a few years due to the military, but consider Orlando, Florida my home and favorite place to live so far. What I Do as a

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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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Say hello to Randy Cordrey, our business development manager. Our team had the pleasure of meeting Randy at the 2016 Florida Water Resources Conference. We liked him so much, we asked him to join our sales team. Read on to find out what makes Randy tick. Hometown: Washington, D.C. Family: My wife, Lucy, and my daughter, Jennifer. Pets: A husky named Sierra. Hobbies: Golf, basketball and outdoor sports. Role Model: Tiger Woods. First Job: Newspaper route at age 14. Lesson from Mom That I Still Live By: My mother always said to be nice to people. Proudest Accomplishment: When I

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Kirk Roberts, Randy Cordrey, George Palenzuela and Harry Fritz U.S. Submergent Technologies sponsored — and WON! — the first annual Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Employees Golf Challenge benefiting Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. The event raised $11,400. Way to go, guys!

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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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Nickname: Bear Job title:  Process Assistant Age: 44 Hometown: Deerfield  Beach, FL Pets: My dog, Tuffy Hobbies: Woodworking and estate clearances Role model: My  grandfather, Chesley.  He never got angry. First job: I had my own  business at the age of 18. Construction –  rough and  final work. Lesson from mom that I still live  by: “Treat people the way you want to  be treated.” Proudest accomplishment: Giving my life to Christ Favorite movie: “I Claudius” by Robert Graves No. 1 place I’d like to visit: Italy The only person I’d want to be stranded with on a deserted island: Tuffy,

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