CLEANING
CLEAN IT WITH COMPETENCE
Training for high pressure water jetting is essential, now the next step is proving competence. Water Jetting Association Vice- President John Jones explains why.
In wider society the word competence is not given so much credit. There is often a view that if someone is competent, they can just about do the job they are tasked with. Competent people are good. But not that good.
In the world of work, though, competency is a much more sought after and valued quality. For a start, it is a step beyond being trained.
Being trained means you have gone through a set learning procedure and been assessed, hopefully, to have achieved a specific level of knowledge or practical capability at that point in time. But, in many cases, it is not the strongest indicator that you will go on to work to a standard that is expected of you.
This is where a specific kind of training and assessment comes into its own. Leading to a qualification that gives an employer or facilities management customer greater certainty that the person carrying out an important and potentially risky task is not just trained, but competent. So that person can be trusted to complete it properly and safely every time.
The Water Jetting Association (WJA), the UK’s member organisation for the water jetting industry, aims to achieve just that. For the first time, starting in 2020, we will be offering a new WJA Level 2 Diploma in Competent Water Jetting.
Water jetting – a valued process Water jetting is in widespread use to clean and de-foul
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surfaces, prepare surfaces for coating or painting, or demolish or cut structures across most business sectors. However, the process presents unique and sometimes less than perfectly understood risks.
For example, pressure washing systems, now ubiquitous in the cleaning industry, operate at pressures that easily allow water to penetrate skin. This can lead to serious injuries, often misunderstood and overlooked by cleaning and medical professionals alike.
The result can be catastrophic long-term injuries or even death. Additional components in the process, such as steam, chemicals or abrasives, add to the number and levels of risk operatives and those around them are exposed to.
It is why, in 2019, the WJA issued updated Water Jetting Injury Management Guidelines based on research it commissioned and carried out by a team of leading NHS emergency physicians.
It is vital then, that cleaning teams are properly trained to used pressure washers and other even more powerful water jetting equipment. Better still, it is also very advantageous that employers can demonstrate to clients, through qualifications held, that cleaning teams are competent to carry out water jetting.
The WJA’s Codes of Conduct already require members to demonstrate competence. At least half the members of any water jetting team must be competent personnel. So, a two-
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