Anyone who is responsible for any testing should be prepared for that test. “Be familiar with the equipment you are using,” said Mike Hensley, technical support engineer at Megger. “Safety is the most important thing to remember, and if you know the instrument you are using, then you are less likely to make a critical mistake.”

Hensley, who will be teaching at Megger’s Best Practices Circuit Breaker and Substation seminar in February, emphasizes to students that most of the equipment they work with in this environment is capable of generating deadly amounts of voltage and current. “By knowing the equipment you are using,” he said, “you will be less distracted and less likely to make a deadly mistake.”

Hensley became associated with Megger in Dallas, Texas, two years ago after working with the Programma product line for three year. He has held positions as regional manager for Dranetz-BMI, as sales rep for various utility test instrument manufacturers, and as technician and engineer.

He will be co-presenting at the Best Practices Seminar on Sunday, Feb. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach, California. Megger’s seminar will address many of the critical and costly aspects of substation maintenance. The interactive sessions will feature practical presentations on current methods and practices to help ensure the reliability of high-voltage circuit breakers and power transformers. He also has a white paper available on the Megger site regarding the transmission of power.

“This presentation will cover a variety of topics, and hopefully the attendee will walk away with a better understanding of the types of tests that can and should be performed,” Hensley said.

When he is conducting training, Hensley often interjects humor with personal stories of how he or a colleague has performed a particular test. “I try to keep things in perspective when I am conducting any kind of training. I figure if the person is there to learn, then I need to make it so they can understand it,” Hensley said.

He has presented various articles and sessions including Substation/Critical Battery Testing, HV Breaker Testing, and others. Past events include IEEE and NETA Conferences and an EPRI conference focusing on the nuclear industry.

Like many engineers, Hensley used to take things apart and put them back together when he was a child. Then in his senior year of high school, a representative from Bell & Howell Institute presented some “pretty cool” electronics and electric demonstrations, and Hensley was hooked.

His entire engineering career has been made up of a combination of technical sales and support roles, he said, which helps him relate to students and to customers. Hensley is an outgoing person and enjoys working at Megger. “This company is a world-class operation, and the management is very people-focused. They give me the time that I need to develop new training material and time to write articles. Megger is constantly encouraging professional growth.”

He also enjoys going to the movies and visiting friends and family. He has also taken flying lessons and has owned a horse, as he likes doing outside activities.