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The knowledgeable professionals who work as water technicians are constantly exposed to dangers in both their work onsite and out in the field, including working in confined spaces to manage and maintain safe processing of water and sewage. And while water technician safety is crucial, it's sometimes easy for safety managers to slack on the bits and pieces that make up a solid safety plan.
This article addresses common water technician safety hazards and the active fall protection equipment that keeps your technicians safe.
The Most Common Safety Hazards Water Technicians Face
Water techs may be trained on how to protect themselves from accidents. However, they are faced daily with numerous types of dangers while working in treatment facilities and out in the field.
The best way to stay safe is to start by identifying the most common hazards and dangers including:
Confined Spaces
A confined space has restricted entry and exit points and is big enough to accommodate a technician, but it is not designed for extended habitation. Some typical examples of confined spaces water techs encounter on a regular basis include:
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Manholes
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Septic tanks
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Pipelines
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Culverts
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Underground utility vaults
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Pits deeper than 4 feet
Each of these spaces has a unique design and presents unique challenges, the most common being insufficient oxygen and excessive heat, humidity, or water treatment plant hazards. And they all pose difficulties in the event of a rescue, should a tech need to be evacuated in an emergency.
High Voltage
Working in areas where high voltage is present offers an increased level of hazard for the men and women in this field. A technician working with high voltage comes into contact with these scenarios that could cause injury:
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Induction from circuits and communications equipment
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Weather that builds up static charge
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Capacitor banks with high voltage
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Live conductors
Contaminated Water
Water technicians working in treatment plants are constantly exposed to water treatment plant hazards such as sewage.
Toxic substances such as solvents and pesticides, radionuclides such as radium, and minerals such as arsenic cause chronic illnesses, including reproductive illnesses. At the same time pathogens can cause waterborne illnesses such as diphtheria, dysentery, and legionnaires disease.
Toxic Chemicals and Gases
Hazardous gasses and liquids come from chemicals stored on-site and those present in the soil and water –for example, disinfectants, PVC, fumes of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), chlorine from an injection line, etc. Contact with these harmful elements can cause various diseases or illnesses.
Slips, Trips and Falls
Slips and falls often occur in areas where the worker may have difficulty finding traction, such as wet and slippery surfaces. And trips can be caused by stumbling over any number of obstructions in the work area. These accidents often happen when there are unstable work surfaces, personal protective equipment is improperly used, and due to human error.
Active Fall Protection for Water Technician Safety
With the multiple risks that working in this field involve, active fall protection equipment and other personal protective equipment (PPEs) is essential to keep workers safe and operating efficiently. Here are some of the most effective pieces of equipment to help water techs as they encounter hazards on the job:
Harnesses
The job of a water technician demands working in many different environments, some being at height and within confined spaces. While most technicians who enter these locations are highly trained and experienced, accidents can happen, making preventive measures like a good-quality safety harness and fall protection system a must-have.
A quality harness is designed to accommodate the technician's weight while reducing pressure on their shoulders. Assessing a job is important to understand what type of harness would best assist the worker who is utilizing it.
Just as important as the harness, however, are the lanyards, connectors and anchors points used to secure the tech in case of a fall, as well as the rescue equipment needed in the event of an injury.
Lanyards
A safety lanyard links a worker to a fall protection anchor point. Lanyards with a shock-absorbing feature are even more useful because they significantly reduce impact when a fall occurs and prevent harm to the user.
Look for high abrasion resistance, a web not subject to unraveling, and a high strength-to-weight ratio. These features make for ample active fall protection wherever water treatment plant hazards have the potential to cause slip, trip, and fall accidents.
Confined Space PPEs
Beyond fall and injury prevention, you need rescue equipment that allows fast and safe personnel rescue should a technician end up trapped in a confined space.
To ensure safety, there are a few important features of helpful rescue equipment to keep in mind. Choose rescue and fall protection equipment for confined spaces designed to accommodate the weight of the person who is helping with the rescue and the tech who is trapped; as well as equipment that gives the user enough room to move within the space if necessary. Additionally, procuring confined space rescue equipment with quick and easy setup is important to the efficiency of a rescue.
Water Tech Safety Solutions from a Partner You Can Trust
At the end of the day, water technician safety mechanisms ensure you protect the most important asset in the industry: human labor. Beyond giving them PPEs and accident prevention training.
If you're looking for active fall protection to keep water tech workers safe like harnesses, lanyards, and confined space rescue systems, Tractel® provides quality safety solutions across a variety of industries. Contact us to learn more. We'll be happy to help you determine what types of safety equipment will be the best fit for your application.