Author: Chris White, President and CEO of ERTH Corporation
With over thirty years of experience in the electric power distribution industry, ERTH Corporation’s Infrastructure division proudly maintains, repairs, inspects and installs substations for its own LDC, ERTH Power Corporation, as well as other utilities and private companies across Ontario.
Thorough routine substation maintenance inspections are critical to ensure equipment reliability and risk mitigation. Minor issues can quickly become major issues if not identified, closely monitored and repaired in a timely manner. Insufficient inspection and maintenance reports can expose gaps in risk management practices, making utility companies more vulnerable to insurance claims and increased premiums. For these reasons, ERTH takes tremendous pride in performing routine substation inspections in compliance with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (OESC) and various testing standards such as the NETA standards.
Throughout ERTH’s extensive experience in performing maintenance inspections, it became evident that there was a need for a simplified inspection summary report that could be submitted to various stakeholders as part of a proactive approach to risk management and equipment reliability.
In addition, to the standard inspection documentation and detailed oil analysis reports, the ERTH Infrastructure team developed a simplified inspection summary report that clearly and consistently outlines inspection findings, ongoing issues, oil analysis results, corrective actions and recommendations. To make the report even more valuable, photos are embedded to provide a visual representation of inspection findings.
The final summary report provides a simplified, yet thorough overview of maintenance inspection results using data referenced directly from inspection documentation and analysis spreadsheets. Photos taken onsite at the time of inspection provide a visual record of issues and corrective actions. This allows stakeholders including executives, management staff, and insurance companies to quickly and effectively gain an understanding of concerns, as well as any corrective actions that have been or need to be taken to maintain equipment reliability and safety. From a liability perspective, routine inspection and maintenance reports are the best defense against claims in court.
[View a sample] of ERTH’s semi-annual substation inspection summary report.
ERTH has received positive feedback on its maintenance inspection report and practices from various stakeholder groups.
If you are interested in learning more about ERTH’s substation inspection approach, please contact info@erthcorp.com.
About ERTH
ERTH Corporation is a diverse group of companies providing a wide range of products and services to Utilities and Municipalities. Owned by nine municipal shareholders, ERTH distributes electricity to 15 communities in southwestern Ontario and has grown to be a leading solutions provider in the areas of technology, metering, construction and substation maintenance. ERTH’s technology division specializes in bill design, document fulfillment, billing, CIS application management, cloud computing and EBT hub services. For more information visit www.erthcorp.com.