15 February 2021         News

The Safe Control of Operations (SCO) training programme is an initial training programme for individuals new to SCO and a renewal training programme for those individuals with existing and current SCO registrations whose registrations are nearing expiry.

EUSR have recently updated the SCO programme to a new modular scheme, and with this have changed the course codes and content.

SCO courses are now modular

There are 5 modules in total, and each module is delivered as a separate registered course. The candidate sits the required ones to achieve their Competent Person (CP) or CP/Authorising Engineer (AE) status. There are also two renewal courses available.

SCO Modules Explained

All learners must sit Module 1: Core. Following this learners will also need to sit Module 5: ‘Form of Authority’ if they require registration as a CP or AE to issue/receive Form of Authority for access to operational sites to carry out non-hazardous work.

If individuals need to apply for registration to give or receive permits to work and/or forms and authority as per the previous SCO 1 & 2 registration then they must sit Modules 1, 2 and 5 – AE’s will sit a different assessment to CP’s for Module 2 but can still attend the same course.

For any CP or AE candidates wishing to be registered to authorise or prepare and/or receive Routine Operational permitry, they must complete Modules 1, 2, and 4.

For any CP or AE candidates wishing to be registered to authorise or prepare and/or receive Routine Operational permitry and Non-Routine Operational permitry they must complete Modules 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Individuals will also need Module 5 Forms of Authority if they are going to need to issue as an AE or receive this permitry as a CP.

Converting current SCO registrations to the new SCO Scheme

Holding an in-date SCO 1 and 2 means an individual is eligible for:

• SCO Renewal Module 1: SCO Core, Module 2: PtW and Module 5: FoA.

Holding an in-date SCO 4 means an individual is eligible for:

• SCO Renewal Module 3: NRO.

Holding an in-date SCO 5 means an individual is eligible for:

• SCO Renewal Module 4: RO.

N.B. where the existing registration is not in date, or if the individual wants to add an endorsement, then they will have to take the initial programme, not a renewal.

Eligibility for SCO Renewal Modules 3 and 4 assumes an individual is holding an in-date SCO 1 and 2 as well as SCO 4/5.

The following table explains the changes:

   11 February 2021         News

Transform your business with our brand new Leadership & Management modules.

We’ve overhauled our Leadership & Development offering and have developed a diverse portfolio of interactive, blended learning modules created to inspire and enable managers and team members to be the best they can be.

Flexible & practical leadership training

Our mission is to ensure our learners engage, learn, remember and act. We provide creative and innovative training solutions combining academic, evidence-based psychology and learning theories with practical workplace applications to maximise the after learning impact.

Our ‘menu’ of managerial, leadership and personal effectiveness modules have been designed to:

• promote ‘growth mindsets’ and self-reflection
• enhance behavioural changes leading to improved performance
• inspire and motivate our learners to achieve more
• enable our learners to adjust to change

Online, in-centre, or on-site – it’s up to you!

We have extensive experience of evaluating individual and business training needs and can, therefore, adjust and expand our current modules to address your specific business needs. Our modules can be structured and timetabled according to your workplace requirements, and can be delivered online, at one of our centres or, to minimise employee ‘downtime’, on site at your premises.

   03 February 2021         News

A warm welcome to Daniel Butcher who joined Develop’s Finance Team last week as a Payables Controller.

After the departure of several temporary colleagues, Daniel joins the team in a permanent capacity and is set to add a fresh perspective to the department.

His role will largely entail reviewing & verifying invoices, processing expenses, monitoring accounts to ensure payments are up to date, assisting with month end closing and maintaining accurate historical records…amongst much more! Phew!

A wealth of customer-facing and finance experience

After a varied career in retail, including a stint as an Assistant Store Manager at Next, Daniel’s career path took a turn almost a decade ago and he was able to follow his true passion; accounts.

In recent years, he has worked in numerous finance-based roles in order to build up his experience alongside undertaking the relevant accountancy qualifications, including a Finance Team Leader for the Co-op and most recently a Purchase Ledger Clerk at Repton School.

Congratulations are also in order as Daniel has recently passed his AAT Level 2, and is soon due to commence Level 3 – a fantastic achievement and great start to becoming a qualified Accountant!

It’s not all work and no play

Daniel has lived in Derby since 1997, and shares his home with his wife Lyndsay and their cat, Oliver. Outside of work he can generally be found pounding the pavements, with his goal for 2021 to partake in his first ever marathon! He’s even keen to run the hour-long route into the Derby office once we’re all allowed back in!

If that all sounds a bit too energetic, you’ll be pleased to know that Daniel is also partial to indulging in some down-time with a good book or video games.

Furthermore, Daniel also spends one evening a week volunteering at local charity, First Steps ED, where he helps people to understand how mental health & eating disorders can affect their finances.

   13 January 2021         News

Develop Training has pledged to play a full and active part in helping increase diversity in the industry during 2021 after it delivered the first free training days of a ground-breaking programme set up to help women take the next step in their careers.

Derby-based Develop Training, which is part of the JTL Group, described the issue as having moved to centre-stage during 2020 in the wake of a series of reports which recognise how the sector’s diversity is below the UK average for gender, BAME and disability, with one study from the Energy and Utilities Skills Partnership finding that just 17% of the workforce in utilities are female, with more than 99% of employees working at craft level being male.

This compares with to a UK workforce average of 47%.

15 days’ worth of training for women working in utilities

Last year Develop launched its Women in Utilities success programme, where it offered eight women working in the industry the opportunity to access high quality training, mentoring and support for free, giving them 15 days’ worth of training in any sector and any discipline, to be taken whenever they wanted.

COVID-19 delayed start of the programme

Develop sent out a call for applicants last March, but due to the lockdown it wasn’t until October that the first learner, Annie Thomson, Regional Customer Operations Administrator at Northern Gas Networks (NGN), was able to access her training days.

She chose a two-day Core Domestic Meter Installation & Commissioning (Limited Scope) course, where she learned the basics of how to install and commission domestic gas sized meters that are sealed off at the meter outlet fitting.

A few weeks later Charlotte King, Contracts and Procurement Manager at WK Engineering Services Ltd in Weston-Super-Mare, took up five days of free training on Develop’s Service and Mainlaying Skills for Managers course.

Aimed at agents, supervisors and network managers, the course offers entry-level experience of working in a utility environment, and is ideal for managers with no formal qualifications in gas networks.

Charlotte chose the course because she has been involved with the operational side of the business for six years and wanted to gain a more thorough understanding and awareness of the technical elements of upstream and downstream gas networks.

Re-evaluating how Develop offer training

Andy Holmes, Develops H&S Manager, who had the initial idea for the programme, said:

“Our Women in Utilities success programme is the first scheme of its type that we have undertaken and it was frustrating to have to wait until towards the end of the year to get it underway because of the coronavirus restrictions.

“However, straight away we realised how important it is to undertake something like this, because of the way in which it will help us to re-evaluate how we offer training to make sure that it’s inclusive of as many people as possible.

“We’re very grateful to all eight women for agreeing to take part because while we’re helping them, we know that we will learn a lot from their participation and how they feel about everything about the training right down to the minutiae like PPE and welfare issues.

“All of these things are important if we are to play our part in addressing the skills gap by making the industry as accessible and welcoming as possible in order that we widen the pool of talent that we recruit from.”

Helping women in utilities get hands-on experience

Annie applied for the course because she wants to be a site manager, but felt she needs hands-on experience of the practical side of the work in order to be taken seriously.

She said: “I feel that women in the gas industry have to work incredibly hard to prove themselves and gain respect, purely because it’s such a male-dominated industry.

“I wanted to be a part of this programme because of the exposure it’ll give me to different areas of the business and the knowledge it will allow me to gain that I would never normally have the opportunity, or access to, in my day to day administrative role.”

Supporting all women to engage in the utilities sector

Chris Adair, Training Manager at Northern Gas Networks, said:

“We are proud to support, not just Annie, but all women to engage in our sector. Women working in Utilities make up a small percentage of not just our workforce but across the entire Gas Distribution Network.

“Annie is keen to progress and she is an ambassador for both women and NGN.”

Charlotte added: “My goal by the end of the Women in Utilities programme is to understand not only what the operational teams are doing, but also why.

“Having this knowledge will be really empowering as it’ll not only build my confidence when I’m coordinating projects, but I hope it’ll also help me gain respect from my colleagues.”

   07 May 2019        Blogs

Every year people die as a result of work in confined spaces.

On average 15 people are killed each year in the UK during work in confined spaces and even more are seriously injured. Fatalities are not just confined to those carrying out work in confined spaces, but also those who attempt to rescue trapped personnel without proper confined space training and rescue equipment.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) employers are responsible for ensuring the safety of their employees and others. This is further reinforced by the Confined Spaces Regulations (1997) which are in place to protect staff and others against risks to their health while working in a confined space.

Proper training helps employees remain competent and provides them with the knowledge to spot workplace risks, implement safety controls, write risk assessments and more.

What is classed as a confined space?

Confined spaces are not defined by the physical dimensions of a space but by the hazards that may arise in the space. Therefore, a confined space is defined as any place such as ducts, vessels, culverts, tunnels, boreholes, manholes, excavations, sumps, inspection pits, experimental hutches, tanks, building voids or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of:

• Serious injury arising from a fire, explosion or excess of oxygen
• Loss of consciousness arising from an increase in body temperature
• Loss of consciousness or asphyxiation arising from gas, fume, vapour or the lack of oxygen
• Drowning arising from an increase in the level of liquid
• Asphyxiation arising from a free flowing solid or the inability to reach a respirable environment due to entrapment by a free flowing solid

Under this definition, if an area is substantially enclosed and also presents a reasonably foreseeable risk of one or more of the specified risks, then it should be defined as a confined space.

What responsibility do I have as a business?

Every business has a duty of care to its employees to keep them safe while at work, and this is especially important when confined space working is required.

In the UK, the Confined Space Regulations (1997) is the legislation specifically developed for this type of work. The Regulations and Approved Code of Practice L101 (ACoP) must be considered before any attempt to enter a confined space and emphasise the importance of understanding the environment as well as providing staff with a practicable method of completing the work in a safe way.

Confined space risk assessments

The Confined Spaces Regulations (1997) apply when the risk assessment identifies a serious risk of injury. When this happens, the regulations advise workers check to see if the work can be done another way to avoid entry/work in a confined space.

If this is unavoidable, then the regulations advise taking several precautions, including:

1. A supervisor to remain alert through each safety stage.
2. The air may need testing to see if it is free from toxicity and flammable vapours. If the air isn’t fit to breathe then utilising breathing apparatus is essential.
3. Do your workers have the relevant training or sufficient experience?

Key hazards associated with confined spaces

Employee injury, illness and death are real possibilities when working in confined spaces. That’s why proper training is so crucial to the safety of all workers. Some of the key hazards workers may face are:

• Poor visibility
• Substances entering through piping or other openings
• Moving parts of equipment and machinery
• Temperature extremes
• Noise
• Electrical shock
• Restricted access and egress
• Risk of drowning
• Loose and unstable materials
• Slip, trip, and fall hazards
• Restricted movement
• Falling objects

This list is by no means exhaustive as the hazards are numerous for those who work in confined spaces.

How to manage work in confined spaces

Work in confined spaces should always be avoided unless it is essential to do so. However, if the work is unavoidable then those undertaking the work must ensure that they aware of the risks that may occur and that they are capable and trained in the work due to be carried out. Any emergency equipment must have also undergone appropriate confined space training.

Any confined space work should have:

• A Supervisor – Someone in charge of the job who can ensure safe systems of work are adhered to.
• Persons Suitable For The Work – Someone who has the appropriate confined space training, experience, build, minimal risk of claustrophobia, and fitness to wear breathing apparatus.
• Isolation – In all cases a check must be made to ensure isolation of all flows, pipelines mechanical and electrical equipment is effective.
• Check The Size Of The Entrance – The access to the confined space must be big enough to allow workers wearing all the necessary equipment to enter and exit the confined space easily, and provide ready access and egress in an emergency.
• Atmosphere Testing – Testing for toxic and flammable gas should be carried out before and whilst in the confined space. Remember to use a gas monitor with appropriate sensors and a fitted oxygen sensor.
• Provision of Special Tools and Lighting – Non-sparking tools and specially protected lighting may be required. Use low voltage tools if working in metal tanks.
• Provision Of Breathing Apparatus – Essential if the air inside the confined space cannot be made fit to breathe because of present gases, fumes or vapours or lack of oxygen.

This list is by no means comprehensive and should by no means take the place of any formal confined spaces training.

For more information about the importance of confined space training visit the Confined spaces section of the Health and Safety Executive website at www.hse.gov.uk/confinedspace/

Confined Spaces training with Develop Training

A wide range of solutions are available for businesses that must operate in confined spaces, including advice on the identification of confined spaces from industry experienced specialists, help and advice with developing safe systems of entry, developing training packages relevant to the confined space entry being planned, and advising on the selection, supply and use of all the necessary equipment.

Everyone should go home safe at the end of the day and this is why DTL offer a full range of comprehensive confined space training.

Click here to browse our full range of confined space training courses. Alternatively, you can give our friendly Customer Service team a call on 0800 876 6708.

DTL also offer bespoke training programmes tailored to your organisations’ specific requirements – simply give us a call to get the ball rolling today!

   18 March 2019        Blogs

For years, employers have been calling for more vocational training in schools and further education. Now the government has introduced the T Level.

It’s a technical course that is an alternative to A Levels. Like A Levels, students will spend two years after completion of their GCSEs studying for the T Level, but unlike academic A Levels, T Level students will instead study one of a choice of vocational subjects.

There is still plenty of classroom work but the big difference is that each T Level will include at least 45 days on-the-job work placement with a participating employer.

T levels launching in September 2020

The new qualifications are coming in from September next year (2020). Successful participants will earn a single T Level, which the government says will be equivalent to three A Levels. The idea is that they will then go on either directly into skilled employment – quite possibly with the employer who provides them with work experience – or to further study.

Work experience or further study?

That further study could be in an academic environment (three A Levels will get you a university placement, so a truly equivalent qualification should offer the same). But it’s very likely that many students who have done well in the practical/academic mix of the T Level would go on to a higher apprenticeship. So it’s easy to see employers who have bought into the idea of apprenticeships as a great way to tackle the skills shortages in key industries doing the same with the T Level.

T Level are being designed on the same standards as apprenticeships

In fact, T Levels are being designed on the same standards as apprenticeships, and as with apprenticeships, employers are working with academic institutions to develop the first programmes.

The idea with the T Level is that it gives students an in-depth flavour of a particular industry or industries – at 1,800 hours total study time, they’re a bigger commitment than other technical qualifications – whereas apprenticeships are more likely to suit school-leavers who have a clear idea of the career they want to pursue.

The link between T Levels and career progression

As with apprenticeships, it’s important to put away assumptions about the kinds of careers that T Levels will support. There are already a large number of subject areas that will start coming on offer next autumn, including professional services such as accountancy and creative industries. Click here to visit the Gov.UK website and find out more about T Levels.

Subject areas

At Develop Training, we’re pleased to see subjects on the list that will potentially allow our customers in the utilities and construction sectors to provide vocational training to T Level students, as they already do with apprenticeships.

Here’s the current list of subject areas:

• accountancy
• agriculture, land management and production
• animal care and management
• building services engineering
• catering
• craft and design
• cultural heritage and visitor attractions
• design, development and control
• design, surveying and planning
• digital business services
• digital production, design and development
• digital support and services
• education
• financial
• hair, beauty and aesthetics
• health
• healthcare science
• human resources
• legal
• maintenance, installation and repair
• management and administration
• manufacturing and process
• media, broadcast and production
• onsite construction
• science

   06 March 2019        Blogs

Here’s our quick guide to apprenticeships and where to find out more…

If you’re someone thinking about becoming an apprentice, a family member or an employer, the most important thing to realise is that apprenticeships have changed a lot. So, before you read any further, forget your existing ideas about what apprenticeships are like, and prepare to discover the new opportunities now available.

For a long time, young people and their families have seen universities as the pinnacle of further education, but that’s changing. Fewer young people are choosing to go to university, partly because of higher tuition fees, but also because they realise that a degree is not necessarily a passport to a job.

Apprenticeships, on the other hand, provide a direct path to a career, and better still, you earn while you learn. And those careers are by no means confined to the traditional factory-based jobs that used to be filled by apprentices. You can even do an apprenticeship in management.

High-quality apprenticeship opportunities

There are lots of high quality apprenticeship opportunities available at all levels around the country, in a huge variety of sectors, including aviation engineering, nursing, finance and policing. At Develop Training, we help employers in the country’s vital utilities – that’s gas, electricity, water and energy – to keep Britain running. They can’t do that vital work without highly skilled people, and we are running apprenticeship programmes for big-name employers to help to fill that skills gap. Our successful apprentices are well-qualified and almost always go on to well-paid roles.

Get paid to train

As an apprentice, there are lots of opportunities. Being paid while you go through your training is a big attraction for many young people, and some older ones too because apprenticeships aren’t just for young people.

Receive a recognised qualification

When you complete your apprenticeship, you receive a recognised qualification, which will help you to find work elsewhere if you need to. But, in fact, most apprentices go on to full-time jobs with the employer they trained with.

Classroom and practical-based training

Apprentices get personal support in the company that takes them on as well as guidance from external teachers. Alongside programmes where you learn on the job, you will probably do some classroom and practical training with an approved provider such as Develop Training before you qualify.

Receive paid holidays and student discounts

As an apprentice, you’ll get at least 20 days’ paid holiday a year and you’ll still be entitled to an NUS card entitling you to discounts on everything from rail travel to entertainment.

Find apprenticeship opportunities

The government has launched a new campaign called Blaze A Trail to tell everyone about the opportunities. Watch out for the events and advertisements and take a look at the website https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/.

Employer benefits

For employers too, apprenticeships offer significant benefits.

Large employers pay the apprenticeship levy, a kind of tax on their payroll, but they can recoup this by investing it in apprenticeship programmes. It’s been slow to take off, but more employers are now taking it up.

Employing apprentices saves on recruitment costs, and it’s also been shown to deliver a more motivated and loyal workforce, who have been trained to work the way that your company operates. Of course, a loyal, well-motivated and well-trained workforce will deliver better service so as well as saving on up-front employment costs, apprentices also deliver a measurable effect on your bottom line.

Apprenticeship programmes run by Develop Training Ltd

Apprenticeships are clearly good news for apprentices themselves and their employers, and we’re proud to be playing our part in their growing popularity. We’ve been successfully running apprenticeships in leadership & management, gas, water, smart meters and electrics for a number of years with some of the biggest names in the utilities industry. Click here to find out more about all our apprenticeship programmes.

   08 August 2017        Blogs

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 places a duty on employers to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments for all activities when working in Confined Spaces.

Risks posed by infrequent, but necessary, activities need to be given as much consideration as those of day to day procedures and practices.

For work in confined spaces, the risk assessment should include consideration of:

• The task
• The working environment (e.g. the general condition of the confined space, including contents, residues, contamination, oxygen levels, physical dimensions etc., and potential ingress of substances from outside)
• Working materials and tools (i.e. use of chemicals, sources of ignition or gases, heat generation, electricity)
• The suitability of those carrying out the task
• Arrangements for emergency rescue

The person carrying out the risk assessment must have knowledge and experience of all the relevant processes, plant and equipment so that they understand the risks and can devise necessary precautions. More than one person may need to be involved, and employees and their representatives should also be consulted.

Where the risk assessment identifies a risk of serious injury through confined space working, then the Confined Space Regulations 1997 apply, even if the specified risk is controlled.

The Regulations place the following duties on an employer:

• to avoid entry to confined spaces
• if entry to a confined space is unavoidable, follow a safe system of work
• put in place adequate emergency arrangements before the work starts

Avoiding entry

The priority must always be to try to avoid workers having to enter or work in a confined space. Employers should consider whether the work is really necessary and, if so, whether the space or working practices can be modified to eliminate the need for entering the space. For example, could the work be done from outside or by remotely operated equipment?

Safe system of work

If confined space working cannot be eliminated, the employer must design a safe system of work for the tasks to be undertaken. Priority must be given to eliminating any sources of danger before establishing precautions. Any actions taken to mitigate a risk must be monitored to ensure they remain effective throughout the work.

Where there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of serious injury, a permit-to-work system may be required. This provides a formal written way of recording and checking authorisations, precautions, test results and emergency arrangements. It is important to recognise that a permit-to-work system supports rather than replaces the safe system of work, monitoring and auditing that the system is working as intended. It does not in itself make the job safe.

Any safe system of work must consider the suitability of the people who will carry out the work. This should include physical and mental attributes, such as physical build, strength or pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma or claustrophobia, as well as competence in the specific tasks to be undertaken.

Emergency arrangements

The Regulations stipulate that no one should enter or work in a confined space unless there are suitable emergency arrangements in place. These must include procedures for raising the alarm and getting the workers out, and the provision and use of rescue and resuscitation equipment. Procedures for shutting down or making safe any plant or equipment being used in the confined space must also be considered.

Many fatalities and injuries occur when workers impulsively attempt to rescue trapped or injured colleagues and are overcome by the same conditions as the original victims. It is vital that everyone understands what should be done in the event of an emergency and who should undertake any rescue operations. Employers must ensure rescuers are properly trained, protected and equipped to deal with any potential emergencies that could arise.

Download our in-depth whitepaper on Confined Spaces

The above article is taken from our detailed whitepaper, which looks at working safely in confined spaces.

   07 June 2016        Blogs

Work on live or exposed conductors should rarely be permitted as many accidents occur when working on equipment that could have been isolated. However, sometimes there is no other option but to work live and in those circumstances, three conditions must be met for the work to continue.

Is it unreasonable for the work to be done dead?
Is it reasonable for the person to be at work near the conductor while it is live?
Have all suitable precautions been taken?

Where work cannot feasibly be done dead

There will always be circumstances where work cannot be completed dead because of the difficulties it may cause. Such as:

• Difficulty commissioning a complex control cabinet without having it energised
• Monitoring the performance of a control system
• Tracing a malfunction
• Connecting a new service to an existing main without disconnecting a large amount of customers
• Switching off a system that may cause disproportionate disruption and cost, such as the supply to a railway track

Plan the work

Many electrical accidents are a result of failure to plan ahead. Effective planning should take into consideration the management, supervision, implementation and completion of the work, covering the following areas:

• The work itself
• The hazards associated with the work
• The competence of those doing the work
• The level of supervision necessary
• Any suitable precautions that need to be taken
• The potential for the work at hand to change

Risk assessments

If the work has been decided to be unfeasible whilst dead, a risk assessment is necessary, and it must be carried out by someone with comprehensive knowledge of the work at hand and the means of controlling the risk. These might include:

• Temporary insulation, protective enclosures and screens
• Temporary barriers to keep unauthorised people away from the area
• Ensuring that adequate clearances are established and maintained
• Making sure all workers are trained and experiences
• Providing lighting and a clear working space
• Using robust and insulated tools
• Storing all tools correctly
• Avoiding lone working
• Using correct PPE at all times

Our courses

Develop Training courses are ideal for competent persons, authorised persons, engineers and managers, with responsibility for electrical high voltage and low voltage systems. Our courses reflect the latest methods, practices and legislation and provide hands-on experience on specialist equipment.

Our experienced teams can also provide consultancy on safe systems of work and create bespoke programmes aligned to business procedures. Courses are suitable for all commercial sectors, as well as healthcare, including the National Health Service and the Ministry of Defence.

Develop Training offer a large range of electrical courses for people of all skill-sets.

   24 March 2016        Blogs

Water is an often overlooked, but completely crucial part of the UK’s infrastructure. Ensuring that we have safe, uncontaminated water led to the introduction of the National Water Hygiene Card; commonly referred to as the ‘Blue Card’.

What is it?

Back in 2006, at the request of Water UK, the National Water Hygiene Scheme was created. Its aim was to consolidate all of the different training schemes into one all-encompassing qualification that would be suitable for the entire industry. This spans across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

You should think of water as a food product and therefore the public expect their water supply to have been treated properly so that it doesn’t cause health problems.

Who needs the card?

The card is issued by the Energy and Utility Skills Register (EUSR), and on their recommendations, anyone working with clean water, especially those working in the production and maintenance of drinking water supplies should have an up-to-date blue card.

This includes any person working on service reservoirs, pumping stations, treatment works, wells, spring and boreholes and working on the network of water mains.

Why do you need the card?

The card is an important way of ensuring all water industry workers are well-trained in keeping our water systems clean and uncontaminated, in compliance with Water UK standards.

The objective of the training is to provide a basic understanding of how important the maintenance of good hygiene standards is whilst working with potable water. The emphasis will be placed on your own personal responsibility towards keeping our water systems safe.

Whether you are a contractor or direct employee of a water company, the same qualification will be needed.

What will be covered?

Several areas will be covered under regulation, emphasising the importance of personal hygiene and identification of potential sources of contamination, this includes Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the need for clean boots.

Other areas that are explained is the potential for contamination through vehicles, tools, fuel and even pets.

How do you get one?

In order to be up-to standard with the nationally agreed level of training and awareness you must first answer a standardised health questionnaire to confirm that you are not carrying any water borne diseases.

Then, after a short training course, you will be issued a card from the EUSR and become registered; this card will last for three years.

What DTL can do

DTL can offer a half-day National Water Hygiene Course that, once completed, will register you to receive the blue EUSR registered water hygiene scheme card. The course is classroom based with a written test paper.