GenServe’s New Training and Safety Program Offers Certification for Techs
Bay Shore, New York, USA (March. 31, 2010)
Advances in technology continue to affect every aspect of generator construction, installation and maintenance. GenServe has always paid close attention to ongoing technical training and improving safety standards, but today’s rapid evolution into digital communications and product feature expansion has inspired the management team to raise the bar even higher. Bob Fortunato, chairman of GenServe, Inc. announced the appointment of Jim Reynolds, as GenServe’s first director of training and safety.
“The need for ongoing training in the generator industry is very important, because technology is constantly changing,” said Mr. Fortunato. “Our new program will keep our techs up to date on the technology needed to safely and expertly make repairs on today’s electronic equipment.” GenServe will continue instructing technicians in field work safety with in-house training designed to reinforce common safety procedures such as, lock-out-tag-out, wearing safety glasses, arc flash equipment, and much more. Additionally, the training will include new safety requirements for customers, which in some cases, requires that generator owners implement site-specific HASP’s (Health and Safety Plans). “We are committed to having a safe, accident-free work place,” Mr. Fortunato said.
GenServe’s training program will include classes from generator manufacturers such as Cummins/Onan, Generac, Kohler, ASCO, and many more. “After many years, the generator industry has finally gotten the recognition it deserves in that it now has a certificate that identifies an individual as a Certified Generator Technician,” said Mr. Reynolds. The certificate is offered through the Electrical Generating Systems Association (EGSA), of which GenServe is a member. The training and testing through the EGSA cover an enormous range of information about generators from basic Generator 101 through paralleling switchgear.
Increasingly more technicians diagnose problems using a laptop in the field, because today’s control panels are all electronic. The software allows technicians to plug into the panels and retrieve a history report of all run times, stop times, failures, and faults, giving them an accurate reading of the component that has failed. GenServe’s training program provides experience with the new software applications and information systems, as well as the new electronic monitoring and alert systems.
“As a leader in the generator maintenance and repair industry, we are committed to providing our customers with the best available technicians who have expert knowledge on how to repair their generators properly and efficiently to minimize the downtime,” said Mr. Reynolds. “We are also committed to providing our customers with technicians who are acutely focused on safety. We are confident our new training program will ensure a better experience for both our technicians and our customers.”
