POSITION IDENTIFICATION
TITLE Powerhouse Foreman
CLASSIFICATION NUMBER 8830
GRADE 27
CLASSIFICATION Nonexempt
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR Utilities Manager
MAJOR ADMINISTRATOR Assistant Director of Facilities Management, Maintenance
GENERAL FUNCTION
The Powerhouse Foreman supervises operations of the University's power house, chilled water loop system, and utility distribution tunnel system, including 4,160 and 13,200 volt electrical power, domestic water, well water, and natural gas. These systems provide required utilities for heating and cooling University facilities on a continuous around-the-clock basis, requiring oversight and utilization of the Building Management System (Metasys) and the Boiler Burner Management system (SCADA). The Powerhouse Foreman supervises Boiler Firemen during various shifts to assure compliance with operational and maintenance standards. The Powerhouse Foreman also provides training for the boiler firemen including, but not limited to, the proper operation and maintenance of pumps, burners, boilers, tanks, valves, metering systems, water softeners, and control systems (pneumatic and electronic). The Powerhouse Foreman is responsible for maintaining the chemical treatment program for steam systems and the chilled water loop, charting consumption, and inspecting and adjusting the equipment to regulate and maintain an efficient and constant steam flow. The Powerhouse Foreman is responsible for general building maintenance of the power house and the utility tunnel distribution system. The Powerhouse Foreman enforces federal regulations governing environmental protection, safety, hazardous waste disposal and the use of chemical substances and materials. The Powerhouse Foreman assists the Utilities Manager and coordinates with the Energy Manager in evaluating the most efficient use of energy from production to point of use in the facility. The Powerhouse Foreman operates the power house for training purposes, emergencies, and in the event that a shift is not covered by the Boiler Firemen. The Powerhouse Foreman serves as the Utilities Manager in his/her absence.
MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Education: A high school diploma or the equivalent plus additional courses in shop arithmetic, mechanics, and electricity obtained through a technical training program or completion of a recognized apprenticeship program in stationary or power engineering, or a combination of the two, is required. An Associate’s degree in facilities management, mechanical, electrical, or civil engineering is preferred.
Experience: At least six years of successful experience as a boiler fireman in a powerhouse, a stationary engineer, or the equivalent using both electronic and pneumatic controls is required.
Skills: Knowledge of the principles and methods involved in high pressure heating/cooling systems, water chemistry and conditioning is required. Journeyman level skills in steam production and distribution are required. Knowledge and understanding of natural gas distribution, water (sanitary, domestic, and storm) distribution, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), building management systems (BMS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), and other related systems is required. Supervisory skills and the ability to organize and assign work are required. The ability to read and understand blueprints and specification for new construction and the installation and maintenance of equipment is required. Mathematical ability is required in order to make proper calculations. The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds is required.
Effort: Must be able to lift and transport materials and equipment weighing up to fifty (50) pounds on a frequent basis and up to one-hundred (100) pounds on an occasional basis. The job requires prolonged standing and frequent bending, stooping, and reaching on a daily basis. Working in confined spaces (utility tunnels, tanks, voids, fire box, mud drum, and steam drum) is required. The job requires a full range of physical motion in order to operate manual and electrically-powered tools and boiler room equipment. The job requires the ability to move throughout the Power House and the utility tunnels, including climbing stairs and ladders, entering fire boxes and all tanks and voids in order to perform inspections and maintenance work. Work is performed primarily indoors, in environments that are noisy, dusty, flooded, and hot and which could have work hazards. Work hours during scheduled outages may exceed twelve hours a day; this position in on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Some positions in this job classification (job title) are designated as essential employees who must report to work as scheduled when University offices are closed due to severe weather; the supervisor will communicate whether the particular position is considered essential and under what situations.
License: A license as a limited Stationary Engineer is required.
Other:A valid Missouri driver’s license is required. The scope of the position requires exposure to and use of chemicals, solvents, and cleaners common to boiler room work that may be hazardous and/or cause injury if specific instructions regarding their mixture, use, and disposal/storage are not properly followed.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Ensures that utilities (the required flow of steam, chilled water, domestic water,
electricity, natural gas) are constant and operational twenty-four (24) hours daily
to meet the demands of University facilities by scheduling and assigning boiler firemen
for continuous power house operations, observing boiler firemen during various shifts
to assure compliance with operations and maintenance standards,
firing boilers and operating boiler feed pumps and auxiliary equipment to control
the generation of a continuous supply of steam, conducting periodic inspections of
the boiler room and equipment, and monitoring the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
(SCADA) System and the Energy Management Systems (EMS).
2. Provides leadership for the power house staff by establishing operating guidelines, requirements, and standard operating procedures for the boiler room within guidelines provided by the Utilities Manager, planning maintenance and operations activities, keeping the Utilities Manager advised about current maintenance and operating situations as well as work schedules, maintaining operational logs and utility usage record keeping systems, and coordinating with the Utilities Manager in scheduling employee vacations, evaluating and selecting personnel, and maintaining a safe, positive, and productive work environment.
3. Provides training for the boiler firemen including, but not limited to, proper operation and maintenance of pumps, burners, boilers, tanks, valves, metering systems, water softeners, and control systems (pneumatic and electronic), testing of boiler and chill water to determine degree of hardness, mixing boiler compound and treating the water to assure the appropriate degree of softness, maintaining a chemical treatment program for effluent systems, charting consumption and regulating steam and chilled water flow, and inspecting and adjusting the equipment to maintain the most efficient use of utilities.
4. Assists the Utilities Manager and coordinates with the Energy Manager in reducing energy costs for the University by directly supervising the operation of the Energy Management System (EMS) which controls the environment (heating and cooling) in University buildings and utilizing the SCADA system to control the central steam plant and its auxiliary equipment to operate efficiently, identifying areas that require maintenance, and assisting in meeting federal and environmental regulations.
5. Provides training, including monthly safety training, for the assigned personnel under his/her supervision and provides powerhouse-related training to all members of Facilities Maintenance.
6. Practices preventive maintenance of boiler room equipment by regularly inspecting power house, utility tunnels, and equipment at auxiliary locations to determine their working condition, scheduling and directing or performing periodic washing and cleaning of boilers, tubes, pumps, screens, pipes, burners and strainers, keeping accurate records on each piece of equipment indicating all repairs/breakdowns, required and performed maintenance, and assisting in the development and monitoring of preventive maintenance programs.
7. Organizes and implements the annual steam outage.
8. Assures that boiler firemen have the equipment, tools, and supplies necessary to perform their work by monitoring the use of supplies and materials, estimating future material usage, requisitioning those supplies and equipment, distributing supplies, materials and equipment as required, and advising the Maintenance Supervisor regarding potential shortages, recommended replacement items, or related equipment needs.
9. Assists with the development of competent and efficient boiler firemen, energy management technicians, and assigned maintenance electricians (outside lighting) by recommending the employment of qualified applicants, training assigned personnel in proper operations, work methods, use of materials and equipment, and safety precautions, making work assignments based upon an evaluation of job requirements and individual expertise, providing verbal and/or written instructions, supervising, monitoring and evaluating work performance to ensure standards of workmanship and safety, and directing corrective measures to be taken when necessary.
10. Ensures compliance with state and federal policies, laws, and regulations governing environmental protection, safety, hazardous waste disposal and the use of chemical substances and materials.
11. Provides technical assistance in the purchase of new or replacement boiler room tools and equipment by being knowledgeable of the capabilities of various types of tools and equipment in the trade and recommending the purchase of tools and equipment that are compatible with existing systems or equipment and that meet the needs of the department.
12. Assists the Utilities Manager with ensuring that contract maintenance services meet specified results and/or work orders thus minimizing future operational problems by observing (spot checking) the work performed and advising the Utilities Manager when contracted services fail to meet specifications or endanger University property or lives.
13. Contributes to an accident-free work environment by ensuring the proper use of power tools and equipment, directing personnel to wear appropriate personal protective equipment and clothing such as goggles, hearing protectors, back supports, and work gloves, making on-the-spot corrections of unsafe work activities, investigating on-the-job accidents or injuries and reporting the incidents to supervisors, and following standard safety precautions during work.
14. Remains available for on-call technical support during emergency responses, ensures staffing coverage of the powerhouse twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week and produces a monthly watch bill for review by the Utilities Manager.
15. Helps to reduce the likelihood of a significant disruption of mechanical services (i.e., heating, cooling, electricity) provided to the University campus by assisting the Utilities Manager with planning related to large-scale mechanical maintenance efforts and emergency situations and recovery, assuring around-the-clock responsiveness to mechanical failures or emergency situations that may arise, assisting with restoration of utilities to normalcy, and assisting in the coordination of contracted services beyond the capabilities of Facilities Maintenance.
16. Contributes to a work environment that encourages knowledge of, respect for, and development of skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds.
17. Contributes to the overall success of Facilties Maintenance by performing all other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
SUPERVISION
The Powerhouse Foreman is supervised by the Utilities Manager and supervises boiler firemen and assigned maintenance electricians.
OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES
REVISED JANUARY 2017
