Deer Creek Station employees undergo DOT pipeline safety training

The training included reasonable cause, drug collection process, performance observation and the physical effects of drugs and alcohol.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative - January 27, 2012


Jennifer McGregor, Medcenter One drug testing services coordinator, conducts training.

Operations and maintenance employees at Deer Creek Station, a combined cycle power plant under construction in Brookings County, SD, went through Department of Transportation safety training on site Jan. 17-18. The employees are required by the Department of Transportation to undergo training by the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration because of the 14-mile underground natural gas pipeline that runs from the Northern Border Pipeline to the plant site.

Kevin Tschosik, Basin Electric manager of distributed generation, said the training focused on drug and alcohol awareness. The training included reasonable cause, drug collection process, performance observation and the physical effects of drugs and alcohol. The employees at Deer Creek Station are subjected to Basin Electric’s drug testing policy and also the policy of the Department of Transportation. “There may be instances in which our employees are required to perform maintenance on the pipeline, need to stake out its location or turn a valve. Going through this safety training is one part of being eligible to perform those duties,” Tschosik said.

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