Every day is a learning day – A Q&A with Wastewater Treatment Operative, Mark
Ever wondered what it takes to be a Wastewater Treatment Operative? We caught up with Mark to hear all about his team, the incredible training opportunities available, and why he’d recommend the role to anyone.
What does your role involve?
On a day to day basis, my main job as a Wastewater Treatment Operator is to maintain and optimise the treatment process from crude sewage entering the treatment works to final effluent being discharged to the environment. This involves monitoring the plant and equipment on site as well as taking daily samples to ensure permit compliance is being met.
What sort of maintenance tasks do you carry out in your role?
Cleaning and brushing channels, cleaning and calibrating monitoring equipment, regular greasing of moving parts, unblocking pumps, recording sample data and grounds maintenance, to name a few.
What do you like best about your role?
I really like the progression scheme, it develops your knowledge and you get rewarded with a salary increase with every level you achieve. I’m currently working toward Level 3. I love that I get to work outside all the time, it’s great to be outdoors. We also have the opportunity to enter into a share save scheme among other benefits.
"There’s scope to progress in the company.
No day is ever the same in this role."
Can you tell me a bit about the team you work in?
We work together in teams of 5 per catchment area to cover all the sites. I work in the area that covers Okehampton, Torrington, Hatherleigh, North Tawton and surrounding sites. We all work together to protect the environment surrounding where we live.
What sort of training have you undertaken since starting in the waste water department?
We have an internal training centre for mandatory training such as Confined Space, Working at Height, COSHH, Manual Handling, First Aid and Fire Safety which we all have to go on. I was also given the opportunity to undertake a Level 3 Apprenticeship in Wastewater Treatment which is a nationally recognised qualification that I’ve gained whilst undertaking my normal job.
What would you say to someone considering applying for a role as a Wastewater Treatment Operator?
There’s scope to progress in the company. No day is ever the same in this role, there’s always something different to be doing and you can be working alongside different teams/departments such as Mechanical, Electrical and ICA, so every day is a learning day.
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