Water jetting training boost for Lanes drainage engineers

Lanes Group plc has introduced a rolling programme of accredited water jetting training to boost the operational skills and safety of its drainage operatives.

It is delivering City & Guilds accredited courses developed by the Water Jetting Association (WJA) to train drainage operatives to a uniform and recognised standard.

The in-house programme has been adapted and is being delivered by Lanes Group Training Manager Darren Hamilton, who is an accredited WJA instructor.

It complements two other City & Guilds courses developed in-house by Lanes – one teaching blockage engineer skills, including customer service, the other about the installation of remote structural repair liners.

Darren Hamilton said: “Our aim is to provide clients with the safest and most effective services in the drainage and water utilities industries, and our growing portfolio of City & Guilds courses is helping us to do that.

“Water jetting is one of the biggest operational risks our operatives face, so it makes sense to deliver training in a co-ordinated way to a recognised standard.

“The courses we deliver are based on the WJA’s two blue and red codes of practice which are recognised in UK and internationally as setting a standard of excellence in the water jetting industry.”

More than 60 drainage engineers based at Lanes depots across the UK have attended the Water Jetting Safety Awareness training course since the programme was introduced in November 2017.

Where appropriate, Darren Hamilton is also delivering the WJA’s one-day Drain and Sewer Cleaning course.

He said: “The WJA City & Guilds courses set a benchmark for educating our drainage engineers about water jetting skills and safety, while giving them a skills ladder for their water jetting careers.

“The courses also allow us to include additional learning points specific to Lanes Group’s operational policies and procedures, health and safety processes, and customer requirements.

“There is no room for complacency. Even a modern household pressure washer can cause serious injury. Our water jetting systems are much more powerful, so we must strive continuously to set the highest standards of safety and practice. These WJA courses are helping us do that.”

Drainage engineers must pass a written assessment at the end of the course. If they do, they receive a photo ID card with a unique WJA registration number, allowing them to add specialisms through subsequent training.