Member Article

Northumbrian Water's sparkling achievement

A North East water supplier is setting the standard for best practice in the UK water industry.

Northumbrian Water Limited, which supplies water and wastewater services to 2.6 million customers across the North East, and water services to 1.8 million customers in Essex and Suffolk trading as Essex & Suffolk Water, is the first water and sewerage company in the UK to ensure all production operators in its treatment plants meet the requirements of the Competent Operator Framework.

UK water companies signed up to the Competent Operator Framework in 2006, to ensure that all operatives across the UK carry out water treatment work to the same national standards.

All 138 Northumbrian Water Limited employees who work at a treatment works are now recognised as ‘competent operators’ and have achieved a nationally recognised qualification, NVQ Level 2 in Operating Process Plant.

The qualification was developed to meet the national occupational standards set by the water, electricity, gas and waste management industries to achieve competent operator status.

David Hellier, head of sector engagement at Energy & Utility Skills, the sector skills council responsible for the improvement of skills and training in the electricity, gas, waste management and water industries, said: “The way in which UK water companies have bought into the Competent Operator Framework is a credit to the industry, and we congratulate Northumbrian Water on being the first company to get everyone through the training.

“The Framework means that the UK has a high standard of operator competence, which makes the UK’s water industry one of the most consistent and high performing in the world and provides reassurance to customers, regulators and wider stakeholders.”

Diane Morton, human resources director at Northumbrian Water, said: “To be the first water and sewerage company in the UK to have trained all operators to meet this standard is a real achievement and means we’re setting the standard for best practice in our field.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .