Water and Effluent Treatment Magazine
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Striking out underground cable strikes • Thousands of accidental cable strikes are recorded every year, and are among the biggest health and safety risks for engineers in the utilities sector. But a 'sheep dip' approach to training is not the answer, says Cognisco CEO Mary Clarke. O ne of the biggest risks for engineers working in the utilities sector is acci- dently striking underground cables. An estimated 60,000 underground cable strikes oc- cur every year, which can cause serious injury or death and cost businesses millions of pounds in associated damages and compensation costs. Cable strikes are a growing problem for utilities companies and it is an issue that has chal- lenged the industry for many years. Despite deploying a vari- ety of cable avoidance tools, staff training and learning and development programmes, cable strikes are still happening. Combine this issue with a workforce attitude of "we've always done it this way" means that some utilities are failing to take appropriate measures to mitigate risk and ensure the safety of their workers. One of the shortcomings of the train- ing that companies have been delivering is that they have focused on assessing knowl- edge, rather than how people apply their knowledge on the job. Just because someone has attended a training course, it does not mean they are compe- tent and confident about apply- ing their knowledge in the cor- rect way at work. This 'sheep-dip' – one size fits all approach to training is not helping reduce cable strikes or improve overall health and safety. Thames Water is trying to tackle the issue of cable strikes head on. In April this year, it embarked on a five-year project that will see all its Victorian waterways and sewage works upgraded. This is a huge pro- ject with several leading com- panies providing engineers. One of the main project risks is engineers' accidently striking underground cables. Behavioural training To ensure the safety and com- pliance of all engineers and contractors that will work on the project, Thames Water has insisted that all engineers and contractors working on its new waterways upgrade project demonstrate their competence and confidence in relation to cable strike avoidance before starting work. The company's alliance, eight2O, and contractor Opti- mise are working with people risk specialist Cognisco, which has developed a Cable Avoid- ance Evaluation (CAE) assess- ment offering a new approach to traditional cable strike avoid- ance training based on the lat- est behavioural training and assessment techniques. The assessment is designed to help improve the compe- tence, knowledge and attitudes of engineers by enabling man- agers and supervisors to uncover the specific training requirements and support needed to improve the compe- tence, performance and safety of individual workers. The aim is to reduce the risk of under- ground cable strikes and improve safety standards, ensuring compliance with all safety standards set by Thames Water. This assessment uses sit- uational judgement questions based on realistic scenarios that utilities workers encounter daily and measures the knowl- edge, competence and confi- dence of workers in all aspects of the role. The results reveal what people know, as well as their behaviour and attitude towards risk, and highlight any knowledge gaps and specific training needs so they can be addressed. In contrast to sheep dip training, the assessments drill down into the detail of what people know, as well as how they would apply their knowl- edge on the job which high- lights their likely behaviour and attitude towards risk. The assessments also identify spe- cific knowledge gaps and train- ing needs so they can be addressed. The approach provides man- agers with visibility of what News+ Veolia 1: JUly 2015 weT News 7 individuals truly know and understand, any areas of mis- understanding, which if not addressed could compromise their safety or put them or the company at risk. By building up a picture of an individual's or teams' likely behaviour in cer- tain situations and where potential risks lie, a company can plan for remedial action. The Cable Avoidance Evalu- ation covers seven key topics and helps engineers under- stand risks at every stage from the pre-dig assessment and util- ity mapping through to check- ing equipment, interpreting cables and pipework, and methods of evacuation. The aim is to increase safety behaviour, and mitigate safety risk which will reduce the likelihood of injuries and fatalities resulting from cable strikes and mitigate risks of fines and reputational damage for companies. Managers gain in-depth information about the knowl- edge, confidence and attitudes of their engineers and their training needs. They can view their star performers and their areas of weakness – employees that need additional support or training or who might not be 'fit to practice'. They will be able to make the right decisions about training and development, direct individuals to the specific training and support they require, and tackle unaccepta- ble behaviours, and have greater confidence in the ability and safety of their workforce. This insight enables compa- nies to deliver tailored training and development for every indi- vidual, eradicate unacceptable behaviours and to rationalise training spend. Through this innovative assessment, compa- nies will understand who their most competent engineers are and those that might place themselves or the company at risk. Once identified, these employees can be can be given the essential training interven- tions needed or even taken off the job until they have improved their competence levels and can demonstrate they are fit to practice. Compliant To date, 1,035 plus individuals from 28 different companies working through Optimise have participated in the Cable Avoid- ance Evaluation and the assess- ment will be delivered to hun- dreds more engineers in the near future. Optimise is ensur- ing it has a competent, qualified and compliant workforce and is helping to build a culture of self-development and learning. The company is also helping to safeguard its workers from the risk of cable strikes. Thames Water is leading the way in putting safety first and it is anticipated this technique will make a huge impact in reducing the number of cable strikes on the project. By dem- onstrating best practice on such a high profile project it is hoped this will also help raise indus- try-wide safety standards and lead to a reduction in cable strikes across the whole of the utilities sector. "Just because someone has attended a training course, it does not mean they are competent and confident about applying their knowledge in the correct way at work." Mary Clarke Some utilities are failing to take appropriate measures to mitigate risk and ensure the safety of engineers