Drainage operatives are benefitting from a new training course that helps develop essential knowledge and skills for using water jetting for surface cleaning.
The Drain, Sewer and Surface Preparation practical module (DSP), developed by the Water Jetting Association (WJA), includes new instruction on surface preparation using water jetting guns.
It develops skills that discourage the use of washdown nozzles attached to jetting hoses, which have no mechanism for instantly shutting off the water supply in an emergency.
WJA Training and Safety Chairman Steve Williams said: “We’ve developed this course in consultation with our drainage contractor members.
“Drainage operatives often use water jetting to clean contaminated surfaces, for example to deal with sewage spills, or clean access chambers and open channels.
“We want to eradicate the use of washdown nozzles for these tasks. Water jets from guns can be instantly stopped by releasing the trigger. This provides a built-in safety mechanism.”
During the DSP module, accredited by City & Guilds, operatives undergo two practical assessments: water jetting in drains and sewer pipes; and jetting for surface preparation with a jetting gun up to 275 bar that an operative can comfortably control.
Topics include safe use of jetting equipment, water jetting techniques, jetting gun and nozzle types, risk assessment, use of protective clothing and equipment, site set-up, and emergency first aid. Operatives who pass the WJA Safety Awareness course and the DSP module are awarded a WJA training card which can be renewed every three years by attending the WJA Safety Awareness Refresher course.
www.waterjetting.org.uk
