MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S. – Registration is now open for five courses from the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) and Kansas State University (KSU) Distance Education Program in March. These online courses run from March 20 through April 21, and registration closes March 14. Courses may be completed any time over the five week schedule, and each offering should take approximately 10 hours to complete.
GEAPS 510: Grain Facilities Planning and Design I
This course covers the key factors and information needed to build new facilities or modernize existing structures. Lectures cover facility types and capacities, storage structures, equipment, layouts and site selection. At the end of the course, participants will lay out a simple facility.
Lectures identify the main risks of working in the industry, discuss precautions and emphasize the need to learn and follow company and facility safety and health policies. This course is a great resource for new grain industry workers, but also serves as an excellent safety refresher for more experienced employees.
GEAPS 544: Preventing Grain Dust Explosions
This course provides an overview of what causes grain dust explosions, how to prevent them and the potentially disastrous consequences of explosions. It also will provide insight on how to gauge the effectiveness of control measures, and how companies should prepare to respond to explosions.
GEAPS 552: Materials Handling III
This course aims to introduce students to key information about powered-transmission design, system design and other affiliated systems used to move and store grain and related commodities. It is recommended that participants complete GEAPS 550: Materials Handling I and GEAPS 551: Materials Handling II before taking this course.
GEAPS 554: Equipment Maintenance I
This course teaches safe function, monitoring, adjustments, maintenance and repair of equipment used in grain facility operations. Lectures cover the parts, components and troubleshooting of common elevator equipment. They also address maintenance methodology, dust suppression and collection, power drive transmissions, screw conveyors and bin sweeps.
GEAPS 510 and GEAPS 540 are two of six courses required to earn the Credential in Grain Operations Management (CGOM). The CGOM is the first formal credential in the grain industry, and may be augmented with Specialist Credentials in Grain Quality Management, Grain Handling Equipment Management and Property and Casualty Risk Management. GEAPS 544, GEAPS 552 and GEAPS 554 all count toward specialist credentials.
Courses cost $685 for GEAPS members and $895 for non-members. Companies may save up to 20% on blocks of registrations with the volume discount program. For more information about the courses or the GEAPS/KSU Distance Education Program, visit the GEAPS website, contact Katya Morrell or call 763.999.4300.
