Water process operative - Waste water process operative
Engineering and manufacturing
Level 2 -
Carry out operations in a clean water or waste water treatment facility to ensure water safety.
Reference: OCC0876B
Status:
SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 8134/02 Water treatment operatives
- 1254/04 Sewage works and water treatment managers
- 8134/99 Water and sewerage plant operatives n.e.c.
Technical Education Products
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Affinity Water, Northumbrian Water Ltd, Severn Trent, Southern Water, South West Water, Sutton and East Surrey Water, Thames Water, United Utilities, Wessex Water, Yorkshire Water
Summary
This occupation is found in the water industry, in clean water and waste water treatment. Water treatment operatives work for clean water and/or waste water treatment companies regulated by OFWAT - Office of Water Services (UK government), all of which are large organisations. Operatives typically work in only one type of water treatment.
This is a core and options apprenticeship standard. Apprentices will complete the core requirements, plus one option:
1. Clean water process operative.
2. Waste water process operative.
The broad purpose of the occupation is is to carry out operations in a clean water or waste water treatment facility to ensure water safety. In both environments they operate treatment work assets and take, monitor, record and interpret water samples to ensure treatment processes are working effectively. To support treatment processes, they receive and store chemical deliveries, assess and optimise energy on site and carry out site checks for safety, security and productivity purposes, reporting any faults, issues and concerns that need escalation. In waste water they are focused on safe effluent discharge and in clean water for maintaining water quality and hygiene standards.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with colleagues such as managers, water process technicians, engineers, maintenance engineer’s, delivery drivers, contractors, other treatment operatives and customers (internal/external). They may work as part of a small or large team, depending on the scale of the treatment facility. They will typically work under the supervision of a treatment works manager or senior water process technician. They will typically spend their time in a clean water or waste water treatment works.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for completing work to the required standard, following procedures and ensuring health and safety, and regulatory compliance, for example DWI (Drinking Water Inspectorate) and EA (Environment Agency); failure to do so could have serious consequences for self, public health and the environment. Ensuring optimisation of the treatment processes, balancing water quality against cost (energy and chemical usage).
Recording daily activities and work completed for example, completion of the daily plant log. They are responsible for the safety and well-being of themselves, reporting site security and safety concerns in line with company procedures and demonstrating the expected behaviours of their organisation.
Water treatment operatives must have a valid National Water Hygiene (Blue) card.
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Affinity Water, Northumbrian Water Ltd, Severn Trent, Southern Water, South West Water, Sutton and East Surrey Water, Thames Water, United Utilities, Wessex Water, Yorkshire Water
Typical job titles include:
Keywords:
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
Duties
Duty D1
Carry out visual routine treatment works site (clean or waste) checks including security, safety and housekeeping; report hazards and/or take appropriate action to resolve.
Duty D2
Monitor water processes using process control equipment for example, SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition system), to identify issues and trends.
Duty D3
Respond to process alarms generated via telemetry (problem notification); identify the issue remotely or on site, rectify issue or escalate.
Duty D4
Identify and report asset faults; use the escalation process to report any issues and concerns.
Duty D5
Monitor trends and respond with remedial action; use the escalation process to report any issues and concerns.
Duty D6
Receive deliveries and appropriately store and manage treatment chemicals.
Duty D7
Carry out first line operational maintenance on assets for example, topping up oil, washing down, brushing down, greasing and de-rag.
Duty D8
Engage with internal and external customers for example, contractors, regulators, colleagues visiting the site.
Duty D14
Waste water process operative. Take, monitor, record and record samples for example, carry out final effluent tests, checking and recording compliance levels including final effluent.
Duty D15
Waste water process operative. Monitor and record sewage flow into the waste water treatment works (measure flow into the works in consent) in line with the relevant criteria, such as DWF (Dry Weather Flow) and FFT (Flow to Full Treatment).
Duty D16
Waste water process operative. Operate assets to deliver waste water treatment processes for example, preliminary, primary, secondary, tertiary and sludge treatment processes optimising service, including start up and shut down - minimising energy and chemical usage, and increasing sludge dry solids.
Duty D17
Waste water process operative. Monitor capacity of sludge storage, to ensure optimisation of sludge dry solids.
Occupational Progression
This occupational progression map shows technical occupations that have transferable knowledge and skills.
In this map, the focused occupation is highlighted in yellow. The arrows indicate where transferable knowledge and skills exist between two occupations. This map shows some of the strongest progression links between the focused occupation and other occupations.
It is anticipated that individuals would be required to undertake further learning or training to progress to and from occupations. To find out more about an occupation featured in the progression map, including the learning options available, click the occupation.
Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.
Engineering and manufacturing