Certification for gas drilling offered

Arkansas State University-Searcy, a technical campus of ASU-Beebe, will hold an Energy Training Council (E.T.C.) Safety Training course on Aug. 12. This course is designed for people interested in working for the Gas Drilling Industry.

The class will be offered from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuition is $100, which includes materials. This is a ten-hour non-credit class offered through Continuing Education. Each student will be given an E.T.C. card at the conclusion of the class, which is required by the Gas Drilling Industry to work on any job site. This card will also allow the student to work in any area E.T.C. is recognized. The student will be registered with the Energy Training Council website. The Web site is accessed by many of the oil industries when hiring potential employees. ASU-Beebe is the first approved site in Arkansas to offer this training. Other sites can be found on the E.T.C. Web site at www.energytrainingcouncil.org.

During the safety training class the following topics will be covered: tools hand and power, excavations, hydrogen sulfide awareness, personal protective equipment, confined space awareness, fire safety prevention and protection, lockout tag out, bloodbourne pathogens, hazard communications, environmental awareness, electrical safety awareness, and fall protection. John Reed, an OSHA certified master welder, is one of the approved instructors for the class. ”This class is very thorough. There are specific safety regulations for gas drilling that I didn’t know,” Reed said. John Myers, Larry Bridges, and Thomas Green are also approved instructors for the class.

Several gas companies have located in Searcy and the surrounding areas to start drilling on what is known as Fayetteville Shale. This safety training will allow people to work for the companies drilling for natural gas. Pre-registration is required for this class. Contact the Continuing Education Department to register or for more information by calling (501)207-4051 or e-mailing dyingling@searcy.asub.edu.