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In-person · The Dalles, ORElectrical safety training in The Dalles, OR
The Dalles is where Google built its first company-owned data center in 2006, a few miles from a 1,878 MW federal dam. We train the crews who run those halls and the utilities that feed them, at your facility or in an in-person class we set up in The Dalles when you ask.
Oregon runs its own OSHA-approved state plan. Private employers here are inspected by Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA), Department of Consumer and Business Services, not federal OSHA. Every class is live, on the 2027 edition of NFPA 70E, and taught by a Certified Safety Professional. Oregon electrical safety training requirements →
Among the teams we have trained in the last year
Four ways to train your The Dalles crew
Crews we train in and around The Dalles: data center operations, data center construction, public utility, agriculture and packing, healthcare and education, electrical contractors.
What the class covers for The Dalles crews
Data center and utility sites in the Gorge often run lean, with the nearest backup an hour away. We cover planning energized work so the emergency response plan works with the people you actually have on site.
Crews here work close to federal hydro and BPA transmission. We cover approach boundaries and who controls the equipment at each interface point.
Oregon licenses electricians by class through the Building Codes Division. A license proves installation scope, and NFPA 70E qualification still has to be trained and documented by the employer.
Packing houses and cold storage ramp up in cherry season with temporary help. We cover awareness training for workers who are near electrical equipment but are not electricians.
The Dalles at a glance
Oregon OSHA (state plan)
Northern Wasco County PUD
State license (BCD), by class
PDX
Pacific
Oregon: what applies to your crews
Enforcement: Oregon OSHA
Oregon runs an OSHA-approved state plan through Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services. It covers private employers and state and local government, and publishes its own rules in OAR chapter 437. Public employers such as the PUD and the city are covered too.
Licensing: state license required
Oregon licenses electricians through the Building Codes Division, from general journeyman and general supervising electrician down to limited classes such as limited maintenance. Each class has a defined scope, and renewal requires continuing education.
Where NFPA 70E fits
NFPA 70E is not an Oregon OSHA regulation. It is the consensus standard employers and inspectors use to show how the electrical requirements in OSHA 1910 Subpart S and 1926 Subpart K, as Oregon adopts them in OAR 437, are met.
The Dalles' electrical work environment
The Dalles is the Wasco County seat, at the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge. The Dalles Dam, finished in 1957, sits just upstream. Nearby, the Bonneville Power Administration's Celilo Converter Station sends power south to Los Angeles on the Pacific DC Intertie.
Google arrived in 2006, after the region's aluminum smelting era ended. In 2021 the city approved two more Google data centers on a former aluminum smelter site that had closed in 1987 and become a Superfund cleanup. Google agreed to pay $28.5 million for city water system upgrades as part of that deal.
The town's older economy is still here. Cherry orchards and packing houses, the regional hospital and Columbia Gorge Community College all run their own electrical systems, and the college trains renewable energy technicians.
Northern Wasco County PUD and the federal grid
Northern Wasco County PUD serves The Dalles. It generates a small share of its own power from two hydro plants and buys the rest, much of it historically from the Bonneville Power Administration. Data center growth reshaped the utility, and commercial and industrial customers now account for most of its revenue.
The Dalles Dam, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers with power marketed by BPA, has 22 turbines and 1,878 MW of nameplate capacity. Between the dam, the converter station and the data centers, a lot of high-voltage equipment is concentrated in a small town.
Who we train in The Dalles and the Columbia River Gorge
Critical facilities technicians on UPS, switchgear and generator systems at the Google campuses.
Electrical subs and commissioning crews on new buildings at the former smelter site.
Northern Wasco County PUD line, substation and hydro crews.
Maintenance electricians at cherry packing houses, cold storage and irrigation pumping.
Facilities staff at the regional hospital and Columbia Gorge Community College.
Gorge contractors serving industrial, agricultural and commercial customers on both sides of the river.
Also serving
Questions from The Dalles employers
Do you have a scheduled class in The Dalles?
Can you train contractors working for a data center operator?
We have workers in Oregon and Washington. Does that change the training?
Can you run awareness training for seasonal packing house staff?
Does finishing the class make someone a qualified electrical worker?
What the people in the room say
“Virtual can never replace hands-on, but the engagement from our instructor and the class made it feel more engaging than some in-person courses I've taken.”
“Probably one of the most useful safety courses I've ever attended. Rick genuinely cares about people and their well-being.”
“This is the 2nd arc flash training course I've taken and the class was amazing. I feel like I'm leaving the training safer than before I took this class.”
Train your The Dalles crew on the 2027 edition.
Onsite within a few days, or private live virtual as soon as tomorrow. Need it fast? Call (813) 725-0999.