7 minute read
Field News
from April 2022
by TWUA
Important Updates for Scholarship Seekers
During the last five years, your Texas Water Utilities Association has awarded over $600,000 in scholarships to 302 applicants through the VM Ehlers foundation. The TWUA member donations and the VM Ehlers Endowment’s investments have increased the average amount of the scholarships from $1,000 in 2017 to $2,300 in 2021. The program has also made several improvements to the system, primarily how our endowment funds are managed and invested. Thanks to your efforts and generosity, the endowment has grown from $600,000 to more than $800,000.
The Endowment Representatives are always seeking methods to improve and increase the scholarship awards and application process. The foundation is happy to announce further enhancements to assist our members and their dependents. In January 2023, two significant improvements will be made to benefit the applicants directly.
First, the deadline for submitting applications for the 2023 - 24 academic year is being moved forward from July 1, 2023, to January 15, 2023. This is being done to allow processing of applications, awarding of scholarships, and, most importantly, the earlier mailing of checks so students will have them in hand before they begin the fall semester. Instead of sending the checks in late September, checks will be sent in late June. The application submission deadline will remain January 15 from 2023 forward.
With this new submission deadline, it is even more important for the applicants to get their information in on time. This will be even more important to those who are in high school. Best advice: don’t wait until after the Christmas/New Year’s holidays to apply for a “State of Texas Academic Achievement Record.” Instead, it is recommended you request your records before December as early in the fall as possible. We have spoken with counselors and administrators at several school districts, and they indicate it is possible to get your records before the January 15 deadline, but they stressed that requests must be made early. Check with your high school counselor for advice on your specific situation.
The second improvement is the foundation’s method of evaluating the applications. Each application is currently assessed and awarded points for the number of years the applicant or sponsor of the applicant has been a member of TWUA, their major course of study, the applicant’s plans after completing their degree, household income, academic record, and extracurricular activities. After January 2023, extra (bonus) points will be given to member applicants and applicants sponsored by members who are actively participating in TWUA events. Applicants will be awarded two points for each district meeting the member attended during the previous five years, and 15 points will be added for each year a member has served as an officer in a district, regional, or state organization. Currently, the average score on an application is 35 points, so a member who is active in the Association can easily double their or their applicant’s score. Scores above 60 points will receive additional funding based on available money. To receive these bonus points, applicants must attach a copy of their member’s TCEQ training record of meetings or have their district, regional, or state secretary provide a letter attesting attendance or verifying service as an officer during the last five years.
The Endowment Representatives and Board are confident that these changes will improve the scholarship application process and the applicants’ experience.
If you need additional information, feel free to contact any board members for assistance. They can be reached at:
Jim Siddall.......................... 1jsiddall1@att.net
Lynn Short.......................... lshort@lspssolutions.com
Justin Hamilton
Texas Drought Conditions Map April 5, 2022
Using Personal Cell Phones on the Job
Using personal cell phones on the job is mostly second nature on the job. When you need to snap a quick picture, call a supervisor, or check an app, reaching for your cell Using Personal Cell Phones on the Job phone is what is most innate. Though taking a photo for a work-related incident is innocent enough, when it comes to the Open Records Act, it opens up a whole new door of problems. Cities and governmental agencies operate under said act, meaning that they need to get the direct source of any information provided to resolve the issue at hand. Under the Open Records Act, all documentation, when asked for, must be provided.
Using personal cell phones on the job is mostly second nature on the job. When you need to snap a quick picture, call a supervisor, or check an app, reaching for your cell phone is what is most innate. Though taking a photo for a work-related incident is innocent enough, when it comes to the Open Records Act, it opens up a whole new door of problems. Cities and governmental agencies operate under said act, meaning that they need to get the direct source of any information provided to resolve the issue at hand. Under the Open Records Act, all documentation, when asked for, must be provided.
In a recent TWUA Certification Class, an operator stated that he had to surrender his personal cell phone because the documentation in question (asked for in an open records request) turned out to be a couple of pictures he took then shared with workers.
In a recent TWUA Certification Class, an operator stated that he had to This operator indicated that he would not get his phone back until all issues were re-surrender his personal cell phone because the documentation in question solved. They did not simply want copies of pictures – they wanted the source of the (asked for in an open records request) turned out to be a couple of pictures he pictures. took then shared with workers. Ways to avoid a problem like this in the future would be to either ask for a company-owned phone or camera, or get a burner phone that does not store any of your personal information. This way, when asked for the initial source of an image, you are not surrendering what we now view as our lifeline: your cellphone.
This operator indicated that he would not get his phone back until all issues were resolved. They did not simply want copies of pictures – they wanted the source of the pictures. Ways to avoid a problem like this in the future would be to either ask for a company-owned phone or camera, or get a burner phone that does not store any of your personal information. This way, when asked for the initial source of an image, you are not surrendering what we now view as our lifeline: your 10 Texas Water Utilities Journal | www.twua.org cellphone. April 2022
U.S. Department of Labor
Job Safety and Health
IT’S THE LAW!
All workers have the right to:
A safe workplace. Raise a safety or health concern with your employer or OSHA, or report a workrelated injury or illness, without being retaliated against. Receive information and training on job hazards, including all hazardous substances in your workplace. Request a confidential OSHA inspection of your workplace if you believe there are unsafe or unhealthy conditions. You have the right to have a representative contact
OSHA on your behalf. Participate (or have your representative participate) in an OSHA inspection and speak in private to the inspector. File a complaint with OSHA within 30 days (by phone, online or by mail) if you have been retaliated against for using your rights. See any OSHA citations issued to your employer. Request copies of your medical records, tests that measure hazards in the workplace, and the workplace injury and illness log.
Employers must:
Provide employees a workplace free from recognized hazards. It is illegal to retaliate against an employee for using any of their rights under the law, including raising a health and safety concern with you or with OSHA, or reporting a work-related injury or illness. Comply with all applicable OSHA standards. Notify OSHA within 8 hours of a workplace fatality or within 24 hours of any work-related inpatient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. Provide required training to all workers in a language and vocabulary they can understand. Prominently display this poster in the workplace. Post OSHA citations at or near the place of the alleged violations.
On-Site Consultation services are available to small and medium-sized employers, without citation or penalty, through OSHA-supported consultation programs in every state.
This poster is available free from OSHA.
Contact OSHA. We can help.
1-800-321-OSHA (6742) • TTY 1-877-889-5627 • www.osha.gov
OSHA 3165-04R 2019
