Free webinar offered Wednesday on electrical safety for grain elevators

A free webinar discussing electrical safety at grain and grain processing facilities will be offered this Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST by GEAPS and Grain Journal magazine.

The presentation by Doug Forst, president of CMC Industrial Electronics, will be based on lectures from a GEAPS/Kansas State University distance-education course scheduled to begin Feb. 10. Registration for GEAPS 542: Electrical Safety for Grain and Processing Facilities closes Wednesday.

Forst will discuss how electrical systems can be the source of grain dust explosions, what the primary ingredients of an explosion are, how to recognize potential electrical hazards and the varying electrical standards for grain facilities. The webinar also will cover safety requirements for electric motors and the basic methods of ensuring that an ignition source of sufficient energy cannot be generated by an electrical device.

Forst started CMC Industrial Electronics in 1997 with a mission to “protect lives and human property” and has 35 years of experience in electronics manufacturing, specializing in industrial controls.

GEAPS and Grain Journal also have planned three other free webinars:

• Feb. 13 – “Grain Facility Construction Contracts,” based on an education session at Exchange 2014. Presented by Mark Aljets, partner, Nyemaster, Goode PC.

• April 2 – "Handling the Paperwork: Permitting for Grain Handling Facility Projects," from Exchange 2014, by Kevin Fry, River Consulting.

• April 23 – “Developing an Effective Safety Culture at Your Company,” based on the new distance education course GEAPS 541: Developing an Effective Safety Culture at Your Company, offered May 27-June 27. Presented by Chris Goulart, director of consulting services, RCI Safety.