Potential occupational standard
Occupational standard in development
Approved occupational standard
Occupational standard without apprenticeship
Custom occupational card
Apprenticeship
Higher Technical Qualification
T Level
Technical Qualification
Career starter apprenticeship
Royal apprenticeship
Occupational progression
Technical education progression
Mid green occupation
Dark green occupation
Favourite occupation
View glossary of terms
home Engineering and manufacturing
Water industry treatment process technician - Water treatment process technician

Water industry treatment process technician - Water treatment process technician

Engineering and manufacturing

Level 3 - Technical Occupation

Maintain site process standards for water or wastewater.

Print to PDF View occupation in map

Reference: OCC1291B

Status: assignment_turned_inApproved occupation

Average (median) salary: £31,609 per year

SOC 2020 code: 8134 Water and sewerage plant operatives

SOC 2020 sub unit groups:

  • 8134/02 Water treatment operatives

Technical Education Products

ST1291:

Water industry treatment process technician - Water treatment process technician

(Level 3)

Approved for delivery

Employers involved in creating the standard:

Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, Severn Trent Water, South West Water, Thames Water, United Utilities, Wessex

Summary

Water treatment process technicians work in the water industry.

Water industry treatment process technicians work for clean water or wastewater (sewerage) treatment companies regulated by OFWAT - Office of Water Services (UK government). Technicians typically work in only one type of treatment stream.

Employers in the industry range from small to large but are mainly large.

This is a core and option apprenticeship. Apprentices will be trained and assessed against the core and one option. There are two options:

Option 1. Water treatment process technician

Option 2. Wastewater treatment process technician

Technicians work at treatment sites. They may be required to drive between sites.

They work in all weather conditions.

As a 24 hour and seven days a week operation, they may need to undertake standby duties and work shifts outside normal working hours.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to maintain site process standards for water or wastewater.

Water treatment technicians maintain and ensure the safe supply of drinking water. This involves abstraction of raw water, treatment, and supply into distribution network. They ensure a balance between water production with network demand. They also manage and operate waste processes onsite such as, sludge management, offsite discharges, and general wastes (oils, paper, and food).

Wastewater treatment technicians maintain the removal and treatment of wastewater. They monitor and maintain wastewater treatment processes including preliminary (for example, storm), primary settlement, biological and chemical treatment, tertiary, and sludge treatment. They manage sludge preparation and storage and liaise with sludge processing facilities.

Both roles seek to optimise processes to maximise efficiency and compliance. They respond to and resolve process failure or failures. They manage asset maintenance and faults: directly or via escalation. Maintaining documentation is also an important part of the role. They support develop other members of the team.

In their daily work, they interact with process operatives, other technicians, and stakeholders from teams across water services, or the wider business. This may include maintenance, water quality, and regional control rooms. They may also interact with external stakeholders. This may include representatives from the Environmental Agency, and Health and Safety Executive.

They typically report to a treatment manager or site manager. They work with minimal supervision. They may work as part of a team and alone.

They are responsible for meeting quality, regulatory, safety, security, and environmental requirements. They ensure the health and safety of self and others including ensuring hygiene practices are followed. They need to consider how their work has the potential to impact customer service and the company - financially and reputationally.

Water treatment process technicians must take account of The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations.

Wastewater treatment process technicians must take account of Environmental Quality Standards for effluent discharge and air quality.

UK water companies require individuals entering clean water sites or working on the clean water network – known as ‘Restricted Operations’, to hold a National Water Hygiene EUSR registration: Blue card. This involves training and assessment, and health screening.

Employers involved in creating the standard:

Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, Severn Trent Water, South West Water, Thames Water, United Utilities, Wessex

eco

Mid Green occupation

Typical job titles include:

Water process controller
Water process technician
Water production operator
Water treatment process technician
Recycling technicianeco
Sewage production operatoreco
Treatment works controllereco
Wastewater process controllereco
Wastewater treatment process technicianeco

Keywords:

Engineering
Manufacturing
Site Process Standards
Technician
Wastewater
Water
Water Treatment

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)

K1: Overview of water and wastewater industries. Regulators and stakeholders: Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), Water Services Regulation Authority (OFWAT), Consumer Council for Water (CCWater), Environment Agency (EA), and Health, Safety Executive (HSE), and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) - roles and powers.
K2: Technician’s role. Limits of autonomy. Different teams and functions involved in operations: how they work together.
K3: Business operation considerations: how activities may impact customers, financial constraints, ethical business practices. Customer Experience Measure (CMEX). Regulatory and legislative performance measures.
K4: Water and wastewater science. Liquids, gases, and solid states commonly found in water industry. Elements, molecules, compounds, and ions. The pH scale, acids, and alkalinity. Physical, chemical, and biological process definition. Dissolved oxygen in treatment and processes.
K5: Maths commonly used in the water and wastewater industries. S.I units. Calculations. Standard form. Measurement of distance, area, volume and flow, and unit conversion. Simple transposition of formula. Routine flow and hydraulics theories, principles, and calculations.
K6: Planned preventative maintenance of monitoring equipment requirements. Asset health check requirements.
K7: Energy performance monitoring methods. Energy consumption reduction guidelines. Tariff management.
K8: Isolation, shutdown, and recommissioning of process streams requirements and procedures.
K9: Process control systems. Types of equipment used for process control operations and the functions they perform, set-points, and alarm values.
K10: Operational and quality procedures. Escalation procedures. What they are and how to use them.
K11: Different types of incidents and emergency situations (internal and external): pollution, loss of process, security, weather, and accidents: their potential impact. Incident management and procedures.
K12: Chemical awareness. Transport, acceptance and use of chemicals. Agreement of Dangerous Goods transported by Road regulation (ADR). Chemical delivery requirements. Chemical control methods.
K13: Optimisation in the treatment process: what it means and how it can be achieved.
K14: Asset optimisation and performance: quality, cost, time, safety, and impact.
K15: Fault finding and problem-solving techniques: root cause analysis and diagnostics.
K16: Health and Safety at Work Act – responsibilities. Management of health and safety at work regulations. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (CoSHH). Risks and hazards. Risk assessments and controlling risk. Control methods for harmful substances and chemicals, effluents, and sludge. Health and safety signage. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Working in confined spaces: safety equipment and lifting equipment. Harnesses, gas detectors and respiratory apparatus. Manual handling. The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Asbestos awareness. Lone working. Working at height. Working time directive. First aid. Emergency procedures. Drug and alcohol awareness. Permits to work. Storage of tools, equipment, and materials. ATEX compliance (safety requirements of the workplace and equipment used in explosive atmosphere). Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR). Pressure System Safety Regulations (PSSR). Provision of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER). Safe isolation of plant and equipment (lockout, tagout).
K17: Environment and sustainability. Environmental Protection Act. Types of pollution and control measures. Environmental permitting and discharge consents. Operator Self Monitoring (OSM): sampling requirements. Monitoring emissions to air, land, and water (MCERTS). Principles of sustainable development. Waste management and waste streams. Invasive species and Duty of Care in the Environmental aspect.
K18: Information and digital technology: email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, remote working platforms, work and asset management systems. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Cyber security.
K19: Documentation requirements for example maintenance records, asset check records.
K20: Planning, prioritising, work scheduling, and time management techniques.
K21: Communication techniques: verbal, written and electronic. Adapting style to audience.
K22: Team working and culture. How to work as part of a team, the importance of establishing and meeting the requirements of different roles. Negotiation and conflict management techniques.
K23: Equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
K24: Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations. Consequences of non-compliance.
K25: National water hygiene: importance of water, water as a carrier of disease, potential contamination and its consequences and preventing contamination.
K26: Water quality requirements. Drinking water safety plans. Water quality parameters and the role of water quality alarms. Water quality incident investigation requirements. Water quality records. Consequences of failure.
K27: DWI asset and site security requirements: water storage alarms.
K28: Water quality monitoring, sampling, and testing requirements and techniques. Equipment, resources, and materials used. Sampling points.
K29: Raw water and catchment management permitting and protection.
K30: Treatment processes: abstraction, clarification, coagulation, disinfection, and filtration. Water works design flows - impact of flow change on treatment process. Hydraulics principles. Objectives, parameters, variables, optimal performance measures (quality, cost, and waste) and the consequences of sub-optimal performance. Waste stream processes.
K31: Plant shutdown and re-start procedures: planned and reactive. Impact and causes of shutdown.
K32: Distribution system protection: disinfection, chemical treatment, flow, and valve operation controls.
K33: Treated water storage point objectives and requirements.

S1: Comply with (water or wastewater) industry regulations and procedures.
S2: Follow alarm intervention procedures. Resolve alarm issues.
S3: Inspect (planned) and check assets (reactive) and identify action.
S4: Follow procedures to remove assets for routine maintenance and recommission.
S5: Carry out validation or instrument checks of online equipment and identify action.
S6: Monitor first line maintenance of process control equipment and instrumentation.
S7: Identify issues. Apply fault-finding and problem-solving techniques: identify root cause. Resolve faults.
S8: Consider, identify, and promote areas for improvement for example, in relation to quality, cost, time, safety, and impact.
S9: Interrogate and interpret electronic control systems. For example, HMI or SCADA.
S10: Use data monitoring and control systems to monitor and control equipment.
S11: Inspect and check safety equipment: identify and take action.
S12: Identify and instigate incident escalation procedures.
S13: Apply site standards for housekeeping.
S14: Conduct risk assessments: identify and document risks and hazards in the workplace. Apply control measures.
S15: Comply with health and safety regulations and safe working practices and procedures.
S16: Follow site security procedures.
S17: Follow procedures for emergency situations.
S18: Comply with environmental and sustainability regulations and requirements. For example, safe disposal of waste, re-cycling or re-use of materials, and efficient use of resources.
S19: Apply principles of sustainable development. For example, in choice of materials.
S20: Conduct and assess impact of activity for example, environmental, cost, reputation, safety, and health. Apply control measures.
S21: Identify and escalate issues.
S22: Read and interpret written information. For example, work instructions, and service level agreements.
S23: Complete work records.
S24: Use information technology. Follow cyber security procedures. Comply with GDPR.
S25: Plan tasks. Identify and organise resources to complete work tasks.
S26: Communicate verbally and in writing. For example, with colleagues, stakeholders, or others. Use water industry terminology where appropriate.
S27: Liaise with, negotiate with, and handle conflict in individual or group environments.
S28: Select raw water source or blend of sources.
S29: Monitor and control water abstraction.
S30: Monitor and control water chemical dosing procedures.
S31: Operate water process control equipment and instrumentation.
S32: Take water samples.
S33: Analyse and interpret on-site laboratory data and check against water process parameters.
S34: Monitor and control water treatment processes and performance.
S35: Monitor and control the effectiveness of disinfection.
S36: Monitor and control waste stream processes and performance.
S37: Apply procedures to shut-down, isolate, and re-commission water process streams.

B1: Prioritise and promote public health, workplace health and safety, and security.
B2: Prioritise and promote the environment and sustainability.
B3: Apply a professional approach.
B4: Take ownership for work and responsibility for the quality of work and impact on others.
B5: Team-focus to meet work goals: support others.
B6: Respond and adapt to work demands.
B7: Committed to continued professional development to maintain and enhance competence in own area of practice.

Duties

Duty D1

Seek ways to optimise processes. For example, operational expenditure, compliance, and tighter restrictions on regulatory parameters.

Duty D2

Respond to alarms.

Duty D3

Supervise chemical deliveries.

Duty D4

Co-ordinate work activities and site response with internal and external stakeholders.

Duty D5

Manage asset maintenance: directly or via escalation. For example, equipment validation or calibration.

Duty D6

Resolve faults and problems on process streams, systems, equipment, instruments, and control systems: directly or via escalation. Identify action to prevent reoccurrence of the issue(s).

Duty D7

Complete site safety and security activities. For example, complete site security checks, and site safety inductions.

Duty D8

Ensure vital safety equipment is maintained and available for use. For example, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), harnesses, and first aid kits.

Duty D9

Maintain documentation - records and reports. For example, validation records, and site visit records.

Duty D10

Action response to incidents. For example, out of compliance, toxic gas leaks, chemical or fuel spills.

Duty D11

Maintain site standards and conditions (site ownership). For example, free from hazards, good housekeeping.

Duty D12

Manage routine activities to maintain and ensure safe supply of drinking water – abstraction, treatment, and supply into distribution network.

Duty D13

Maintain water quality site process standards.

Duty D14

Monitor control systems and respond to ensure balance between water production with network demand.

Duty D15

Respond to and resolve water treatment process failure(s) or problem(s). For example, coagulation failure or disinfection failure. Identify action to prevent reoccurrence of the issue(s).

Duty D16

Manage and operate waste processes onsite such as, sludge management, offsite discharges, and general wastes (oils, paper, and food).

Duty D17

Manage and control emergency process response. For example, run to waste.

Duty D18

Assist with process stream and full treatment works shutdown for routine planned maintenance and in emergencies.

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.

Technical Occupations

Levels 2-3

Higher Technical Occupations

Levels 4-5

Professional Occupations

Levels 6-7

Progression link into focused occupation.
assignment_turned_in

Level 2

eco
This is the focused occupation.
assignment_turned_in

Level 3

eco

Engineering and manufacturing