Inspector

At La Plata Electric Association, our mission is to provide our members safe, reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost while being environmentally responsible.  We are Member Powered, Future Focused and a National Leader. It is our strategic goal to ensure our members, on average, pay less for electric service than 70% of Colorado cooperatives and that by 2030 we reduce our carbon emissions by more than 80% of our 2005 levels, surpassing the state climate goals. 

This position will inspect the Association’s electric and fiber optic system to ensure proper construction and maintenance of electrical distribution/fiber optic lines and equipment. This includes the inspection of electrical, excavation, and boring contractors to ensure that LPEA construction standards are being followed, inspecting trenching prior to backfill for line extensions and member completed trenches and verifying that new jobs are ready for crews to begin work.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintain constant patrol of distribution and fiber optic lines while on inspection routes and promptly reports trouble and creates maintenance work orders. Follow up to determine if issue has been resolved. Inspection involves but is not limited to the examination of:
  • Poles for damage, deterioration, illegal attachments, or non-compliance with codes.
  • Pole-top assemblies for damage, canting, looseness, rotting, or splitting crossarms, broken insulators, and corroded, broken, missing or misapplied hardware.
  • Anchors and guy wires with consideration for location, slackness, clearance, bonding (if required), mechanical damage, corrosion, and presence of guy guard.
  • Clearances, sag, and damage to primary and secondary conductors, and fiber optic lines.
  • Paint or external damage to cooperative property.
  • Streetlights and area lights for damage.
  • Fiber optic lashing for failure of the lashing.
  • Fiber optic strand for proper grounding.
  • Fiber optic handholes for damage.
  • Pole tags and equipment noting those that require re-tagging due to damaged or missing tags.
• Maintain inspection log and records for each inspection type and provide a bi-weekly report to Sr. Director, System Operations.
• Reports all necessary preventative maintenance measures, corrective measures, safety hazards, other system discrepancies, and system upgrades needed to appropriate personnel and contractors.
• Observe construction of assigned substations, transmission and distribution lines, and other facility relocation and SI projects. Acts as liaison between the contractor and design engineer. Oversees work associated with project requirements from project release to close-out, including participation in pre-bid, pre-construction, and post job walks, proposal evaluations, coordinating design modifications, change orders, ITC’s, RFI’s and material issues. Prepares daily inspection reports.
• Oversees pre/post-construction site clean-up and reclamation. Processes quotes from reclamation contractors and inspects work prior to final payment and close-out.
• Promotes quality control by inspecting construction for compliance with Association specifications and Standards, and adherence to safe working practices within local, state and federal regulations.
• Practices cost control and monitors expenditures, reviews contractor billings, approves change orders, and monitors construction scopes and schedules.
• Ensures projects are closed in accordance with procedures in place with GIS, Finance, Purchasing and Operations.
• Provides regular updates to LPEA document and mapping management software.
• Coordinates Joint-Use attachments on LPEA poles.
  • Primary contact at LPEA for all Joint-Use Applications. Reviews application with joint-use utility and gathers necessary documentation for submittal to Field Service personnel for Make-Ready engineering.
  • Prepares new Joint-Use License agreements and maintains the existing Joint-Use License catalog.
  • Inspects all Joint-Use attachments upon completion of attachment to LPEA poles by associated Utility.
  • Audits Joint-Use attachments on the LPEA system on a rotating basis to ensure that all Joint-Use attachments are inspected within every three years.
  • Performs yearly Joint-Use reconciliations and prepares invoicing to respective Utility.
  • Performs yearly development of the Joint-Use Fee for review and approval by the Engineering Manager.
• Shall be trained and certified as a qualified employee by LPEA for rubber glove use and application to visually inspect underground installations.