Tag: Penstock

Meet pipeline and penstock coatings specialist, Eric Nenninger

With more and more industrial coating work being generated in the pipeline and penstock markets, this month, we wanted to feature one of our pipeline coatings specialists. Eric Nenninger has been with Thomas Industrial Coatings since 2005. He carries a broad list of certifications, serving as a NACE Level 3 Coating Inspector, an SSPC PCI Level 3 Certified Inspector and SSPC QP: Quality Control Supervisor.

How long have you been at Thomas Industrial Coatings?
I’ve been at Thomas for 7 years now.

What’s your role as a pipeline coatings guy?
I’m Thomas Industrial Coatings Regional Manager for the northern region of the Midwest.

Where’s your stomping ground?
I’m from the St. Louis area, but for the last several years, I’ve been bouncing around northern Illinois, including Chicago where I’m based. Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas – all part of my territory.

Your day-to-day at Thomas Industrial Coatings…
I oversee industrial painting projects for pipelines and penstocks from start to finish. I visit sites, perform visual inspections and keep everything running nice and smooth.

What makes Thomas Industrial Coatings different?
Thomas is unique because we’re a top five industrial painter in the United States but still have managed to retain that family-run atmosphere. Everyone enjoys working with each other and cares enough to make sure that we all live up to our standards of quality. This isn’t by accident though. This is by careful design. It’s a work environment we all care about greatly, so we hard hard to maintain it.

Tell us about your current pipeline coating project
Pipeline coatings and penstock painting is definitely a large part of what I do. I’m actually working on a penstock coatings project with Minnesota Power and Light right now. It’s a great project and is one I’m really enjoying.

How about when you’re not working?
It’s getting a little cold now but I enjoy training for triathlons.

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be?
My wife, George Washington and Joe Montana.

4 considerations for safer pipeline and penstock coatings projects

Working on penstock and pipeline coatings projects comes with a unique set of safety hurdles that we have to consider. While we may not be 100 feet in the air, safety concerns run the gamut for coating pipelines.

Here are four key considerations that we as industrial painters should always work to keep top-of-mind when approaching a pipeline coating job.

1. Moving vehicles

First of all, it’s easy to forget that pipelines also often need to be coated on the inside. One of the largest concerns for internal pipeline coating is potentially being struck by a vehicle in a large pipe setting. Getting blindsided is hazardous at street level, not even considering the added complications of being on the inside of a pipeline.

2. Falling debris

Another common risk that is amplified for pipeline coatings is falling debris. All of our job-sites require hard hats, and pipeline job-sites are certainly no exception. The cylindrical nature of pipes and penstocks means that debris can come from any angle. And debris coming from any angle means a much increased risk of danger.

3. Safe evacuation routes

When it comes to pipelines already in use, stopping the flow of whatever the pipe is used for is a significant concern. Plugging the flow within a pipeline means that there is an immense pressure continuing to build. Not only must we be cognisant of this, we also must make sure that there are safe evacuation routes for all in the tunnel.

4. Fresh air

Just as there must be secondary entries and exits for the safety of everyone inside the pipeline, alternate air sources are a nonnegotiable. Fresh air is always a concern when painting, even in our homes. Magnify that with the closed in surroundings of a pipe, and a very dangerous situation is at hand. Sourcing clean air for pipeline coatings is a top priority.

Safer for everyone

Industrial pipeline coatings certainly isn’t the easiest job on the planet. But by us keeping our team safe while they do a quality job, pipelines become safer for everyone. At Thomas Industrial Coatings, we work hard to keep our team as safe as they can be. We hope you, fellow industrial painters, will work to do the same.

 

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