Pressure’s On

Contractors use different approaches but bring the same concern and care when devising training for waterjetting and waterblasting technicians

High- and ultra-high-pressure technology has been a boon to the industry, allowing contractors flexibility and effectiveness not previously possible. However, high-pressure cleaning equipment must be used with great care. The high-pressure jets can cut through wood or even steel and, used carelessly, will make short work of human tissue, severing limbs, removing eyes or worse.

Contractors take a variety of sound approaches to safety training for high-pressure waterjet technicians. While all those interviewed take safety seriously, training varies with company size, the type of services offered, the customers served, and the environments in which technicians work. Successful professionals put safety – for their technicians and their customers’ staff and facilities – above all else.

John and Julie Renier’s PLC Water Jetting Inc. is small enough to be rather informal in structure, but there is nothing casual about the way they handle safety training. Just a few miles east of Green Bay on Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula, PLC has retained members of its crew and so has not had to do new-hire training in several years. However, existing technicians receive ongoing safety training.

“We take them initially to a three-hour hazmat course, and then every year we have an eight-hour refresher course,” John Renier says. “Throughout the year, every couple of weeks, we have a tailgate meeting to cover certain things that could go wrong.”

The low turnover allows Renier to focus more on projects than on training, but he still keeps an eye peeled for danger. With a seasoned crew, he watches not for the large, obvious threats, but for the small ones that could turn into something big the moment anything goes sideways.

“It’s more the kind of thing where the guys will forget to put on their safety glasses or vests when they’re on the street, or neglect to put on their personal protective equipment when it’s really hot,” he says. Renier pays attention to these lapses so they don’t have a chance to become big safety issues.

Transpacific Industrial Solutions Pty. Ltd. is a large international company based in south central Australia. Its 6,000 employees serve a broad variety of factories with industrial vacuum recovery, high-pressure waterblasting, grit- and hydro-abrasive blasting, and other services.

“One of the more critical factors is that high-pressure operators become familiar with the kind of harm the equipment can inflict,” says Joe Malabello, in charge of safety training for the company. “We start with an induction training for new people, where we take them out in the very contained environment of our yard to demonstrate what the equipment is capable of.”

Instead of pounds per square inch (psi), Australians measure water pressure in bar, a metric unit (one bar equals 14.2 psi.) “Because our waterblasting equipment ranges anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 bar (14,200 psi to 42,600 psi), it can become quite harmful,” Malabello says. “There’s a big emphasis on wearing the proper attire, in this case protective armor. We’ve recently investigated standardizing our personal protection equipment. One of our larger clients asked us to look into what’s out there and offered some options to start with.”

As the company continues its body armor research, regular training continues. Transpacific performs an annual training needs analysis to make sure it stays current. The process identifies needed skills and gaps in current training that must be addressed. Company leaders also evaluate existing training against each job description to make sure they properly address new equipment, tools and techniques. The team then formulates a performance support program that provides actionable recommendations to close gaps.

All training is conducted by a trainer or assessor deemed competent under relevant national competency standards. The trainers are audited annually to ensure that the quality of the training meets levels established by the Australian National Competency Standard.

The company’s compliance training exists to ensure that no one performs a duty he or she is not trained for. The operational training regimen consists of a practical skills assessment, followed by a task explanation and demonstration of practical theory, then application of equipment and techniques.

Formal training in safety theory is then given, allowing for recognition of prior learning and current competencies in theory and practice. The latter keeps the company from wasting resources on already-learned points, while moving employees into actual field work more quickly.

Finally, workers receive competency-based training in national standards for Australia and New Zealand, ISO certification, any industry-specific standard education and manufacturer-recommended instruction. Workers also are made aware of legislative information applicable to the industry in which they work. The company is recognized by Australia as a registered training organization, and its employees generally work under a customer-supplied site supervisor.

As office manager and sales associate for Coats & Coats LLC/Rooter Man, Lynn Moore helps arrange and schedule training sessions for new hires and existing crewmembers of the company’s hydrojetting team.

“Generally, all our people get taught hands-on by the boss,” Moore says. “We make sure that the training environment is closed off and empty of other people, so it’s safe. New trainees always start off at a low pressure so they can keep a good grip on the equipment, and we make sure the rpms on the truck are adequate, with enough water in the tank to provide a smooth pressure.”

She maintains that keeping the equipment in top condition is critical to providing a safe environment for new hires and veteran operators. “We’re fortunate to have a mechanic who is also a site crewmember,” she says. “He keeps the equipment in top condition at all times before it even goes out. I think that’s a major thing, to not ever work with any substandard equipment.”

After initial training, technicians are assigned to work side-by-side with seasoned jetter operators until they learn the equipment. They generally do this for several months before operating solo. This happens when their mentor crewmember feels they’re ready, based on their jobsite performance, and in demonstrating the ability to take apart and re-assemble the equipment during maintenance and parts change-outs.

“Any equipment can be dangerous, so most times we try to make sure we have at least two people on-site unless there’s a remote shut-off,” says Moore. Quarterly meetings keep crewmembers up-dated.

­“Everyone is responsible for all the trucks at all times, and we also rotate the positions around,” Moore says. “Sometimes when you do the same thing day after day, you can become complacent. So the guys who do the pumping also do the sewer and drain lines. This also helps them learn from the others.” A side benefit is that anyone can fill in for anyone else who might be absent at a given time.



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