Monitoring UBC's hot water district energy system for leaks
In April, Energy & Water Services discovered that the Academic District Energy System (ADES)’s Leak Detection System (LDS) was indicating a fault. The team quickly mobilized and coordinated crews to excavate the underground Distribution Piping System (DPS) to locate the fault and complete a repair. The Steamfitter crew worked tirelessly to complete the repair and discovered the fault was actually a DES water leak, which the team has been investigating for several months why our water levels have been dropping.
A special shout out to Energy & Water Services’ Steamfitter crew for pinpointing and repairing the fault, which allowed our teams to quickly repair the issue and avoid significant future costs for repairs.
Thank you to Michael Carroll, Steve Blackett, Tyler Cudmore, Brett Harris and Norman Esplana for your dedication, hard work, and commitment to maintaining UBC’s district energy system.
Learn more about the ADES and our Leak Detection System
UBC's cogeneration engine is up and running!
UBC’s replacement cogeneration engine, Jenbacher J-612 is now up and running after arriving in its new home inside the Bioenergy Research Demonstration Facility (BRDF) engine room on April 6, 2023.
The new engine, despite being smaller than the original, will provide the same electrical power output while reducing our greenhouse gas emissions as it runs on 33% Renewable Natural Gas.
Learn more
2024 feeder shutdowns
Every 5 years, UBC Facilities plan full-building power outages in every building across campus for the maintenance of the substation feeder switches and primary substations within the building. These planned power outages are called feeder shutdowns. During these feeder shutdowns, the impacted building(s) will be closed and have no power.
The following dates have been scheduled for feeder shutdown for 2024.
- Feeder 12F11: Saturday May 4, 2024 (8:00 am– 6:00 pm)
- Feeder 12F13: Saturday May 11, 2024 (8:00 am– 6:00 pm)
- Feeder 12F23: Saturday May 25, 2024 (8:00 am– 5:00 pm)
- Feeder 12F21: Saturday June 8, 2024 (8:00 am– 8:00 pm)
- Feeder 12F22: Saturday June 15, 2024 (8:00 am– 6:00 pm)
Please review the attached file for the list of impacted buildings.
Need a sub-work order? Call or email the Facilities Service Centre
If you need another crew to support with a job you are working on, please call or email the Service Centre. The Service Centre Coordinators will ensure that the bill type is accurate, the order description is relevant, and will add any missing customer contact details.
Building safety capacity: Heat stress
Working in hot environments can affect the body’s cooling system. As workers dehydrate, they are less able to cool themselves down and may result in heat stress. Heat stress is when the body can no longer cool down so its core temperature increases beyond its optimal range. It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms early on so that more serious heat disorders can be prevented.
Get ready for rising temperatures and learn how to identify signs and symptoms, the risks related to heat-related illnesses and how to protect yourself by completing the Heat Stress Awareness course.
Additional information can also be found on the UBC Weather and Thermal Stress Safety webpage.
ISC: Spring updates
- Workday for Managers training course: The ISC has updated and expanded Workday for Managers with additional information on several important topics. Managers are encouraged to enroll in or retake the course.
- Workday enhancements: The ISC has recently launched the Buyer Hub to improve access to procurement tasks and added a new option for employees to identify their position on expense reports. See Workday this Week and the WTW archive for full details.
- Upcoming Workday enhancements: See a list of potential upcoming enhancements on the ISC website, including launching the Expenses Hub, enabling the ability to add attachments to employment agreements, streamlining the process of extending contingent worker contracts and more.
- Workday Guided Tours: The ISC enabled the ‘guided tour’ feature for the Create Job Requisition, Request Absence, Request Leave of Absence and Place Worker on Leave business processes in Workday. A guided tour provides tips to help you fill out fields as you navigate through a task in Workday.
- Workday Webinars: The ISC are currently brainstorming ideas for future Workday Webinars. You can access recordings of previous webinars on the ISC events page. Previous topics include direct hires, change job, recruitment through a job posting and understanding absences.
- Common Workday Knowledge Base Topics: The ISC launched a new Knowledge Base Access page in Service Now that provides quick access to popular topics for faculty, staff, managers and administrators.
Kudos
- Congratulations to all our staff within the VPFO for having the most mental health training completed than any other unit at UBC, and by a significant margin! Mental health issues are among the fastest growing challenges for employers and can impact everyone in the workplace. Central HR recognizes the VPFO for their leadership in mental health training!
People in motion
- Esther Mbagwu joins Infrastructure Developments' Furniture Reuse Program as a work learn student for the summer. Esther will support the program by helping to accept furniture donations from UBC’s faculty and departments and to sell gently-used furniture to the UBC community and beyond. Esther is currently a UBC student studying in the Master of Land & Water Systems program and brings experience in plastics waste reduction and waste clean-ups. For more information about the Furniture Reuse Program, contact furniture.reuse@ubc.ca. Welcome to the team, Esther!
- Olivia Sasson joins Facilities' Municipal Services today as a Labourer 2 (Seasonal). Welcome Olivia!
Job openings
All positions at UBC are available on the UBC HR Careers website, or through the career application in your Workday account. Please note that applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on the day prior to the posting end date. The following VPFO positions are currently open:
- Labourer 2 (Seasonal)-1 (JR12591) – 5/10/2023
- Trades 3 - Electrician (2 positions) (JR12711) – 5/12/2023
- Utility Worker (JR12713) – 5/15/2023
- Trades 2 - Painter (2 positions) (JR12712) – 5/19/2023
Don't forget to apply as an internal candidate! Please review Apply for an Internal Job Posting in the Workday Knowledge Base for instructions on how to apply. Reminder to attach a copy of your resume when you apply for a career opportunity in Workday.
Weekly Emergency Tip: Automated External Defibrillators (AED)
Did you know there is less than a 10% chance of surviving an out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest? Using an Automated External Defibrillators (AED) in the first few minutes can significantly increase chances of survival.
The portable AED devices are located in a white cabinet and have an AED sign above the unit.
For more information about AEDs, how to use them and where to find them on campus, visit security.ubc.ca/aed
Managing your mental health
HR has collected mental health resources to help you manage your ups and downs.
As a manager or leader, you play an important role in supporting your mental health and that of your teams. Complete the new required training: Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace for Managers and Supervisors.
Representatives are always available for a confidential conversation:
- Monica Haab (monica.haab@ubc.ca): Building Operations, Energy & Water Services, Customer Services & Informatics, and Infrastructure Development
- Gregor MacDonald (gregor.macdonald@ubc.ca): Custodial Services and Municipal Services
Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) offers an extensive suite of services to support you – from providing wellness coaching or advising on family issues to offering legal support. Access the EAP confidential services through LifeWorks, by calling 1-866-424-0770.
In case you've missed it
In case you've missed it Here is a quick recap of key events and information that you may have missed. For more details, please click on the links below or refer to our weekly portfolio newsletter, VPFO Update.
