Course description
The National Water Hygiene (NWH) scheme is recognised by the UK water industry as a vital part in ensuring the protection of public health and promoting safe drinking water practices. It is a criminal offence to supply water unfit for human consumption.
Created in 2006, the 'Blue Card' replaced all water company specific hygiene schemes and removed the need for workers to undergo separate testing, health screening and to carry multiple cards. Water companies across the UK now mostly mandate the use of the NWH card for anyone entering a clean water site or engaged in operations on the clean water network, whether in contact with the water or not.
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Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
Those who need to work within or access a restricted operations site on the water network, such as treatment plants, installation of new mains and services, maintenance work or sampling.
It is increasingly expected that all those handling water for human consumption, including contractors, facilities management organisations, environmental health practitioners, water engineers, plumbers etc. also carry a 'Blue Card' to demonstrate competence and their understanding of safe water hygiene practice.
Prerequisites
There are no pre-course requirements for this course.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
On completion of this course, delegates will be able to:
- Identify their own personal responsibilities in relation to the clean water network and be able to define the term ‘wholesome water’ and identify its importance and scarcity.
- Candidates should be able to recognise which waterborne diseases can be easily spread and how, particularly in relation to issues such as Cryptosporidium and why these bacteria pose a problem to the water industry.
- Identify the risks posed to water quality. How contamination can be brought into these areas through bad practice, and the actions that should be taken by individuals to reduce risks to water quality such as reporting illnesses and receiving the correct training.
- State the facilities that should be available to maintain good personal hygiene. Including the hygiene requirements for tools, clothing, fittings and vehicles. State the storage and purchasing requirements for products used in the industry.
- Identify the purpose of disinfection/chlorination and state common company procedures for chlorine strength and how to safely dispose of highly chlorinated water.
- Candidates should understand the role of water quality sampling and the role of internal company/external regulatory water quality functions.
- Finally, candidates should be able to identify emergency procedure(s) to be followed for suspected contamination of the water network.
Training Course Content
The scheme consists of 4 modules covering awareness of safe water hygiene practices:
- Module 1: Covers the importance of water, recognising water as a foodstuff and understanding the need for wholesome water.
- Module 2: Describes the history of waterborne disease and how to work responsibly in the water industry.
- Module 3: Recognises where contamination can occur in the water supply journey and the potential contamination and its consequences.
- Module 4: Covers how the worker can prevent contamination and, how to deal with high risk situations.
Each assessment criterion will be assessed as a part of programme delivery through an end of programme multiple-choice test.
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