Port Macquarie-Hastings Council water supply division employees have played starring roles in a new educational safety DVD developed for water industry operators.
The video was shot in partnership with the Water Industry Operators Association (WIOA) and Aqualift, a national water reservoir servicing operation.
The educational DVD package aims to guide water industry employees to best practice approaches in on the job water safety and standards.
David Barry from Aqualift said the DVDs will be used to provide a visual resource for use at future workshops on pipeline repairs.
“This production is effectively a ‘safety story’, but with the accent on safety being to the consumers as opposed to safety of the operators involved,” he said.
“It is important to remember that the ‘real risk’ is returning unsafe water to consumers, which has the potential to cause significant public health issues.
“Another focus is the human element involved in a pipe repair situation, beginning with the customer service centre, the initial site inspection, repairs and the disinfection processes and provision of alternative water supplies.
“If consumers and management are more aware of the risks of returning unsafe water after a repair, then more time can be bought for a proper and safe repair process to be carried out,” he said.
The DVD is part of a much larger pipe repair education process. It is hoped that many sections of the DVDs will feature in future educational presentations – saving both time and resources.
“In a one day workshop, it isn’t possible to simulate a pipe break and repair, so this movie provides the field component in a classroom environment,” David Barry said.
The practical guides will be collated into a series of visual training aids and distributed through WIOA.
